Andrésy to Pontoise

Having arrived late yesterday and with dinner to prepare and a blog to write, I didn’t get round to strolling around Andrésy until this morning.  It is a delightful little town and a really good mooring, protected from the passing barges by the island.  No water or electricity, but this is a good place to spend a day or two if you have time to spare.

But we are on our way back to our home base and need to get a move on.  After the long day yesterday, we planned a short trip today, just 15 kms and 1 lock, so we only left at 9.45.  It was a lovely cool day but rather grey under an overcast sky.

15 kms, 1 lock, 2.5 hours

We left the Seine behind and turned onto the Oise River.  We were expecting to encounter just as much, if not more, commercial  on the Oise River as we did on the Seine because this is the main route north from the Paris area to the north, but we saw very few barges.

It is a delightful river, narrower than the Seine, lots of green trees overhanging the river banks, a few tantalising glimpses of grand houses through the trees but , try as I might, I couldn’t get a decent photo.

Yet another failure!

 

Cergy looks like a really interesting town...

...and it has a fully serviced marina

The long pontoon at Pontoise

The higher you go the more interesting it gets

A narrow lane with the old town in the background

The chateau, not the original from the Middle Ages,.

We have stopped at Pontoise, lots of history here apparently, but not evident during a one hour walk.  I walked up the ramparts to the chateau that is supposed to have good views over the old town and the river.  But when I got there I couldn’t get in.  I would have loved to walk around the gardens.  Quelle dommage (oh, OK, you’re not in France – it means What a pity).

There is a long pontoon here, right in front of the Tourism Office.  If you want water/electricity/showers it would cost us €12, but if you don’t need any services it is free.  Good deal.  The barges going upstream pass quite close to the pontoon but so far we haven’t had any problems.