Wednesday 20th October 2010 Melay to Roanne. 25 kms 3 locks

Beautiful Burgundy tiles.
Briennon church tower.

7.5°C Warmer overnight, but pouring with rain when Mike got up at 7.30 a.m. The météo had promised a sunny day with white fluffy clouds that didn’t occur until we had tied up again. We set off at 8.35 a.m. with the brolly up. The rain had turned from a downpour to showers while Mike was gathering up the electricity cable and getting the boat ready. I lifted the bed and found our winter boots out as I didn’t want cold wet feet. Spotted cattle egrets among the cows in the meadows bordering the Loire and later a pair of buzzards. Around 9.45 a.m. I ‘phoned the keeper, Daniel (Lizanne gave Mike his number and name), at Briennon to tell him we’d be there in an hour. The port at Briennon was almost chock a block with moored boats. Lock 3, Briennon (2.96m) was empty with both gates open even though I’d said we were narrow and he could open one gate for us. He took my rope and put it on a bollard for me then filled the lock slowly on one gate paddle. We left the top at 11.00 a.m. with 4.4 kms to the next lock. The same keeper worked the next lock, 2 Cornillon (3.04m) and this time he had only opened one gate, the left, but once in the chamber the wind effect blew us across to the right. We left the top just after twelve and wished our keeper a bon hiver – a good winter - and we’d see him again in spring. 

Old crane at Briennon moorings.

8.3 kms to the last lock. At the next bridge there was a weir taking water from the pound to below the lock which had water jets keeping the debris, leaves etc from going over the edge. I went in the cabin and made lunch, a sandwich for me and cassoulet for him; I ate mine while his was heating up then I steered while he ate his lunch in the cabin. While I was preparing lunch he called me to see nine white storks soaring up on thermals to gain height. We’d not seen any storks in this part of France until a couple of days earlier when we saw a pair. Unusual for them to be here this late in the year. As the canal went into the town we passed high fences with barbed wire around the Arsenal and shortly after more high fences, this time around a modern prison building with two high sentry boxes at opposing corners of the walls. The first sign of the town centre proper was a road running alongside on the right bank with industrial units beyond. 

Aqueduct carrying a stream over the canal. Roanne.

The lock up into the basin, 1 Roanne (0.60m) was ready with one gate open, on the left, and Fred the lock keeper worked the lock for us lifting the boat less than half a metre up into the basin. Noted the flood marker of 1866 half a metre up the wall of the lock house. It was 2.00 p.m. when we left the lock. Past  the Capitanerie on the left and lots of new built boats (British replica DBs for the most part) on the right on the side nearest the town. Elizabeth II, a very smart klipper moored on the left, gave a hoot as we passed and we waved to the crew. Half way along the basin on the left there was a gap that we dropped into in front of G. V. John and Lizanne came out to take a rope and say hello. We organised our mooring lines and Mike set the TV up. Sorted out the electric with our new neighbours and we plugged in. Mike had to move the boat a bit further up the quay as Lizanne had said that the Capitan (Hervé) would object to the mooring pins we’d had put in to keep the boat against the wall. Checked the Internet. Whoopee! 3G! The sun was out between clouds so there was quite a contingent of promenaders along the quay. The Winter starts here!

Tuesday 19th October 2010 Melay. Day off

0.8°C That’s cold! Pouring with rain when the alarm woke Mike. We were going to move up to Roanne but not in the wet! The camper was leaving as we drank our tea and coffee. Mike decided that if and when the rain stopped he would move the car up to Roanne (dodging the police barricades as it was another “protest” Tuesday) and come back on the moped. He left at 11.45 a.m. taking his waterproof/windproof trousers plus his thick jacket and gloves. Fortunately he didn’t get entangled with any protesters but he did have trouble finding his way into Roanne and into the basin from the eastern side of the town. He had a chat with John and Lizanne who told him that the space in front of them would be vacant until the end of the month when its usual winter moorer returns. 

