The Canal Latéral à la Loire Part 5 (final stretch)

Wednesday 17th May 2023

For the last week or so we have woken to mist or even fog. There was no incentive to do anything other than drink coffee, eat cheese and wrap up warm. Today was different. A beautiful sunny morning and we weren't expected at the lock until 10.30.  It was a perfect morning for a run.

To briefly explain, after a lifetime of hating exercise I did Couch to 5k in 2021 and since then have turned into a total running bore, so please excuse me. Last May I ran over 60 km, but this May...I'll be lucky if I cover 20km. I haven't run since we were by the canal in Episy, which seems like ages ago.  

A word of warning to anyone considering a trip like this. Tempting as it is to press on as fast as you can, your general activity level is bound to drop if you get into a routine of early starts and late finishes. Add to this, you’ll be sitting down or standing still for a lot of the time, neither of which does your joints and muscles much good. As the days have drawn on I find myself literally seizing up.

It’s very tempting to just sit all day long watching the world go by when it’s this beautiful but, note to self, must try and resist. Stand up, walk to the bows and back a few times. Go down to the cabin and come up again. Get the circulation going.  It hadn't occurred to me to do this which is why I’m sharing it with you. Going forward I will be attempting to practice what I'm preaching.

We ran along the towpath alongside where we'd be going later. There was a railway bridge over the canal and also the Loire, very impressive from this angle that you wouldn't see from the boat. We carried on to another bridge over the canal, from which the next lock was in sight.  There was a signpost to an artisan brewery. If it hadn't been so early in the morning we may have investigated.

We were tempted to carry on but knew we needed to be at the lock to a timescale so turned back. Igor ran further than me but I stopped at 3 km.

At 10.00 we set off as planned and by 10.25 we were at Lock 5 Putay. The lock keeper was very chatty.  As the lock filled and we rose to the top he disappeared for a couple of minutes, coming back with two huge tubs of honey. He explained that his friend kept bees and that this was the best honey in the world, and only 'quinze euros'.  I misunderstood him, hearing quinze and translating it in my head to five.  'Wow that's cheap for so much honey!' I told Igor and said we'd have a tub. He went below to get some cash, fortunately he brought a 20 euro note out or it could have been embarrassing.

While I was standing there holding onto the rope to steady the boat the lock keeper told us he had a petit chevrueil. I thought this meant a kid.  Igor followed him across the lock gates and I saw a small brown animal jumping around.  Turns out a petit chevrueil is a baby deer. The poor little thing had fallen into the canal and couldn't get out and the lock keeper had rescued him. It was good to hear a story with a happy ending.  

While they were off looking at this I was left chatting to a young Swiss man on a cycling tour of France. He was very appreciative of the flatness of the towpaths.

The same lock keeper was with us for the next two locks but was nowhere near as garrulous now that we'd bought the honey, though Igor chatted to him as he helped him to open the lock gates.

As we motored on past Pierrefitte-sur-Loire we spotted an hotel where someone had put a lot of thought into the design. It looks even better in the photo as a wide angle lens lets you see the whole thing. Without the paintwork it would be a lot less eye catching.

There wasn't anything very distinctive at the next two locks, 4 Theil and 3 Oddes.  The only thing I've noted as being of interest at Theil was that the lock keeper took our ropes from the port side as we entered. At all the other locks on this canal they've taken the ropes on our starboard, which has been very convenient as all our fenders are set up for tying up on this side because this is the side with the engine control.  

At Oddes there were more cyclists watching, Belgian this time.  Pretty much all the canals we've traversed have had good towpaths beside them, the idea of cycling along them is quite tempting.  This probably explains the number of people from neighbouring countries who we have seen watching us from their bikes.

We decided we may as well stop for a proper lunchbreak so pulled into a Halte Nautique at Coulanges. A British flagged barge was already there. A sign on the canal bank promised all sorts of goodies in the nearby town. We made sure the boat was secure then disembarked and said hi to the man next door. We asked him what the place was like. 'Small'. Undeterred we set off.

