Cappy. Canal de la Somme

Day "off"

Morning spent battling with Pipex re blocked e-mail site, and sorting web site.

Afternoon cycled off to have a ride on le pet’t train touristique. Runs for about 7 kms from the canal to a sugar mill up on top of the ridge. Great laugh - advertises as steam driven. So it is, for the 1st 500 metres. Then in a wood a crafty change over is made to a diesel loco, which does the rest of the trip out and back, and hands over to the steamer again for the last 500 metres! Apart from atmosphere - great - the other claims to fame are that it is a relic of the Battle of the Somme - supplies came by barge and rail, and were shuttled to front line on narrow gauge rlys, of which this was one. The other claim is that it climbs the hill by craftily zigzagging up the contour instead of going straight over the top.

Another claim to fame - survived unphotographed because camera left on boat.

An enjoyable, though frivolous afternoon. We only discovered, quite late on in the evening, that the canal is closed on Sundays, anyway, so it was as well we decided on a dossing day.

Cappy to Peronne Canal de la Somme.

Decided that we would like to re-enter the great wide world with full diesel. Tried to buy from hire base on same mooring - yes, 1€ per litre, and not before 1200 mid-day.

Decided to call their bluff, sat on their mooring, and cleaned the boat - recent continuous rains have played havoc with appearance and cleanliness and flowers.

Kept us happily busy until 1100, when diesel was forthcoming.

In fact only dared to put 80 litres in - after the last fiasco when the re-fuelling pump pipe leaked diesel all over the floor of the engine hole, and I was awakened in the middle of the night to cope.

Motored up to the main canal during the afternoon, and pulled into P. de Upl. at Peronne. Regrettably, L.K.s on Somme are suffering from inevitable syndrome that results from having too little to do - 4 boats a day - maybe. They are unable to get round to doing even that little that has to be done, are clearly unsupervised, and are very unprofessional! Long waits at every lock for LK to appear - on one occasion had to fetch her from her car where she was reading a book, 2 hour lunch breaks, wrong paddles opened, etc etc.

Into Peronne, where had terrible job turning and mooring boat, with contrary wind and current.

Got her settled, then decided to move so that we could hide with paint ravages of last week’s peniche in lock contretemps.

Painted furiously - and drinks with Frenchman from next door boat - ex hire boat, been all over Belgium, so got a good briefing.

Peronne Canal de la Somme to St Simon Canal St Quentin.

Distinctly satisfied over stay in Peronne. Expensive and scruffy establishment, but if one accepts that before arrival, so there are no nasty shocks, has planned reasons for staying, and what to do, these dreadful places can be acceptable.

We are full of water, diesel, electricity, and enthusiasm (after last night’s briefing on Belgium by our French neighbour), and the boat is appreciably less scarred..

our neighbours - the very enthusiastic (and very nice) French family in an ex hire boat - gave us a wave, as we left. Suspect the day’s visit to "The Historial" was for the good of the children, they would sooner have been cruising!

Traffic on Canal du Nord, along the same stretch as gave us grief last week, was virtually nil - quite literally. Probably 2 single peniches, one Australian Cruiser, and a little German yacht going our way. The dreadful weather has stopped harvesting, so presumably the grain peniches running to Belgium formed a far greater part of the traffic than we realized, and aren’t running.

Bliss for us in some ways - but the Canal du Nord is a bit boring - miles and miles of well engineered, wide, wide waterway, big open country, but if there is no other traffic.......

Turned off onto other bit of Canal de la Somme that joins Canal St Quentin and Canal de Nord.

Immediate change to rural river canal - narrow, overgrown banks - charming and really quiet. 1 boat seen, hiding from the sun under a bridge, and another moored up in Ham.

Had to carry out small boy avoidance drill in Ham Locks. The "please give us a ride mister" in shrill repetitive voices syndrome was very evident, and we locked all doors while ascending the 2 close to-gether locks. In fact, they were neat tidy kids, and if we weren’t paranoid after English experiences would probably have acceded to mutual understanding and benefit.

Got a briefing from professional L.K. on Somme on where to sleep over at St Simon lock.

Only possible place had been included within an automatic lock radar detection area, and was thick mud anyway. Think he was a couple of years out of date.

Radar had detected us, and lock was well into first part of cycle, so reckoned we’d better go through. Promptly got stuck in mud, couldn’t turn boat to face lock, and all rather uncomfortable.

Got her round eventually, headed for lock, only to be pushed right into bank - within 2" didn’t hit - by under surface sideways bye wash.

Lock electrics most odd. Acknowledged our entry, but wouldn’t start closing gates and filling phase. Drove out to give entry seeing-eye a chance to see us again. Drove back in, gave tirette a real bang, and all worked normally???

Found nice shady quiet mooring canalside with bollards about 300 meters above lock on rive droigt (left side way we were facing). No roads that side, so no fishermen, whereas other side was seething.

St Simon to entry to Riquval Tunnel. Canal de Saint-Quentin.

Nice early start, so time to explore moorings at Seracourt-la-Grande. Good, quiet - 3 boats - small alimentation and shops in village. Probably meeting place for buzz-bikes in evening.

