27 September – 10 October 2019 We were taking the long autumnal way round. We had left Kortrijk in late August and set off on a loop of northern Belgium and France, in order to arrive back where we started and tie up for the winter. Now we were on the last lap, crossing borders,Continue reading “Winding our way to our winter mooring”
Tag Archives: Barging through France
The river Meuse – La France a Belgique
Initially it didn’t seem so different, the change from the Canal de La Meuse to the actual river, probably because a lot of the canal section is actually on the river itself. However as we progressed the geography changed hugely and spectacularly, as you will see. We left Stenay after my early morning mammoth cycleContinue reading “The river Meuse – La France a Belgique”
June on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin – weedy in parts; ultimately glorious
June 10 – 18 2019 Monday 10th June – we had left Soulanges on the Canal de L’Aisne á la Marne in the morning and by lunchtime we had turned to port at the T junction at Vitry-en François and were heading up the Oest (West) section of the Canal de la Marne au Rhin.Continue reading “June on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin – weedy in parts; ultimately glorious”
Short Stretches – Montech, Montauban and our first 10kms of le Tarn.
It was so great to have some of the family with us for the 9 locks, 1 overnight stop, and 10 kilometres of l’embranchement (canal) de Montech. It also gave us the chance to drop down onto the Tarn and experience some river boating – in all weathers as you will discover. On the returnContinue reading “Short Stretches – Montech, Montauban and our first 10kms of le Tarn.”
Looking back – Canal de Garonne from West to East
Funny the things you see when you are heading on the opposite direction! For example we found beetles amassing at Le-Mas-d’Agenais on the old walls of the village. And I found time to walk across Le-Mas-d’Agenais bridge in the day time and take a mid-Garonne selfie. The bridge isContinue reading “Looking back – Canal de Garonne from West to East”
Heading l’Oeust from Moissac to Agen – Canal de Garonne part 3
Leaving Moissac, and the operator of the swing bridge spies us out of her little green window, sopping the traffic for Calliope to glide through. First three kilometres alongside le Tarn, then a huge widening of the river waters as le Tarn joins la Garonne. The Garonne continues next to the canal for another five kilometres,Continue reading “Heading l’Oeust from Moissac to Agen – Canal de Garonne part 3”
Stowaways – Canal de Garonne part 2
When I got back to Grisolles from my weekend in the UK I was in the company of our friend Hilary – first guest of 2017. What I had not realised is that there were two additional ‘passengers’, who emerged to take the sun on day two! They were welcome to join us on the twoContinue reading “Stowaways – Canal de Garonne part 2”
Onward and slightly upward – Canal de Garonne part one
We entered the Canal de Garonne on a fine April afternoon, having expected to spend the night in the Port d’Embourchure at Toulouse because of a canal closure. However jst as we were picking our spot for the night our friendly eclusier Henri appeared and waved to let us know that the canal had re-opened;Continue reading “Onward and slightly upward – Canal de Garonne part one”
Midi Addendum
I’ll start with an apology. The Midi blog did not complete the Midi. So here is an addendum. After three days in Toulouse we were ready to cut loose, nice city though it is – see the brief Toulouse bloggette. We made navigation plans, got the sextant ready, took readings from the stars, andContinue reading “Midi Addendum”
Too little Toulouse
Three days and nights in Toulouse only allowed us to touch the surface of this interesting city. We fitted in some of the sights, some of the gardens, some of the culture, and lots of wandering through narrow streets with fascinating architecture. The weather and light was not kind to the photographer most of theContinue reading “Too little Toulouse”