Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne
We had been told Sillery was a nice place to moor and so it is. The fees are very reasonable and include water and electricity. In fact, one of the other English boats we talked to thought that it would be a cheap place to live for the whole summer at €3.50 per day for a longer stay! Of course, it would be no good for a live-aboard winter mooring because they turn off the water and electricity, though you can winter your boat OK.
Here in Sillery there is an Ecomarché with fuel station only 200m away in one direction, a lovely bakery in the other, a post office, tabac, pharmacy, and one train and three buses to and from Reims per day. There is also a beautifully kept military cemetery on the edge of the village and 6 kms away is a windmill and a lighthouse – yes, we know it’s a strange thing to have a lighthouse so far inland but it was obviously somebody’s folly, and there is apparently a magnificent view from it!
There is also said to be an excellent restaurant close by but we just don’t seem to have had time to give it a try.
As we arrived we saw an English barge, Carolyn, moored on the outside of the pontoons and with their permission we hove to on the outside of them while we sussed the scene. Mike and Jill were very helpful and had been at Sillery long enough to know many of the other barges here. So it was only a matter of minutes before we were able to moor up to bollards on the quay between Varlyon (Lenny and Susie from Lancashire) and Carrie-anne (Jim and his wife from Yorkshire).
We had drinks with Mike and Jill and they had supper with us and we hope to meet up again in a month or so as we go opposite ways round the same circuit.
While Louise was away Alex was invited to supper by a lovely South African couple, Roy and Avril (Summertime V) and he helped Roy change his engine oil the next day. He also shared drinks with Andy and Claire (Albertine) on a couple of nights and with Jeff and Jane on Whisper 1700. So together with completing the list of to do jobs he had compiled, he was kept busy and entertained for the whole week.
Louise’s trip to the UK went well and she was returning with an extra suitcase full of things only the UK seems able to produce. At the same time, sister Julia was taking a night Eurotunnel train and was due to arrive at around 9 am. Alex had barely finished breakfast at 8.30 when Julia’s partner Steve appeared.
The timing of their visit was fortuitous as July 14th is Bastille Day, and there are no local trains or buses so Louise’s journey back to the boat from Reims was going to be tricky. As it turned out, having deposited Julia plus carers Tina and Lucy at their Campanile hotel, Steve and Alex were able to pick Louise up from the TGV station.
The weather was lovely and we all sat under the trees beside the mooring. Alex then found, on inspection, that his davit, primarily built for hoisting the inflatable off and on Riccall, did not go far enough over the quay to safely be used to hoist Julia aboard. So it was out with all the gear – make a new mounting position and weld it all into place for the next day.
After a trip round Reims cathedral, SPECTACULAR, and a quick bite in a McDonald’s (unspectacular) we all returned to Riccall to test the davit. It worked fine, and we all had supper on the back deck in the evening sunshine. Julia was so happy with it she asked for a repeat lift, plus a short cruise the next day.
As we left for our short trip, we were slightly concerned that our place may be bagged by another boat while we were away, so we talked to our English neighbours Jane and Jeff who kindly agreed to sling a rope of ours, with a 20 litre container attached, across our mooring to prevent anyone coming in.
Jeff then cheekily asked if their visitors could come with us! Alex, taken by surprise, agreed, but later made it clear that as it was our family outing, the friends would have to keep themselves to themselves in the well deck!
The trip was up the canal, through two locks, turn round and back again (about 2 hours). All went well till the turn-round which in itself was OK but when the boat behind us entered the lock to follow us up, the gates jammed and they had to call VNF to help. Nothing in boating is ever simple! Meanwhile two other boats had appeared behind us and were also waiting to lock down.
Louise sussed the scene at the lock (as we had a slight time pressure to consider with Julia’s planned departure time) and informed the little Dutch sailing boat immediately behind us that we were heading back to our mooring in Sillery, but that there was enough room for them there too and we would make room in the locks for them to come down with us.
This we did, but when we got to the moorings and Alex was performing the tricky manoeuvre amongst all the tupperware boats, to get back into our slot, this bloody little sailing boat went weaving round our stern, close as you like, at high speed, to get into a space opposite. I mean, how unnecessary was that? There were plenty of spaces and no time pressure for him. Alex nearly jumped out of his skin when the boat appeared in his line of vision, especially as, when you’re concentrating on missing all the moored craft, the last thing you want is to have a gnat buzzing around your stern end!
Our two extra guests said how nice the trip had been because they’d had such a good vantage point from the deck of Riccall, and it does make a huge difference on canals when you can see over the banks! They very kindly gave us two bottles of wine as a thank you.
So we had a very late lunch, back under the shade of the trees and then Julia et al set off back to England.
We took Friday off to get ourselves organised for travel once more, and had planned to set off for Reims on Saturday, but the morning was cold, wet and very windy so we decided to stay another night. We also looked once again at our software program for our trip to the Canal de Midi and decided that because we have had to meander slowly for the last month or so, to ensure Louise could get back to Paris for her flight, time is now seriously short to do what we would need to do at the snail’s pace we prefer. So we have had a major re-think and have decided to defer the south of France until next year and stay on the canals of the north-east for the rest of this year.
