Baye to Chatillon-en-Bazois

15 kms, 14 locks, 5 hours (including 1 hour lunch break)

Last night we stopped at the summit between the Seine and Loire river valleys.  We were at an altitude of 261m, the highest we have ever been on the canals.  Today we started the slide downstream, the first time in 4 weeks that we are going down in the locks, what a pleasure.  And better yet, we were all alone and the lockies got us through at a fair old pace.

We have left the forests behind and on this side there are open fields and lots of white charolais cattle.  Big meat animals, not dairy cows.

The village and ancient church at Bazolles

Charolais cattle

Exiting the top lock of a triple staircase lock

The quay at Marré looks like a good place to stop

 It was hot and sunny all day and we had the bimini down in the morning because we didn’t think we could get under the low bridges.  But when we stopped for lockies' lunch break, tied up in a lock with not a tree anywhere near, we checked the charts and found we had already passed the lowest bridge, so up it went.  What relief.  The sun was baking down and there was not even a zephyr.

Then Ian lowered the windscreen so when we set off again we had a pleasant breeze to relieve the heat.

Below lock 12 the canal becomes more windy as it follows the river

Bimini up, windows down

The canal crosses over the river Aron

Approaching Chatillon, fortifications of the chateau

The back of the chateau, roof glaring in the sun

Entering Chatillon

We have stopped in Chatillon-en-Bazois, the first town with bakeries (lots of them) since Clamecy, a week ago (not counting the baguette we ordered at Chitry-les-Mines).  Our freezer and supply of fresh veggies are getting very low so, fortunately, there is a supermarket here which we will visit tomorrow, maybe more than once.

There is charter boat company here with pontoons where you would have to pay, and there is a long quay with electricity bornes, which used to be free.  Now that section is under construction with fairly major work being done there and I wonder if it will still be free in the future.  We have stopped at a grass quay where other boats are using stakes and we are using Ian’s hook gadgets into the holes in the metal sheets lining the quay.

Looming over us is a rather large chateau.  

Unfortunately it is not open to the public and a quick search on the internet didn't tell me anything about it.  I will have to ask Mr Google to dig deeper.