The Canal de Briare: part 1
Monday 8th May 2023
As my previous post noted, we did not enjoy our introduction to the Canal de Briare. To be stranded overnight in a shallow canal miles from anywhere worth walking to next to a slightly dodgy towpath would not be my first choice.
We got up punctually next morning and by 9am were ready to go. Igor walked to the lock, Langlee, and checked that the lights were working, all good, and we cast off at 9.10. We were through the lock by 9.42. In case you're wondering where that half hour went, we had to go from our mooring to the lock, press the remote control and wait for it to empty and the gates to open, then enter the lock, pull the lever to close the gates, wait for the lock to fill up, then for the other gates to open and finally, carefully make our way out of the very narrow gap to the open canal.
It was pouring, the raindrops hitting the water with a relentless continuity. If you're dressed properly though you can ignore the weather and just enjoy the beauty of the scenery. We went through the wonderful countryside, savouring the sounds and smells of damp forest, the birds and the lovely old houses until we approached the outskirts of Montargis. I wasn't overly impressed. It could have been incredibly beautiful, a series of bridges over the canal as we wound past the respectable buildings, but it was all a bit beige and damp. The further into town we got though, the more it improved.
The next lock was number 34, Reinette. We pressed the remote as we approached. The light was red, and stayed red. We tried moving closer. No change. After about 10 minutes trying without success we decided we'd better tie up and investigate further.
An iron fence separated a series of mooring bollards from the footpath alongside, but an enterprising dog had left a present for us right by the bollard we wanted. I very carefully put our rope around it, keeping well clear of the crotte (one of my new French words!). I'm a bit phobic about dog mess, in fact it's one of the main reasons why I have never wanted to own a dog myself. I just don't like it at all. This gave me a dilemma: do I leave it there and take the risk of stepping in it or getting my rope covered in it, or do I act like an adult, get a poo bag and remove it. You'll be glad to hear I acted like a responsible person and did the latter. It wasn't that bad, the turd was desiccated and didn't even leave a squidge on the ground. (I still don't want to get a dog though).
Securely tied up I went for a walk up to the lock, trying the remote repeatedly as I got closer and closer. The lock itself wasn't open to the public so it was hard to tell what was going on there. I walked over the bridge to the other side of the river and tried the remote again. Nothing. I went back to the boat and suggested that Igor turn the engine off and I'd call VNF, the river authority, to find out what was going on.
Almost immediately after the engine stopped the light changed from red to red/green, i.e. we know you're there, wait. Were they winding us up or did they just want us to clear the dog mess? By this point we wouldn't have cared, we just wanted to get going. It was a relief to know that the remote was working.
We went on to the next lock, 33 Marolle, in Montargis. The lock was open with no lights showing. Igor decided to proceed as he could see people at the top of the very deep chamber. This was the right decision. Once we reached the top a helpful VNF eclusier took our remote and explained how the rest of the locks on the canal would work. Before he did this he asked us our draft. '1.2 metres'. 'That's OK then'.
There is a real issue with water supply to the canals, as evidenced by the boats we met who had been turned back because their draft was too deep. We'd heard a lot of stories about officious French bureaucrats but I can only think that you are more likely to feel negatively about someone who is telling you that you can't do something you've been planning for a long time.
Traversing the canals in a sailboat is actually a pretty big deal. You have to remove your mast and either transport it with you or arrange for someone else to do it. Then there's the cost of fuel. It all adds up and, like everything boat-associated, it isn't cheap. To plan a journey like this for years (like we did) and then get turned back because there's 'not enough water in the canals' must feel like when you're told that your train can't run because of leaves on the line in autumn. Except on the canals you've paid a helluva lot of money for your advance ticket and it's non refundable.