Actually changing the whole direction of our plans at a moment’s notice is one of the absolute beauties of what we are doing. It really adds to the sense of freedom. (The cost at nearly a thousand euros for the 6-month winter mooring in Toulouse had nothing to do with it of course!)
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Thursday 16 July 2009
Chalons-en-Champagne to Sillery (near Reims) Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne
This has to be the nearest thing to what this whole exercise is supposed to be about! We are back at the junction (between the Canal Lateral à La Marne and the Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne) after our brief diversion. We have been to Chalons-en-Champagne and have spent a very pleasant three or four days there, but back here at the junction the sky is blue from horizon to horizon, the motorway is only a distant rumble and the occasional loud ATV can be forgiven. The evening sun is warm and dappled by the trees and we are only occasionally bitten by the insets that the swifts are flying all around us to mop up. A sparrow hops onto the taft rail and grabs the large spider nesting there.
Things could get better (or worse) but it all bodes well for this adventure that we have chosen to be on.
Chalons-en-Champagne (formerly Chalons-sur-Marne) changed its name in 1998 possibly to make it sound more central and important in the champagne area. To be fair though, it is an attractive town in itself with two huge churches, one of which is classed as a cathedral – St Etienne.
We moored there just in front of Paul and Diane of 'Eleanor' with whom we shared a couple of meals and plenty of chat. We were also all joined by Peter Mastenbroek of ‘Brave’ who had motored down from Berry au Bac to Chalons in one day! (a long one admittedly – but single-handing too). We had not expected him for at least two days – these blasted superhuman ex-professionals!!
We have been in email contact with Peter ever since we met him just before the tunnel on the St Quentin Canal some months ago now, so it was nice of him to make a detour to Chalons on his way to Epernay, to meet up with us again. And of course, it was lovely to meet up again with Paul and Diane who we had first talked to on the VHF when passing each other on the Oise river and then later at Lagny and Meaux.
Shortly after they all left we were joined again by Australian Mike of ‘Motswari’ (now with his next visitor Pam) with whom we had evening drinks! The socialising goes on!
But in the meantime, we had visited the two churches, looked at the old Marne lock, done a trip on the old Mau and Nau rivers round the periphery of the city walls and actually underneath the city in a small boat (commentary all in rapid French and pretty unintelligible to us). We also found an extensive out-of-town shopping precinct with Carrefour and, more importantly, a general motoring spares outlet: this latter because when showing Peter round Riccall, Alex noticed water where it shouldn’t be in the engine room. The damned (or undamned) stern gland again! So this time he decided to fix it once and for all by constructing a containment vessel out of fibreglass for which of course, he required fibreglass matting and resin.
The motorist spares shop had a kit containing exactly what was required at €21. (€21!!!) Alex said, “Avez-vous donnez moi le discount?” The lad behind the counter did a double-take and asked “Etes-vous professional?” “Mais oui, je suis professional”. “OK, 20% discount”. Result!!
So that’s all done and seems to be working well.
Meanwhile, back at the junction we suddenly found ‘Horreur!’ that we were out of fresh milk - one of Alex’s ‘must-haves’. So he looked at the mooring guide and saw that there was an Ecomarché less than five kilometres away. A half hour bike ride found no fresh milk but instead a rather splendidly cleaned church in the village, and another unlocked spiral staircase to the organ loft and thence to the belfry. Louise stayed down below in the shade taking photographs while Alex couldn’t resist the climb and re-emerged a bit later covered in cobwebs and what not – a bit more light and a little less cowardice this time!
On returning to Riccall, milk-less but determined, he perused the map again and realised that it was only 16kms to Ay where we knew there was a l’Eclerc Express. So the following morning he set off on his milk run on the trusty bike. 2 hours later he was back triumphant (and the milk had even been reduced as it was near its sell-by date!) but rather saddle-sore and weary. In the meantime, Louise had painted the front coamings and deck (as you do when your partner is off chasing after the white stuff).
We also met a Dutch couple on a newly built Dutch barge – Cinclus (Norwegian for dipper) – who take up to eight people on barge cruises. They used to have a clipper taking up to 20 people to Norway and Sweden but have decided to downsize and stick to European canals. Their barge was very swish, as you would expect, but they were complimentary about Riccall when they came for after dinner drinks.
We are now climbing up to the Mont Billy tunnel – some 20 kms south of Reims – and judging by the lack of civilisation, when we will be able to post this blog is somewhat uncertain!
The seven locks on the climb to the tunnel went OK and even though it was rather early we decided to moor up at Vaudemanges on the end bollard of the lock moorings rather than in the basin just beyond. We later got on the bikes to look at the Mont Billy tunnel a kilometre or so ahead. As we approached it an old Dutch barge called ‘Biesbosch’ emerged, reminding us of our own problems in the Biesbosch last year!
