St Léger-les-Vignes to Decize

Aaaah, that’s better.  It was cool today, still shorts and tank top weather in the morning but when the wind came up in the afternoon I was ever so happy to be able to change into jeans and long sleeved jumper.  

The promised thunderstorms never arrived but we did have a little rain during the night and it was cloudy most of the day.  As evening approaches it looks as if we might get some more rain.

In the morning we got out the trailer and jerry cans, filled the fuel tank, and have 40 litres spare to put in the tank as the level goes down.  The fuel was a cheap (relatively at €1.46/litre) at the Carrefour supermarket and it was just so conveniently close to the boat.  I did a bit of browsing in the huge supermarket and bought a new pair of rubber gloves (exciting), a squeegee for cleaning the deck (even more exciting), and believe it or not, 6 bottles of water.  I really object to bottled water, one of my pet hates, but a week or so ago we filled the tank with water that tastes really vile.  It is almost bitter.  So I succumbed and now we have water for coffee/tea and also to keep in the fridge for cool drinks on the days when it is so hot, and for my wine spritzers (!). 

In mid afternoon we moved the grand total of 4 kms.  We went down in one lock to the Loire River, our last downstream lock on this trip.  Then up 2 locks to the Canal Lateral a la Loire.

The junction between the Canal du Nivernais and the Loire River

How nice, a sign thanking us for our visit.  We'll be back

The Loire River is very wide

And I bet these old towers have a few tales to tell

The next 2 locks are operated by a pull-the-rope system, as opposed to the twisty poles we have encountered before

Oh, my goodness, control lights at the lock, haven't seen those for a while.  This is the lock taking us off the Loire River and onto the Canal Lateral a la Loire

Going in the opposite direction you would follow these instructions.

The huge Porte de Plaisance between the 2 locks

Exiting the second lock onto the canal that runs from Digoin 196 kms to Briare.

2 long days to Digoin, we'll do in 4

We have tied up at a quay just metres from the last lock, this was just for a change of scenery and to cut an hour or travelling off tomorrow’s cruise.