May 2024 – Part 2
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With three nights to spend in Montbard, and feeling pleased with ourselves for sorting out Pip’s passport, we also arranged for Casper to be seen on our second day just for a health check, and were delighted to know he’s in very good general health, and that despite his age he could potentially be good for a cataract operation – he could actually regain his sight!!!! We’ll definitely look into that when we get to Groningen and have time to organise it.
A couple of other boats turned up while we were out and about, so we had a chat with them and ended up with everyone on Shensi for drinks that evening – Ian and Carol on Neetjle, Gary on his catamaran, and Sven and Margarita (didn’t get their boats name) – which was very enjoyable.
Waking up on 17th May – Happy 40th, Stuart – we continued along the picturesque Canal de Bourgogne passing through eight ecluses until we reached Venarey les Laumes and picked up a nice mooring alongside a small landscaped area (which the hotel peniche, La Belle Epoche, had priority over its use, but we already knew they wouldn’t be there at this time so that was fine).
A little later the colourful narrow boat, Ziggy B (whose owners, Kimberley and Jon-Michael, we had briefly met on previous occasions) came in to moor, so we were able to pull forward and give them enough room to tie up behind us, and of course that in turn led to drinks with them in the evening.
Nicki managed a nice long walk with the dogs along the canalside, which they deserved after sitting for around four hours on our journey there, and the following morning in very hot sunshine we walked up to a supermarket for supplies, noticing that since our arrival the day before, there was now a full blown fishing competition going on along the canal. Later on, Neetjle arrived in the port followed by Gary, and again we all met up on Ian and Carol’s boat for a few drinks.
Up to that point our intention was to move off at 9 or 10 in the morning, but an earlier visit from the eclusier changed that plan … there was another smaller barge coming up behind us that the team wanted to join us in the following locks, and it wouldn’t be arriving till late morning. Hence our departure wasn’t until 1pm, which was fine as that days travelling wasn’t going to be too long.
A later start meant of course a longer stay in bed for us, always a bonus. The expected barge (Gwen) arrived late morning, briefly tying up to Ziggy B until it was time to move on, and off we all went.
On our way again (19th May) the day started off well in excellent weather and together we easily passed through ten locks, arriving a mere three hours later at a basin between ecluses 46Y and 45Y, Pouillenay. All very pleasant and quiet ….. until later that evening when an overhead thunderstorm crashed into the area, very loudly and flashily! Oh, and not to mention a party on the other side of the basin that went on till the early hours. Ah well, some you win ….
We only stopped here for one night and arranged with the eclusiers to start off at 9.30 in the morning, managing a further fourteen ecluses before the eclusiers made their lunch stop at 12.00, leaving us in ecluse 32Y Chassey 2 for an hour (Gwen pulled over to the bank before the lock, so probably had a more relaxed stop). Just after 1pm and we were all on the move again, passing in and out of another five locks until we reached Marigny le Carouët just beyond ecluse 28Y Marigny, pulling up at a municipal Fluviale on a large grassy bank an hour and a half late. And …. relax!
Despite the large number of locks, the heat and five hours plus of cruising, it had been a great day, and as I had set up the phone camera to make a timelapse recording of the trip, we will be able to revisit it at some point.
Will and Jenny, our travelling companions on Gwen, joined us that evening and we had a lovely couple of hours getting to know each other. They were pushing on the next morning though, so we said goodbye when they left, with good intentions of waving them off in the morning, but sadly we were still in bed when they departed and we could only watch them pass by the portholes.
Marigny le Carouët
Our full day in Marigny le Carouët started with a walk into the small town, all very charming and picturesque, well tended and loved, on our way to visit a nearby chateau (referred to as a ‘fortified house’) surrounded by it’s own water filled moat, built in the 12th century on the site of a Gallo-Roman villa. It is now privately owned so you can only walk around the grounds external to the moat, but nevertheless it was very impressive – the roof tiles had lots of symbols built into it along with lots of yellow tiled patterning.
Another good night, and we were set to leave again in the morning leaving our companion boaters behind as we travelled on to Pont Royal via 13 locks. The manager (Gerald) of this small port popped over within a few short moments and soon connected us up to the electric supply, offered to get in supplies from a local supermarket should we need them, and was generally very affable and informative. He and his sister had taken over the business about 18 months earlier, and it seemed as though they were transforming it from a fairly rundown enterprise into a well kept, attractive port with cafe/bar on-site with b&b accommodation.
Later in the day, Ian, Caroline and Gary cruised into the port, so it was drinks outside the bar that evening. They continued on the next morning to the tunnel (hopefully to provide us with any feedback for our own passage), only to be replaced later that same day by a lovely American couple (Laurel and Tom) who pulled in for a few nights, and as often happens the four of us got together for drinks in the bar that evening too.
After two nights here it was time to set sail once more, the day beginning with the 1,130 metre long Creuzot cutting, just wide enough for one boat to pass through but with a few passing bays along the way. Luckily we didn’t encounter another traveller, so that was all fine.
The weather had started off in lovely sunshine, but as often happens it soon turned to heavy rain for the rest of the journey, which involved yet another 13 locks. By the time we arrived at our next destination of Pouilly en Auxois, Nicki was drenched and freezing cold, and on her second change of clothes after the first set became just too wet to suffer any more! At the final lock I popped into the VNF office to reserve a travel slot through the Pouilly Tunnel (Pouilly-en-Auxois underground or Burgundy canal vault) for the following Sunday, 26th May. After mooring up, we wandered up (twice) to the nearby supermarket to replenish supplies, Nicki took the dogs out for a good walk, and I took down the stern rails in preparation for the tunnel.