Later when we got back to Riccall we noticed that Biesbosch had moored in the basin and that two of the people on board were returning from the lock with empty water containers (no water to be had there). So we offered them some of our bottled water for which they were very grateful. ‘Pour les enfants,’ they said.
The tunnel was fine, lit throughout, with two sets of fans blowing through to remove the fumes (and give us some coolth as well) and after that we descended a few locks to Sillery where we are staying for a fortnight while Louise dips back to the UK for a week. When she returns, sister Julia, with Steve and the rest of the entourage are spending a couple of days here in Sillery close to us.
Things could get better (or worse) but it all bodes well for this adventure that we have chosen to be on.
Chalons-en-Champagne (formerly Chalons-sur-Marne) changed its name in 1998 possibly to make it sound more central and important in the champagne area. To be fair though, it is an attractive town in itself with two huge churches, one of which is classed as a cathedral – St Etienne.
We moored there just in front of Paul and Diane of 'Eleanor' with whom we shared a couple of meals and plenty of chat. We were also all joined by Peter Mastenbroek of ‘Brave’ who had motored down from Berry au Bac to Chalons in one day! (a long one admittedly – but single-handing too). We had not expected him for at least two days – these blasted superhuman ex-professionals!!
We have been in email contact with Peter ever since we met him just before the tunnel on the St Quentin Canal some months ago now, so it was nice of him to make a detour to Chalons on his way to Epernay, to meet up with us again. And of course, it was lovely to meet up again with Paul and Diane who we had first talked to on the VHF when passing each other on the Oise river and then later at Lagny and Meaux.
Shortly after they all left we were joined again by Australian Mike of ‘Motswari’ (now with his next visitor Pam) with whom we had evening drinks! The socialising goes on!
But in the meantime, we had visited the two churches, looked at the old Marne lock, done a trip on the old Mau and Nau rivers round the periphery of the city walls and actually underneath the city in a small boat (commentary all in rapid French and pretty unintelligible to us). We also found an extensive out-of-town shopping precinct with Carrefour and, more importantly, a general motoring spares outlet: this latter because when showing Peter round Riccall, Alex noticed water where it shouldn’t be in the engine room. The damned (or undamned) stern gland again! So this time he decided to fix it once and for all by constructing a containment vessel out of fibreglass for which of course, he required fibreglass matting and resin.
The motorist spares shop had a kit containing exactly what was required at €21. (€21!!!) Alex said, “Avez-vous donnez moi le discount?” The lad behind the counter did a double-take and asked “Etes-vous professional?” “Mais oui, je suis professional”. “OK, 20% discount”. Result!!
So that’s all done and seems to be working well.
Meanwhile, back at the junction we suddenly found ‘Horreur!’ that we were out of fresh milk - one of Alex’s ‘must-haves’. So he looked at the mooring guide and saw that there was an Ecomarché less than five kilometres away. A half hour bike ride found no fresh milk but instead a rather splendidly cleaned church in the village, and another unlocked spiral staircase to the organ loft and thence to the belfry. Louise stayed down below in the shade taking photographs while Alex couldn’t resist the climb and re-emerged a bit later covered in cobwebs and what not – a bit more light and a little less cowardice this time!
On returning to Riccall, milk-less but determined, he perused the map again and realised that it was only 16kms to Ay where we knew there was a l’Eclerc Express. So the following morning he set off on his milk run on the trusty bike. 2 hours later he was back triumphant (and the milk had even been reduced as it was near its sell-by date!) but rather saddle-sore and weary. In the meantime, Louise had painted the front coamings and deck (as you do when your partner is off chasing after the white stuff).
We also met a Dutch couple on a newly built Dutch barge – Cinclus (Norwegian for dipper) – who take up to eight people on barge cruises. They used to have a clipper taking up to 20 people to Norway and Sweden but have decided to downsize and stick to European canals. Their barge was very swish, as you would expect, but they were complimentary about Riccall when they came for after dinner drinks.
We are now climbing up to the Mont Billy tunnel – some 20 kms south of Reims – and judging by the lack of civilisation, when we will be able to post this blog is somewhat uncertain!
The seven locks on the climb to the tunnel went OK and even though it was rather early we decided to moor up at Vaudemanges on the end bollard of the lock moorings rather than in the basin just beyond. We later got on the bikes to look at the Mont Billy tunnel a kilometre or so ahead. As we approached it an old Dutch barge called ‘Biesbosch’ emerged, reminding us of our own problems in the Biesbosch last year!
Later when we got back to Riccall we noticed that Biesbosch had moored in the basin and that two of the people on board were returning from the lock with empty water containers (no water to be had there). So we offered them some of our bottled water for which they were very grateful. ‘Pour les enfants,’ they said.
The tunnel was fine, lit throughout, with two sets of fans blowing through to remove the fumes (and give us some coolth as well) and after that we descended a few locks to Sillery where we are staying for a fortnight while Louise dips back to the UK for a week. When she returns, sister Julia, with Steve and the rest of the entourage are spending a couple of days here in Sillery close to us.
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