16 kms, 1
lock, 2.5 hours
With the
lock just over 12 kms away, and having arranged to be there at 10.00, we left
the little halte nautique (which seems to have a choice of names: Croix Rouge,
La Beaume, Chassenard or PK49) at 8.00 and dawdled along the lovely canal. We were charmed by glimpses of the Loire
River through the trees as its meanders brought it close to the canal from time
to time.
 |
| Lots of curves |
 |
| Flower baskets over a bridge |
 |
| In places the trees lean far across the water |
 |
| Mostly it is deep enough but in places it is shallow at the sides |
 |
| An old foundry/kiln |
 |
| Sheep, lots and lots of sheep. This was not even a quarter of the flock |
We arrived
on the dot at 10.00 and the lock keeper was waiting with a hook on a long rope
to take our line. This lock has a “chute”
(rise/fall) of 7.2m. I read somewhere
that it is the deepest lock of the Freycinet guage. Not sure if that’s true.
 |
| The lockie is standing at the top of the lock on the right; puts it in perspective |
We saw a
kingfisher flitting from tree to tree across the canal, which reminds me that I
forgot to tell you that one landed on our deck a couple of days ago just as we
were entering a lock. It was truly beautiful but unfortunately didn’t hang
around long enough to have its portrait taken.
We arrived
at our destination, Chambilly, at 10.30.
There is a large basin here but, apart from a 25m dock in the middle, it
has sloping sides. Plenty of bollards if
you are a 20m barge, not so easy for a 9m boat, so we are tied to one bollard
and a stake.
A walk
around the town revealed a sleepy little village with a church, a bakery and a
restaurant. There is a much bigger town
with an Aldi supermarket just 2 kms away across the river.
 |
| Now this is an interesting garage: 2 deux cheveux cars, a Panhard and a vintage motorbike |
 |
| Church, boulangerie and restaurant |
 |
| A view of the village across the wide Loire River |
 |
| No words needed |
No comments:
Post a Comment