Monday 18th October 2010 Melay. Day off

Grey and cold, but only a few spots of rain. We went by car to find the Carrefour hypermarket in Mably on the outskirts of Roanne. Lucy GPS found it easily for us and we went through lots of small farming villages in the heart of Charollais cattle country. Had a look round for things we had been considering buying, like a new TV aerial (44€!) - I liked the omni-directional one; then collected the groceries, including two jars of Mike’s favourite ginger jam (used to be called marmalade!). Back for a late lunch. A large campervan, French with local 42 plates, had parked opposite the boat about 50m away by the trees. After lunch the guy from the camper came across to tell Mike that there was an electricity supply. We’d missed it! And it was a whopping 32 Amps for each of two, two-pin, sockets. We reeled out the long cable, which astounded Mike as it almost reached the supply point, but we had to add another cable anyway  with the right connector. The chap from the camper said it was a good supply and he was running his heating as it was going to be a cold night. Connected up one of our small panel heaters to heat the bedroom so that made it quite cosy without lighting the central heating. 

Sunday 17th October 2010 Avrilly to Melay. 13 kms 4 locks

Bottom end gates on shaft lock 7 Bourg-le-Comte.

4.5°C getting colder again. Rain overnight, cold – still only 5°C and overcast but no rain when we set off at 9.30 a.m. 3 kms to the first lock. A British registered Recla, painted maroon and grey, was moored by the first bridge below lock 7, Bourg-le-Comte (7.13m). No signs of life at the lock so Mike gave a couple of hoots and a young (20-something) lady lock keeper appeared and opened both gates on the shaft lock. I put a short rope from the side dolly on the front deck around a rung in the ladder and Mike had a series of hooks in a recessed groove to put the stern rope on, neither of which were absolutely necessary as the keeper lifted the right hand ground paddle first which kept the boat glued to the right hand wall. Our keeper had never seen a narrowboat before and she was amazed when we said we were OK to leave the chamber through one lock gate. 3.8 kms to a flight of three locks. I made a cuppa to try and keep out the chill. The camera started playing up, wouldn’t switch on, then when it did it wanted the date and time setting, which it normally only does when the battery has been changed. 

In the 7.13m deep chamber of Bourg-le-Comte

No boats were moored at Bourg-le-Comte village, but a man leaned out of a house window and asked Mike in English how he was! By the third bridge below the next lock we spied DEFRA tape around a hole where a stream ran under the canal in a culvert – please don’t let that collapse while we’re moored in Roanne! (There had been several bank collapses over the past few years that had caused boats to be marooned there.) Another young lady in her twenties worked the next lock, 6 Chambilly (2.46m), which had both gates open. She put a rope on a bollard for me then opened the wrong paddle first, it was not fast filling so we could cope and Mike kept the boat alongside the lock wall with a little burst of forward gear now and again. 

Gate opening/closing gear Bourg-le-Comte

She drove the 500m up the towpath to lock 5 Montgrailloux (3.20m) in her car. This time there were no ground paddles, only gates, and she wound halves, starting with the right (correct for us) side. She only did the two locks, she told us her colleague would work the deep one. Another 500m and we were at lock 4 Artaix (6m) where a young man, also in his early twenties, worked it for us. Again we put ropes fore and aft on the ladder by the bows and hooks at the stern. The boat rose slowly without any problems, glued to the right hand wall by the flow from the ground paddles. It was 11.55 a.m. when we left the lock; again, the lad was amazed that we could get out through one gate. Just timed right and he was off to his lunch, so we wished him merci et bon appetit.

Redundant lock house - they replaced two locks
with one deep one. Bourg-le-Comte

On to the long pound 18.2 kms to the next lock but we weren’t going all the way today. It was 1.15 p.m. when we tied up on an empty quay at Melay. Mike went off on the moped to collect the car from Avrilly. I made myself some lunch and had only just eaten it when he returned. We put the bike on the front deck and he had his lunch. DB-nb Sulaskar went past heading downhill just after lunch. Put some more fibreglass on the parabola to make it solid as one inside panel was still free of the others. The Internet was still on GPRS low speed. John P had sent an email to say there was a Port Party on Thursday so he would tell Pascal that we would be there unless he heard to the contrary. Looks like we’ll be going to a party!

Saturday 16th October 2010 Avrilly. Day off.

Rain, as predicted by our weather station. Had a lie in. Three boats passed, going uphill in the rain, before lunch. After lunch Mike put more glassfibre and resin on the parabola. He lit the Refleks, (which behaved), once it was burning fully across the pan he switched it off before the cabin temperature soared as the outside temperature had crept up to double figures (the day before it managed only 8°C max outside). A large yellow cruiser that we’d seen several times before went past heading uphill, followed by a fat narrowboat. 