Looked at St Quentin, as well - looked awful - wall to wall boats over acres, hot, concrete, no shade?? Generally considered expensive??

Very pleasant days run. Weather sunny and hot and clear. This flight of automatic locks best we’ve found in France - accurate, and very fast, although quite safe. (we do tie up in locks now - especially autos, with 1 bow rope back to a bollard, and drive into it).

1515 arrived at entrance to long tunnel quite 2 hours before we expected or intended, so moored up in the very gloomy cutting leading to it.

Quick gossip with crew of incredible looking craft that moored in front of us.

This was the convoy tow-er, and, in effect, is just the same as a chain ferry, except there are some 5.5 kms of chain along the canal floor through the tunnel, and power is electric, supplied from overhead cables like the old trolley buses used to use in Edinburgh.

A gloomy, cool, mooring, so early to bed.

entry to Riquval Tunnel to Masnières. Canal de Saint-Quentin

Up at 0530, ready for stated 0610 start in convoy through tunnel. Obligatory to be convoyed and towed through - air pollution in the tunnel is the problem - hence electric power in the tug.

All set by 0600 - nav lights (first time ever for Albert) and everything, except no tug crew.

0700 still no tug crew. Went to look for them - wottied as to-day is the holiday in France equivalent to our Aug Bank Holliday.

0710, crew arrived by different route - fortunately, so quiet in cutting, S’s shouts audible at a distance, and Albert’s crew re-joined on the run.

Coupled up to tug - the ENTIRE convoy - spoken of in the books in breathless terms of 30 peniches - was Albert.

1.5 hours of dangling on the end of a line - no engine - not necessary, we were going just fast enough to steer ourselves - and we thankfully emerged into daylight, dropped tow, re-started engine, and "procede under own power.

At point 3190 (3190 metres from north end - was painted - in English, graffiti style white on brick - "just one more medium size bucket").   Answers please, on a postcard.   NB.  Boats cannot stop there - they are only allowed in under tow, pedestrians cannot get in, and it was too high up the wall anyway.

Another great day - this canal is tops both for scenery and engineering.

Found a convenient wall with rings and shade just above Masnières.

Resulting from early start, felt limp, so read books and drank gin under trees on nicely tended grass bank.

Masnières to Cambrai. Canal de Saint-Quentin

Nipped up to local SM, first thing for batteries for computer mouse, and gas. (It ran out night before last in the middle of my shower. Not funny)

Best thing ever.

Fetched gas back, but arranged delivery of other purchases to boat if we did decent shop.

We did - beer, wine, milk, loo paper, general supplies - 2 trolleys!

Then on up to Cambrai, finding when started that gear box was repeating last year’s trick of voiding all it’s oil past the gear change lever.

Very hot., but canal still super from all aspects.

Slid into Cambrai P. de P. to see if it was the sort of place we would like to stop in.

It wasn’t - plain horrid, dirty, noisy, and full of fishermen. But it was hot, we found a willow tree to cower under, so we stopped, and bought mooring, complete with water and electricity.

Did round of town to try and find engine oil - engine oil change about due - but just got hot and thirsty, and failed.

Cambrai. Canal de Saint-Quentin and River l’Escaut

Up early to do engine things before it got hot. Changed oil seal that gave us grief on the Saone last year, and which was put in in the wrong order - but extremely obligingly at the time.

For the past week much oil on floor and in collecting cup, so reckoned time for action.

Had got bits from Newage last winter, so plunged in.

Unusually for us when doing this sort of thing, everything went right, had the right tools, was the right part, fitted, went in and came out as quoted by obliging fellow at Newage Transmissions.

Now we will see how it works in practice - fingers crossed, thumbs held.

Quick committee meeting. Very hot - bright, clear, and unforgiving.

Decided to stay, and try and sort e-mail out, and have yet another day off.

E-Mail stopped working - or rather underwent a log jam when the lovely girl in the Information Office at Amiens sent us a 7000+thingobite picture of the Cathedral by night.

Wouldn’t download over the mobile phone modem, and wouldn’t let anything behind it download. Could visit my mail box on the Internet, but couldn’t read mails, or delete as system just too slow on a 9,600 b.p.s. mobile (max on a mobile).

Ascerbic e-mail conversation with Pipex. The fools kept sending me e-mails after I told them they wouldn’t download. Splendid service! We are now looking for a new server - any ideas - remembering that we need UK and Continental roaming access, and web space.

Eventually, after cycling all round Cambrai looking for a cyber-cafe (seaber cafe), and finding only games shops, ended at the local technical library, where Cambrai residents can buy time cards and use the computers. Apparently too expensive for likes of us, but most helpful, suggested France Telecom or Post Office.

Former brilliant idea - have an account with them, anyway.

Trotted along, they were delighted to help with demonstration machine for Wanadoo. Once got sticky hands on machine, got out of Wanadoo, overcame French key board, French Internet Explorer, blasted all nonsense off Pipex site, and left it pristinely clear of all Pipex’s rubbish - as well as our own., and regretfully one or 2 messages we wanted.

However, we think we are all go, again.