Honnecourt to Riqueval Tunnel

Early this morning this barge loomed around the corner. Nice pic, just look at the beautiful weather!

 

And we hear it is freezing back home.

First thing after breakfast we set off to the “boulangerie/epicerie” (bakery come grocery store).  We bought 2 litres of milk, a loaf of bread, a litre of coke and a litre of red wine (very rough looking with plastic cap like an oil bottle).  €10.40!!!  Blimey, no printed receipt so I don’t know the individual prices but I’m guessing the wine must be at least €6.

At about 10.00 we took in the mooring lines, ready to set off for the Tunnel entrance where we have arranged for the electric tow boat to take us through at 9.00 tomorrow morning.

Ian pressed the button to activate the lock. Nothing.  Pressed it.  Still nothing. But there was a message on the remote control:  it said the battery was flat!  Godverdommer, as they say in Belgium.  I found a phone number for the manned lock where we got the remote control and explained the problem. Got a rapid fire response, most of which I didn’t understand but he did ask the number of the lock where we waiting, so I asked if they would bring us a new one.  Yes.  An hour later a VNF car pulled up alongside and a man got out with the new remote control and we did a swap.  At 11.15 we set off again.  So sunny I needed a sunhat!

This is such a quiet canal.  There is more and more greenery appearing and all sorts of bird song, but we have seen no water fowl at all for a couple of days.  Some rather grand old houses though, well once upon a time.

Pretty village

Once grand house

Not so grand house boat

At the last lock on this side of the tunnel there were all sorts of instruction on the side of the lock building – took me a while to decipher the English translation, in fact I couldn’t until I read the French!   

We had to give the remote control back.  Ian had got rather attached to it and was rather reluctant.  

As soon as the unit was in the deposit box the lock gates opened.  So if you don’t give it back you can’t get out!

Just 5.5 kms and 75 minutes from last night’s mooring we came to the quay where we must wait for the tow.

We have to pay a toll – we wonder how much.

Gare de touage - towing station

Njord moored at the towing statioin - nothing else in sight.

After tying up we took a walk to the tunnel mouth, just to see what is in store for us tomorrow.

The side of  the tunnel - hmmm, I think we'll need lots of fenders

This afternoon we took the bikes out for a ride.  It is quite hilly around here (I guess the tunnel is a give-away), very rural, very quiet, apart from farm tractors.

Reinforced walls at a cut through the hillside - early 19th century?