Saint Valery to Abbeville

14 km, 1 lock, 5 bridges

We intended to spend two nights in Saint Valery.  It is right on the coast, which is apparently very beautiful, and we wanted take the train ride around the bay. 

However, last night we got a call from our friends Oliver and Penny in Dorset, who we have invited to join us, saying they could come for 2 to 3 days, arriving on Saturday. We arranged to meet them in Abbeville thinking we could leave at 9 on Saturday morning and be there before mid-day.  This morning the river was a raging torrent.  We thought it was flowing fast last night but it was even worse in the morning.  It all has to do with the state of the tide.  The sea lock has sluices in it which are usually left open for the river to run through, and only closed as high tide approaches.  

The sea lock at St Valery.  2 guillotine sluice gates for the river and 1 gate for the boats.  Nowhere for boats to tie up inside the lock.  So all the river water backs up and results in, relatively , slack water.  When the sluices are reopened as the tide goes down the river water rushes out at a great rate.   

River rushing into the lock through open sluice gates...

...and out the other side.  Note yacht marina on sea side of the lock.

All this meant that if we leave on Saturday morning we will be fighting against the river is full spate; whereas if we leave this afternoon we will be going against a reduced spate.It poured with rain all morning.  Ian and I went for a walk to the bay but the visibility was dreadful – sorry, no gloriously sunny seaside pics.  However, even in the rain it is a very pretty town.

A narrow street full of restaurants, bars and street cafes.

The bridge across the lock was open, but no boat passing through.

The steam train that runs around the bay.

The view across the bay, lost in the murk of a rainy day.

Shortly before 14.00 we set off back to Abbeville.  This is the start of our return journey, retracing our route up the Somme, and then turning north to return to Belgium.

Ian steering from inside the saloon, avoiding the rain.

The weather continued showery and miserable until we tied up in Abbeville – then the sun came out!