Some interesting facts about the tunnel include:-
- Length: 3.333 kilometres long
- Width: 5.80 metres
- Ceiling height above water level: 3.25 metres
- 32 ventilation tunnels, the deepest at 50 metres
- Construction began 1826
- Date of completion 1832
The construction of the tunnel did not include for tow paths and therefore there was no room for a horse to tow the barge, so until a tug system was developed, the bargees had to pull on a special cable and use gaffs (a pole with a sharp metal hook at it’s end) to haul the barge through the tunnel. The first tug was steam powered and arrived on the canal in 1867 and continued to pull barges through until 1893 when an electrical tug was installed. This new “hydroelectric” tug could tow five loaded barges of 200 tonnes each or 15 empty barges. The electrical supply was supplied by hydro-turbines located beside the two highest locks on the canal where water from the canal drove the turbines using a sluice gate which generated enough power to produce 600 volts on a cable that was some 6 kilometres long. The tug drew its electricity from a cable above, which powered an electrical motor. This motor then pulled on a chain that lay on the canal bottom, fixed at both extremities of the pound. The tug could then pull the barges through, taking between 1.5 to 3 hours to complete the crossing depending on the number of boats being pulled.
Although the tug is no longer used, it is on display along the quayside, and as it turned out we were moored directly behind it so we were able to get a good look at it.
Anyway, all that said, at this point, Tim and Glynis arrived to join us from KISOT in Marlow, and to counter sitting in the car for so long we all walked up and over the tunnel to stretch legs before our first evening together.
Nervously and excitedly waking in the morning, we readied ourselves for the ‘tunnel experience’, starting with taking down the wheelhouse before Tim and I visited the VNF office collect radios etc for the journey, and then it was D day for us.
Some 105 minutes from our entry into the tunnel we exited the other end of the tunnel, thankfully in one piece if somewhat stressed! Thank goodness for the absolutely essential support of Tim, Glynis and Nicki, all throwing advice at me from all directions (including Nick’s never-to-be forgotten “bow to stern” instruction). The weather was now beautiful sunshine as we turned into lovely clear water of Escommes where we quickly found a mooring spot where we could re-assemble the wheelhouse before continuing. Mind you, almost immediately another boat pulled in behind us (one of seven that were part of a rally heading in the opposite direction to us) and the skipper was quick to question how long we’d be there (several times over) as the other six boats were also arriving shortly and they would need to moor there once they’d passed through the lock into the pond (basically, we were in the way). No pressure!! Luckily our task wasn’t too arduous and we were quickly on our way, only having to wait for the seventh and final rally boat to pass us as he exited the lock. Another eight locks on and we passed onto a mooring in the pretty little area of Vandenesse en Auxois, with an added bonus of a stunning sight of the chateau of Chateauneuf looking down on us. Here we again caught up with Ian and Caroline and arranged to have dinner with them that evening. But first the four of us stretched our legs with a walk into the very small village and along rural roads before returning along the canal path. Later on, Tim and Glynis returned to Pouilly en Auxois to collect their car and bring it along for the next stage of their journey – they each took one of our bikes, but that ride was very short lived when the rear wheel on Glynis’ bike became loose and they had to bring it back. In the end, they decided that Glynis would run the approximately 10K route and Tim would cycle with her, and besides a few hiccups with going the wrong way, they eventually arrived back with us.
With a 1pm scheduled departure the next day, we began our day with a walk up the hill to visit the chateau – despite knowing it was closed on Mondays! Still it was worth the effort as we were able to look around the tiny village (listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”.) Some of the lovely ancient houses were built by wealthy entrepreneurs centuries ago, but at the end of the Middle Ages they were used as shops.
(Nicki read that apparently the château’s last heir, Isabelle de Chaudenay (who became “Châteauneuf” briefly) was burned alive (and her château taken from her) for poisoning her husband!)
The walk up to the chateau and it’s village was quite hard going so of course we needed to stop for a rest with a coffee before returning for our allocated 1.30pm departure.
Off once more along the canal, we cruised for four hours, passing through ten locks before reaching Pont d’Ouche, a small port on our way to Dijon.
The next day we arrived at La Forge. There was a short distance between the locks there and the eclusiers asked us to moor on a short stretch of bank just after the lock. We had to use stakes for this, but there was very little boat traffic so it wasn’t an issue. Further ahead were five hotel peniches, so it was lucky that the eclusiers advised stopping where we did.
Glynis and Tim set off once again to collect and move their car here, ready for their departure the next day. Another exhausting day for them whilst Nicki and I casually waited out the rain before walking the dogs and chatting to the locals.
The following morning, after a leisurely breakfast, Tim and Glynis drove off to join Debs and Howard on Moondance, now in Lezzine, for the second half of their multi-break vacation. Despite planning for just one nights stay, we ended up stopping for a second night at La Forge.
Nearing the end of May, and on our own again, we prepared to forge on again. However, we were delayed almost immediately when the lock exit gates couldn’t be opened due to excessive weed build-up in the lock, containing the already locked-in hotel peniche for well over an hour! It took several eclusiers, some of the peniche staff and myself all that time to drag out enough plantlife so that the gates could be pulled back and fully opened.
Finally the hotel peniche was freed, and we took our turn in the lock. On this stretch of the canal we were looked after by the friendly eclusier, Guillaume, so helpful and patient.
Gissey-sur-Ouche was our next port of call, rocking up at 2.40 pm to find bollards along the bank, just beyond a bridge.
With just one night spent in Gissey-sur-Ouche, we began the final day of May with an early-ish start of 9am arriving in Fleurey-sur-Ouche at 3.20 pm – our eclusier today didn’t seem to have his heart in the job, and took off for around an hour and a half lunch break. Such a difference to the lovely Guillaume from the previous day.