Friday 15th October 2010 Molinet – Avrilly. 18.2 kms 3 locks

Lock 10 Bretons. Canal de Roanne a Digoin

Foggy, visibility not too bad when we set off at 9.30 a.m. but cold and damp. Turned right at the junction on to the Roanne à Digoin canal and arrived at the first lock 10, Bretons (2.85m) at ten. The lock light was on green and a VNF man with a VNF car was there. Noted that there were weirs on this canal (unusual for French canals where they either weir surplus water over the lock gates or leave feed paddles at both ends open) These take surplus water from the pound above and empty it just below the lock on the right hand side -  a sign said beware – remous (whirpools, ie swirly water). We went in the chamber slightly sideways and I yanked the blue cord, the gates started to close and the keeper appeared. He offered to take a rope but didn’t insist when I said we were OK at the back of the chamber without one, thanks. The lock filled, very, very slowly.

VNF van with worse bodywork than our ZX!

I took a photo of a VNF tipper van which had holes in its cills parked by the workshop. It took fifteen minutes to work the lock. Once the gates started to open our keeper was on his way in his car up to the next. The lock lights remained on red and green for quite a time and we wondered if there was downhill traffic due, but then they went to red and the gates closed behind us just as we turned the bend and the lock went out of sight. 1.3 kms to lock 9 Beugnet (3.00m). This time the keeper was waiting by the controls and pulled the blue cord for us as soon as we were in the lock. I asked if all the locks were now automatic and he said no, only the first three, then it’s back to windlasses! On the road near the tail end of the lock there was a van with a tar heater on a trailer. The flames died out on the heater and a great puff of white vapour enveloped the trailer, then with a great loud BOOM! that made us jump the thing relit itself. The lock gates opened and we set off, 1.1 kms to lock 8, Chassenard (6.0m) the first of the deep chambers. 

Lock 8 Chassenard - first of the deep ( 6m) chambers.

A couple in a car held up a small child to see the boat as we went into the chamber. Slowly the boat rose in the chamber so I went inside and made a cuppa. Waved bye-bye to the child as we motored out of the lock on to the 15.7 kms pound. Mike had told the keeper we would stop somewhere on the pound and not move on Saturday as rain was forecast but would be at the next lock on Sunday morning as long as it wasn’t still raining. The long pound was quiet – a sign by the junction had said “Roanne canal – the tranquil canal” and they weren’t wrong. We saw no traffic (none the previous two days at Molinet either) and only a couple of fishermen. Probably the weather was putting people off, it was very chilly. Out came my gloves and fur hat, my boots (and Mike’s) were still in summer storage under the bed - I’ll find then out later. 

Inside the deep chamber of Chassenard

We shut the stern doors and the pigeon box and then opened the inner engine room doors so we’d at least get the heat round our feet and legs as we sat on the stern. I made us a cup of soup. A coypu swam across the canal in front of the boat and wandered slowly up the bank and along the path, totally unconcerned about the boat. Later we saw a pair of buzzards, loads of cormorants and jays and a beautiful pair of kingfishers. Near Bonnand we passed the site of one of the breaches that occurred a few years back where the canal was on an embankment close by the Loire. The side opposite the river had been steel piled for a couple of hundred metres (on our right) where the bank had collapsed. After the embankment the canal went along the base of a low hill on the right bank with occasional views through the trees on the left across the wide flood plain of the Loire. 

Mooring at Avrilly. Derelict mill beyond trees.

We didn’t remember the mooring at Avrilly next to an old abandoned mill, which was not surprising as we hadn’t been on the canal since 1996 and never stayed there. It was just after 2.00 p.m. when we tied up. After lunch I gave Mike a hand to unload the moped down the big plank and he went to collect the car from Molinet. I checked the Internet – only GPRS, 56 kbps – slow. Mike was back around 5.30 p.m. with a loaf he’d picked up in Molinet’s depot de pain as he’d seen no boulangerie at all. He put the bike on the front deck rather than on the roof. Mike cleaned the Reflek’s filter (not much in it) and then cleaned out the burning pan. It wouldn’t burn properly so he turned it off and said he would have a good fiddle with it next day. (The central heating is always stubborn after its summer rest!) 

