2006
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- 2.0 19 June
2006 to 25 June 2006
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- 19 June, Monday,
Beaulon to Gannay, Canal lateral a la Loire.
- Getting away was indescribably enjoyable,
been feeling just like "Wayfarers All", Ch 9, The Wind in the
Willows for the last 2 or 3 days, and now here it was coming to fruition
- Weather sunny, but not that searing heat we
have had for the last 10 days.
- Sad to see Roy and Audrey Brooks's house
"the Lighthouse" at Garnat sur Engievre all shut up and
characterless without "Rosie" moored at the bottom of their
garden, but that's the way it goes - we first met them there in 1999 - now I
gather they have a council flat in (short term memory loss of
the aged has struck - cannot remember the name of the city. In
the Eastern half of the country (England), Cathedral on top of a hill
overlooking flat country, not Ely or Peterborough, claims to fame are that
that they have an original page of the Magna Carta, and that my
trousers blew off the washing line when we were moored in the basin, and
sank, but we found and fished them out with the boat-hook.
- It was great, scenically this stretch is
ever widening flat Loire valley (the canal - see it's name - follows the river all
the way, and, of course, was cut to "even out" the passage of
commercial shipping then using the river Loire) - although there are a few
hills - green mixed farming, the corn is starting to turn, but just bimbling along
stopping as and when, recipe for really enjoying life -
hardly dare say it, but
Albert seemed to enjoy it as well.
- On to Gannay-sur-Loire shortly after lunch - a nice
little formal mooring with "touts commerces" run by Connoisseur
Cruisers - always a favourite with us, and with many boaters.
Regrettably, Connoisseur/Crown Blue Line have pulled out and Burgundy Cruisers from
Vermonton with their big steel brick like hire boats have taken it
on. They have taken to charging private moorers, so had the choice of paying for
an unsheltered mooring in the blazing sun with water, electricity,
rotting and unsafe verges, or going 500 metres back up the canal under the
trees into peace and shade on steel pilings, but foregoing electricity
and water - neither of which I wanted, anyway!
- Much backchat - humorous and sympathetic and in
a very loud voice, from the L.K. when I explained what I was doing!
- Nice peaceful night.
- 20 June, Tuesday, Gannay to Decize Canal
lateral a la Loire.
- Stopped in mooring basin in Gannay for bread
quite forgetting it was Monday. L.K. suggested nearest bread was
Decize, where I was headed, anyway.
Great fun re-visiting and photographing
- horribly long range and against the light - the
local resident storks nest on the way down (2 "chicks", but mighty
big by now). Remembered where they
should have been, but missed them on first pass, so had to U turn and go
back to look for them. On our first trip through, ages ago, we were very
lucky seeing them, as they are only really visible to boaters going to-wards
Gannay away from Decize, being hidden behind the first row of
trees. Since then we have looked for and seen them each time we
passed, and L.K.s assure us they have returned to the same nest without fail
for very many years, even when the original tree rotted and blew down, and
locals replaced their nest first on a pole and then into another tree. Don't
think there are any other storks resident in the area, but may be wrong.- Decided that, as there was a bread crisis, normal lunch meal of toasted or fresh bread
should be replaced with a small treat, and ended up having a dirty great
fry-up - eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, potatoes,
the lot, after obligatory soup. Bigger meal than supper so perhaps should
save to-night.
- Moored up in main canal above Decize in rain in
early afternoon - the rain a relic of a major hail storm they had last night
but that missed us only 4 or 5 kms up canal.
- Down to Crown Blue line for gossip with
Flourante - friend from St J. de L. CBL, now manager Decize CBL to arrange
winter moorings.
- Did dash - with boat - down to and across Loire,
and up first pound of the Nivernnais to
the le Clerc complex of supermarkets, which has it's own private jetty in St
Leger de Vignes. 6 jerricans diesel, and massive domestic shop.
Dear lady in le Clerk very pompous to start with as my Debit Card wouldn't
work. Once again, she insisted on swiping it, wiping it on her
bottom to clean it, then reswiping it. They all have difficulty in
believing that if they poke the card in the little slots of their cash
machines and let us tap in our magic number they work splendidly. Have
found answer - do NOT be apologize, do NOT offer to pay cash, refuse any
suggestions of replacing goods on shelves (yes, difficult replacing 6
jerricans of diesel) insist nothing wrong with card, the problem is either
their computer that is at fault, or they are using it
incorrectly. Be very firm. The debit card (chip and
pin) suddenly works superbly.
- It all came right in the end, and we became best mates! The great joy of this complex is that one can
run their trolley right down to the boat.