Anyway, this very nice young man said that they were about to close for lunch but would start again at 1pm, so to give him a call when we were ready and he'd open the lock for us. He mentioned that the number on the remote we'd given back came through to his office, which appeared to be the local headquarters for VNF. Incidentally, nobody has asked to see our documents, VNF registration vignette etc but everyone seems to know we are making progress along the canal. There is a central office with CCTV and it's all computerised. It feels a lot less intrusive than the old guide books described.
Montargis was the town we hoped to reach last night and we'd promised ourselves a look around so we decided to moor on the bank alongside the lock. We told the lock keeper we'd let him know when we were ready to go, and it might be tomorrow. All good.
Our new French friend, Jean Louis, had said that there was a marina in Montargis. Not quite. There are the foundations for what looks like a very nice facility being built, but for now there are a series of bollards with electricity and water, free, next to the marina building site. By the time we arrived all the bollards were taken, but we noticed that there was an electricity outlet available next to the first boat moored. We worked out that we could moor the front of the boat to this bollard and the back to a tree. Igor took out his trusty axe and hammered a stake into the ground to secure the midline. We plugged into the power supply. As they say over here, voila!
It wasn't yet midday so we decided to go for a walk. It would be really handy to have bicycles so we set off for an out of town shopping area with a Decathlon about 2km away to see what they had. There wasn't anything suitable so, after checking the Intersport next door we set off back.
By now it was lunchtime, and there was a boulangerie next to a Burger King. We honestly did consider the boulangerie but it was just full of overpriced salads and stuffed baguettes. A well worn path heading next door suggested we weren't the first to say non to it. BK it was, burgers, fries (yeah, French fries!!) with mayo and bacon, and a coke. Comfort food. Today was definitely improving.
Our walk back was more scenic, through the old town. We saw a striking footbridge and had a discussion regarding how old it was. Turns out it was one of Gustave Eiffel's creations. I never realised what a genius that man was!
Pretty much everything was closed as it was a public holiday. That was fine with us, we didn't need anything, so made our way back to the boat and pretty much took it easy for the rest of the day. The view from my settee at the stern of the boat was glorious, the geometrical precision of the canal leading to the lock, the pollarded trees, the sunshine, having my feet up, doesn't get much better. My first impression of Montargis was dead wrong, it's lovely.
Tuesday 9th May 2023
A very much more relaxed start to the day today. We knew there was no lock keeper hanging around waiting for us so were able to have breakfast without rushing. It was raining but we figured it was better to be on the boat and moving rather than sitting inside sheltering from the rain, unable to go for a walk and generally getting bored.
Once we were ready to go I called the lock keeper but, according to Igor, I asked him 'Parlez vous Francais' instead of 'Anglais'. I thought he sounded a bit confused when he answered 'Non'. Regardless, we managed to communicate and entered lock 32, Tuilerie, at 10.10. The lock keeper helped us, pushing the button to close the gate and make sure we got through without incident. Similar happened at 31, Sablonniere. We thought that this was how it worked but at the next one, 30 Souffre-Douleur the red light showed. We edged closer. There was a sign to say that radar (or similar) was in operation and as we passed it the lights changed and everything was automatic.
The next one, 29 Moulin de Tours, was different again. The lock gates were open as we approached but when we went to push the blue handle it's position was really awkward. The only place we could secure the boat to the lock wall was slightly too far away to reach the handle to close the gate. Igor was all set to tie the bow to the ladder next to the handle to pull himself close enough to climb up and push it, but as he was about to do this a lock keeper appeared and did it for him. Was he watching, enjoying it?
The next lock, 28 Chesnoy, was open, with the lock keeper waiting for us, all straight forward. By lock 27, Montambert, it was nearly midday, which is lunch time. The lock keeper said we were about an hour from the next lock. We asked him to give us an hour and a half, so we could take our time and eat lunch on the way. It was still raining though, and a nice al fresco lunch on deck wasn't an option. I prepared some food and we took turns eating and being on the helm.
The day was a never ending succession of locks but there was plenty to see between them. Early in the journey we noticed a slim grey heron standing on the bank. As we approached he flew ahead of us. This happened all the way along the canal, and it looked like the same bird.