Thursday 14th October 2010 Molinet. Day off

2.6°C even colder overnight! A chilly day with fog that lasted until the afternoon and a cold wind. Coal fire still going, will need to put the central heating on if it continues to be so cold. On with the chores. Mike went into Digoin for petrol for the gennie. Police were keeping traffic out of the town centre so there must still be protests going on about the Government plans regarding the retirement age and pensions. Ran the engine and Markon to do more washing and ironing. Mike rang the Citröen dealer in Paray; the part had arrived – were they going to phone us? They said they would and didn’t, typical! After lunch Mike went to top the car’s tank up plus get a container of diesel for the boat and collect the new part for the ZX from Paray. 

Mike (in mechanic mode) with new part for the ZX.
Amazing what has to be done to keep an 18 yr old car on the road!

He decided to get the job done while it was dry and it went pretty well as he was finished before five. We went for a ride in the ZX to test it out and book the first lock on the Roanne canal for ten the following day. Surprised to see the lock was now automatic – but the lights were switched off. We had just taken down the two phone numbers on the door of the small workshop alongside the lock when a VNF man in a van arrived. OK for ten tomorrow? Yes. Hope the weather is a bit better! Back to the boat. On the French news the strikers were still blockading the oil refineries, a popular target for the unions in any dispute with the Government as secondary picketing is allowed here. The evening was getting colder so Mike lit the central heating for the first time this Autumn, but turned it off before we went to bed as it wasn’t burning correctly and the temperature hadn’t slid down as far as the night before. 

Wednesday 13th October 2010 Molinet. Day off

3.4°C overnight Really glad of the coal fire! Warm sunny day after thick fog first thing. Mike used his Dutch “dremmel” for the first time (must have bought it five years earlier) to cut the wires with a minute cutting disc on our cheese cloche 3G antenna while it was on the cardboard former, severing it into four sections so they could be overlapped and moulded into a parabola, then he put fibreglass matting and resin over the joins to seal it all together. No ‘phone call from the car dealer’s so Mike ‘phoned them. The part hadn’t arrived, but they have another delivery at 3.30 p.m. Mike went into Molinet to post a birthday card. 

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Molinet. Day off

Sunny and warm. Glad of the coal fire overnight. Mike sent a text to the neighbours asking if they still wanted a new controller for their solar panels and asked if they were coming to Poland with us in 2012. The reply came back, yes to the first and probably not to the second. Jeff from Montchanin had rung to say there was space at his place, Nick said he’d already paid to moor in Nevers and we could have the place if we weren’t already fixed up. Mike told him we were going to Roanne. Next he phoned Majorie (in Belgium) to tell her there would be two narrowboats on the trolley as Snail would like to do some painting too. Then he texted the Snails to say we were OK for dry docking next year. Olly phoned him back, they were stuck at Charleville-Mézièrs waiting for a stoppage to finish on the Meuse lock. After lunch we went shopping at Leclerc in Paray. Drove the fast route on the N79 except there was a set of traffic lights just as it becomes dual carriageway for one way traffic as there was some work being done on a bridge. The queue of lorries coming the opposite way was something we’d not seen since border queues from Poland to East Germany. Then when we arrived in Paray there were gendarmes everywhere on the turnoff into the centre of town – the direction we needed for the centre commercial – and no one was permitted into town. Back round the island and a long a road running parallel to the N79, then crossed it and came back parallel to the N79 on the town side and found the Leclerc. Nice new modern store and their prices were not too bad. Traffic was well snarled up when we left the hyper. Found an agricultural suppliers and Mike got a new spark plug for our Honda gennie, 5,02€. Still no access permitted by the gendarmes out of town on to the N79 or off the N70 into town and we found out why when a group of men at an island handed Mike a leaflet – it was a day of protest by various unions about the French Government’s plans to raise the retirement age. (Now we known why the overnight parts delivery wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday due to postal workers having a day off to wave flags) We had to go back towards the centre of town, crossed the canal and turned right to take the old road through the centre of Digoin back to the boat. Home around 5.30 p.m. Mike did emails. He’d had one from John to say they were at Melay and would be in Roanne at the beginning of next week. Paul had also sent an email to say he was back in the UK after leaving Liberty in St-Jean-de-Losne next to some Brits who live on their boat and will keep an eye on it for him. He said he’d had fun modifying his loo and had a mishap with his gennie which sounded expensive, maybe a broken piston ring according to Ron! Mike thought not, broken piston rings are generally quiet, it’s more likely his starter motor. 