- Hailed by Bruce, of Zizz, moored next door,
also shopping, who since I last saw him near Roanne, has been back to the
top of the Nivernnais at Baye, and back here.
- Just made it before 1900 through St Leger
basin, up the Loire and into moorings. Made like Greyhound of the
Ocean all the way.
- Forgot about "light supper" and had
full one.
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- 21 June Wednesday in Decize
- Gossiped, shopped for all the bits forgotten
yesterday, and wasted time - good
fun!
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- 22 June Thursday in Decize
- Same as yesterday.
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- 23 June Friday Decize to about PK 82
Canal Lateral a la Loire
- Determined to leave early - but still had to
make early morning dash to Brico for loo chemical and to boulangerie.
- Pleasant run - difficult to see view now that
canal side bush has fully developed leaf growth. One is
virtually in a corridor in blinkers. Also, as usual, a strip
about 2 ft wide of long grass and nettles has grown just in behind the
revetts, so mooring up with
open windows lets all the grass, nettles, and
weeds poke themselves into the boat, where they drop their seeds. drop
their seeds.
- Found ultimate in bush moorings - steel
piling, shade, short grass, no road visible or
audible. So pleased with it, tied up much too quickly with chains and clamps very
sloppily, so when a peniche passed they all pulled out.
- Re-moored properly after giving and receiving
short and rueful lecture.
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- 24 June Saturday PK 82 to about 96
Canal Lateral a la Loire
- Sad to leave mooring - very good one!
- Stopped in canalside village to get bread -
big sign on bridge "boulangerie 300 metres".
Got last loaf (Sat afternoon village
boulangerie)
- Farming becoming more agribusiness - enormous
irrigation schemes on maize, and large fields.
- The canal is becoming more enclosed by the
trees and bush along the edges of the reserve, which are now in full leaf,
so it is becoming more like boating down a corridor.
- Same sort of mooring as last night, but used
cordless hedge trimmer to cut back nettles and grass from alongside boat,
so had neat tidy mooring. The gadget - which was an offer from
B & Q about 4 years ago, was a great success, and did it very quickly
- it was a horrid dull humid sweaty day, being a replacement for the
original, which - like my electric toothbrush - didn't like the particular
sort of electricity the boat generates, so killing it's charger.
- Shortly after, this one's charger did the
same - but the machine is fully charged, so will have to use it only when
really necessary.
25 June Sunday PK 96 to Nevers
Canal Lateral a la Loire
Still dull and overcast, more wind,
and much cooler.
Down into Nevers - short side canal
with 2 locks that used to connect the Lateral actually with the river
Loire.
At the canal end now the old basin
has been re-developed into proper formal moorings. I believe the
pontoons were only installed this last week - they were certainly spanking new,
electricity properly coupled up, but water supply in enormous plastic hoses with
2 taps on the end, still.
Albert is allergic to finger
pontoons, but managed - in spite of strong wind - to weave and slide right into
the inside against the verge. Also in shade - not that that was
essential to-day, but it was nice having it.
The rather scrubby unused swimming
pool that used to be in the remains of the canal between the basin and the river
has been re-built and is now quite magnificent - 4 or more beautifully presented
pools of all types, including a wave one, slides, and all. Being
Sunday, they were, of course, busy, which arguably didn't lead to peace on the
moorings...............
Bike into town - even Sunday traffic
"interesting" with a most convoluted one way system. Have
developed habit of biking "in
automatic" while looking for or at whatever. It appears French
drivers are quite used to wayward bikes and cyclists, and are most
forgiving. Bit scared by enormous scarlet bus - German - that tried
to share "my" cycle lane with me - he was totally silent until his
engine and exhaust arrived from behind. As remembered - town a mass of
steep hills, but rather nice, none-the-less.
No photos of, or into or out of
Nevers - dull and overcast.
hardly dare say it, but
Albert seemed to enjoy it as well.
Great fun re-visiting and photographing
- horribly long range and against the light - the
local resident storks nest on the way down (2 "chicks", but mighty
big by now). Remembered where they
should have been, but missed them on first pass, so had to U turn and go
back to look for them. On our first trip through, ages ago, we were very
lucky seeing them, as they are only really visible to boaters going to-wards
Gannay away from Decize, being hidden behind the first row of
trees. Since then we have looked for and seen them each time we
passed, and L.K.s assure us they have returned to the same nest without fail
for very many years, even when the original tree rotted and blew down, and
locals replaced their nest first on a pole and then into another tree. Don't
think there are any other storks resident in the area, but may be wrong.
open windows lets all the grass, nettles, and
weeds poke themselves into the boat, where they drop their seeds. drop
their seeds.
boulangerie)