We reached lock 26 Mountbouy just after 1pm. The lock keeper spoke some English and we chatted as we rose up. Everything was happening quite slowly, and the lock keeper said there was some sort of problem with the downstream gates. We waited. After 20 minutes rather than the usual 5 we were out. The same man was with us at lock 25 Lepinoy, a very deep lock chamber, but a different man took over for the locks from 24 Chatillon. He took our rope on a boat hook and secured us to a bollard far above. He was with us for a couple more locks, 23 Gazon and 22 Briquemault, using a variety of boathooks, one of which looked like a miniature axe, another like a simple hook.
Briquemault seemed to be an entirely manual lock, the keeper turning wheels left, right and centre to get us through. Once the lock filled Igor helped out by turning the wheel to open the lock gate. I would have taken a photo but I was clinging onto a soaking wet rope trying to control the boat. It was still raining.
When we set off I felt pretty happy with my wet weather gear. My jacket, from Decathlon, is one of the only ones I've ever bought at any price point which truly seems waterproof. I also had outdoor trousers which dry quickly. For the first hour or so that was enough, but by that time the water resting on my jacket was sapping my body heat. I put another jumper on. The ropes were soaking by now, so every time I pulled on one to adjust our position against the lock wall the water would run out, onto my soaking gloves and down my sleeve. I'd made the mistake of wearing a cotton t-shirt which acted as a wick and drew the water up my arm. By the end of the day I was cold and not very pleased about my choice of garment. Also, my lifejacket was sodden, including the crutch straps, which meant it felt like I'd wet myself (which I HADN'T!!!!), really miserable feeling.
Lock 21 Moulin Brule was automatic, so we didn't see anyone, but at 20 Picardie yet another lock keeper took over. We told him we were aiming to spend the night at Rogny, just after the next lock at Dammarie-sur-Seine. It's good practice to let them know when and where you are stopping so they can make the appropriate arrangements. When we reached our final lock of the day it was unattended, and we moored at Rogny by the wall about 45 minutes later.
During our final locks the weather had brightened up and by the time we reached Rogny the sun was bright and warm. We decided to go and eat...but then it started to rain again. I selected a tin from the many in our locker and was about to cook when I got sidetracked. About 10 minutes later the sun came out again so we decided to look for a restaurant instead. After all, today we passed through 14 locks in 7 hours and we deserved a treat.
We headed towards the village in the sunshine, when one of the most amazing constructions I had ever seen heaved into view. The full name of Rogny is 'Rogny les Sept Ecluses'. It's name comes from a set of 7 locks carved into the hillside which were built in the 1600s and abandoned in the late 1800s.
These locks are so narrow that only one boat at a time would fit in, and they form a set of stairs. I imagined using them. You'd enter the first, rise up, pass into the next, gates close behind you, rise up, pass into the next...you get the picture, 7 times. There was no way that you could have one boat going up and another descending, it was strictly one way. Apparently it used an awful lot of water and boats would have to wait hours for an opportunity to pass through, so as the traffic increased it was no longer viable and the current 6 locks were constructed in the late 1800s, built to the French standard and are much more user friendly. The old locks are no longer connected to the canal and stand, glorious, the slopes leading up to them covered in short but lush green grass.
The sheer effort involved in building the 'Sept Ecluses', indeed most of the canals we've travelled, is mindboggling. It was excavated with picks and shovels and manpower. All the limestone blocks were chiselled by hand. It's truly unbelievable how much work was involved. Looking at it now, on a glorious early summer evening, it looked like an ancient Inca relic. It's an absolutely captivating sight. Yep, I admit I'm a nerd, but if you're a nerd like me and you are ever anywhere near Rogny, make the detour and have a look. It is amazing.
As I can only deal with one mindblowing construction per day I'm going to continue telling you about the rest of the Canal de Briare later. You'll just have to wait, but I promise it'll be worth it.