Monday 11th October 2010 Pierrefitte to Molinet. 11.2 kms 2 locks.

This is a narrowboat - really!

Another example of bad English

Grey and overcast until late afternoon. Mike went for bread to the UGA superette and the miserable woman in the shop, who was washing down the counter with a bowl of dirty water, pointed to a “Health and Hygiene” notice on the bread basket informing customers that they must not handle the bread as he had just helped himself and put a loaf in our bread bag. He had to respond with “Is the notice there for only you to handle the bread?” He didn’t want her to touch the bread with hands that had been in that filthy water. He told her that he hadn’t seen the notice. We set off at 9.20 a.m. DB Maya from Jersey was moored to the towpath at the edge of the village. A young man in a van was at lock, 3 Odde (2.66m) which was empty with one gate open so I got off and went up the steps with my locking rope to drop down to Mike. On the lock side there were adverts for both grocery stores in Pierrefitte so I took a photo to show what bad English UGA had written. The lad said he would be working the next lock for us. 3.2 kms to lock 2 Talenne (2.51m). Again it was ready with one gate open. This time I stepped off on a wooden landing below the lock and went up with my rope. Our lock keeper asked where we were stopping. Told him Molinet and we’d be there a couple of days if the quay was empty, if not we’d go on above the three locks on the Roanne canal to Croix Rouge.

Just enough room for us on the quay at Molinet

5kms to the quay so I made a cuppa. Pleasant cruising, nothing else moving but us. No one on the quay so we winded to have the side doors on the outside. Sulaskar went past 35 minutes after we tied up. Lunch. Mike said the quay was ideal to do work he wanted to do on the car so I put the laptop on to find the nearest Citröen car parts dealer (we got blue! 3G!) and found it was at Paray. I gave Mike a hand to get the bike off the roof. He went to collect the car and I cleaned the rubber tyre marks off the roof then potted up some new plants. I hadn’t quite finished when Mike returned. Helped put the moped on the roof and finished potting up the shrubs and bulbs. Mike wanted to find a Citröen dealer to get the part to repair the car so we went to Paray-le-Monial. Took a turn too early off the N79 and went through the middle of the town. The dealer’s was by Intermarché. Mike ordered the part and had to pay 190€ for it and 10€ +TVA for the search to find it! Should be here on Wednesday. Back via the N79 (we should have taken our new map with us as we dropped off the fast road not far from Molinet – we could have gone that way!) and back home. An empty péniche called An-Ju went past heading uphill. Mike lit the coal fire as the evening was getting chilly.

Sunday 10th October 2010 Pierrefitte. Day off

Grey, overcast with a few sunny spells. Mike was up early to watch the F1 from Japan. I got up just before it finished. Vettel won. Started the engine to run the Markon and I did some washing. Nothing moving much for days then one up and two down loaded péniches passed in the pound around 12.45 p.m. and a French cruiser gave up following the downhill ones and paused in front of us. The two that came down were, Reginald from Antwerp followed by Heide.E from Rotterdam, then Mazzel went uphill. The lock keeper came to ask when we were moving, well timed as we were ready for moving on, so Mike booked the lock for 9.30 a.m. the following day. The cruiser set off again just after 1.30 p.m. Later a DB-styled narrowboat called Sulaskar came past and moored in front on the sloping edge of the basin. When Mike went out later the skipper off the DBnb paused for a few words en route to the bottle bank. They’d only just this year brought their boat over and were going up the canal a bit before heading back to Nevers for winter.

Saturday 9th October 2010 Pierrefitte. Day off

Warm and sunny. Mike was disappointed to find they’d taken the Japanese qualis off which were supposed to be on ITV from 6.00 a.m. UK time. Now moved to 1.50 a.m. British (because of torrential rain). He said he’d get up and watch it (he didn’t!). On with the jobs. Mike went to get some bread from the UGA superette in the village and then put his cardboard former together to make a base for moulding the wire-mesh cheese cloche into a parabola. Quiet, just a couple of Dutch cruisers went uphill after lunch.