The board had mentioned a patisserie with all sorts of lovely stuff so we walked the short distance from the canal to the village centre with high hopes. The patisserie was right there, with a couple of cyclists outside.  Visions of fresh bread, cakes and pastries hovered in my minds eye but my bubble was burst, the shop was closed. Why? Well, obviously, because it was a WEDNESDAY. Why does France close on a Wednesday?

We had a little walk. There was another run down service station, not quite as deserted as yesterday's, but again diesel was 1.99/litre so we turned back to the boat.

No splendid lunch for us today, instead our task was to start eating what remained in the fridge in case we decide to go home tomorrow. There was a smidgeon of tomato soup left. I'd used most of the 1 litre carton yesterday as it was so cold and gloomy, we really needed it, unlike today. Luckily we also had bread (a bit stale), cheese, sausage and olives so we didn't starve.

We'd told the lock keeper we'd be at the next one, 2 Thaleine, by 1.30 pm. We got there a few minutes early. The gates were open but no sign of a lock keeper. I expertly (if I say so myself) hooked our line around the bollard using a boat hook. Thankfully the lock wasn't too deep as otherwise we'd probably just have had to use the engine to keep us in place if I couldn't reach the top.  The lock keeper arrived and didn't seem at all impressed that we'd tied up without him.

There was a very strong crosswind in the lock as we were leaving. Igor walked alongside the boat as far as he could to put us on our correct path and then jumped on again. We got through without any mishap. The lock widened and we set off again, enjoying the journey but conscious that this canal was nearing its end and we might be on our way back to England tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day, the birds were singing and the sun shone warmly.  Igor mentioned that the water was pretty deep and that we hadn't had any significant weed for a while. Has he never heard of tempting fate?

Almost as soon as he said this there was the unmistakeable sound of soft sand touching the boat where only water should be. The depth gauge was still showing 1 metre, and we were moving, so he quickly headed for the centre of the canal where it's deeper. A narrow escape, if we hadn't been paying attention we could have been in trouble.

An hour more and we were at the final lock of the Lateral Canal, 1 Digoin.  It felt like we'd been on this canal a long time and it was strange to think that we'd reached the end. Three canals done, one to go and then river all the way to the South!

The lock was deep and again, no lock keeper. The wall had a pole or tube set into the side around which I was able to wrap my rope.  A lot of the bigger locks on the Seine have this arrangement and it's a very easy way to keep control as your rope simply slides up as the boat rises. You have a lot of control as the rope is short.

The lock keeper arrived and insisted on taking my rope and putting around a bollard at the top. Why? Job creation? Does the idea that boaters can manage without help somehow offend them? Surely if it's good enough for the Seine it's good enough for the canals? Maybe I'm missing something.

Once through the lock there was another aqueduct carrying us over the Loire again. This one is only 240 m in length.

This is the third major aqueduct we have crossed, and the smallest.  If we hadn't been so dazzled by the Briare Aqueduct it would probably have made a huge impression, the Loire is just as wild below it. Maybe they should put a statue or two up.

Once past the aqueduct it wasn't very far to the Port de Plaisance at Digoin. I'd called yesterday and been told to go to jetty 4.  As we approached we saw boats tied to the canal wall and a bit further on were pontoons. I looked but couldn't see any numbers. There were two free spaces so Igor chose the one he liked the look of and we went there. I heard an English voice. Who should be moored next to us but the British guys we'd met in Marseilles-les-Aubigny! They helped with our ropes and we chatted for a while. They were heading off tomorrow, back towards Calais.

Once the boat was properly tied up Igor and I decided to have a cuppa and decide what to do next. As the eclusier on Monday might have asked, 'Should we stay or should we go?'  We need to be in England at the end of next week but when will be the best day to set off?

We are not in a hurry so the other factors playing into the decision of whether or not to keep moving include:

• In some countries in Europe the children break up for summer in June, which will add to the number of people holidaying.  
• As the weather warms up there will be more evaporation from the canals so lack of water may be more of an issue.
• If we stop will we lose momentum?
• On the other hand maybe a break will do us good? We've been going non stop for days and days so perhaps we're getting blasé about the experience and not appreciating it. A few days away would recharge us, absence making the heart grow fonder and all that.

We pondered as we drank our tea. I'll let you know what we decided.

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