 |
| 43 kms and 2 locks,4.75 hours |
It is
wonderful to be back on the move again after 3 days of being stationary: 2 days
due to adverse weather (lots of rain, wind and cold) and one day because of the
1st of May holiday. But actually we were
quite happy to stay in one place for a few days. La Ferté is a great place to stop for a few
days, even though it is supposed to be max 48 hours.
After a
quick supermarket run (Carrefour just 8 minutes’ walk from the boat where I
found a 5 litre box of South African rosé wine for €8.33 and it is just the
best) for bread, milk, fruit juce and a box of rosé wine ;), we left the mooring
not long after 9.30.
 |
| A backward glance at the mooring |
 |
| Exiting the cut, and the current is running strong |
 |
| Just downstream of the town there is an excellent set of pontoons but there are no bollards/cleats and the electricity boxes have been removed |
We were
aiming for Meaux, some 43 kms away. Not
having a proper detailed chart for the Marne river(!), we have been relying on
a cruising guide by David Edwrds-May (excellent but our copy is a 2010 edition
and pontoons, etc, have changed)and the Google Earth on the internet.
 |
| There are many islands, some you need to keep to the right and others to the left, just follow the signs |
 |
| There are some lovely house on the river banks |
 |
| Another island, notice how different the scenery is now from the vineyards a few miles back |
 |
| After a few days of rain the river is running strongly, and the barrages at the locks can cause quite violent eddies |
 |
| A tree house |
 |
| and even more impressive one |
 |
| What on earth?.... |
 |
| Just checking out the passing boats |
I made copious notes along the way so we have
more information for our return journey, but we were not sure if we would be
able to moor at the Porte de Plaisance in Meaux. A few days ago we received and “avis de la
batellerie” (advice to boatmen) from the VNF (Voies Navegables de France) that
the P de P would be closed for maintenance until 1st July, but a
chap we got friendly with who was living aboard his boat in LaFerté ,said there
was no work going on yet.
He’s right,
there is no sign of anything happening, and
it is possible to tie up at the pontoons, but you cannot get
ashore. So we back-tracked about 500m to
a quay with bollards just downstream of the entrance to the lock.
 |
| Passing a possible mooring if the Porte de Plaisance is closed |
 |
| Approaching the Porte de Plaisance, with a confusing no entry sign if you don't understand French, it says 100m ahead there is no entry. |
 |
| Back at the quay we passed earlier, 500m from the P de P |
 |
| A view from the other side of the river |
Not happy
about leaving the boat unattended in a city, Ian stayed on board while I went
for a cultural wonder, thenwent off to check out a nearby yacht chandlery.
 |
| On the promenade alongside the river - not benches but chairs |
 |
| The fascinating North facade of the cathedral, it was some 350 years in the building and styles changed somewhat in that time |
 |
| Victims of the holy wars in the 16th century, all the statues have had their heads chopped off |
 |
| Magnificent |
 |
| Interesting and quirky, statues in one of the side chapels |
 |
| The choir is breathtaking: lofty, airy, defying gravity |
 |
| Flying buttresses holding it all together |
Meaux is
quite a big city but quite delightful.
No comments:
Post a Comment