The Saône part 2: Macon to the Rhône

Thursday 8th June 2023

The first day of our new plan! We woke at 6.45am, broad daylight. Igor turned on the engine, started making the coffee and slipped our mooring lines before I'd even had time to wash my face. It was a perfect morning - sunny, not too warm, with a gentle breeze blowing from the bows towards the aft as we moved along. Igor put an extra t-shirt on to combat the slight chill, a very welcome change from yesterday's heat.

The river was quiet, just us and the birds.  Occasionally we'd see an angler on his boat, outboard at the back, electric trolling engine at the front so he could move silently along the water.  We reached the Dracé Lock, about 18 km away, at 9.20am. I called them on the VHF and we went straight in. We had the big lock to ourselves and about 10/11 minutes later we were out.

An hour later we were nearing the bridge at Belleville. From where we were in the river, clouds of white smoke seemed to be billowing out from behind it. Perhaps something was on fire? I took a picture but realised I was too far away to catch the detail, so decided to try again once we were closer. We neared the bridge, then the smoke disappeared. It was very abrupt and something didn't add up.  Once we were through the bridge I saw that there was a fire engine by the river bank, with a few firemen who looked like they were packing things away.

They must have been testing their hoses using the river water. What I saw wasn't smoke but clouds of water vapour being being expelled under pressure. They waved at us, we waved at them and carried on, mystery solved.

The scenery was becoming more and more impressive as we moved south. We could see hills or maybe mountains in the distance. The map suggested that this may be the Jura. I could just spend the rest of this blog, let alone blogpost saying 'Wow, the scenery was amazing' but that might get a bit repetitive.

Our destination was Trévoux, a distance of around 50 km from where we started in Macon. We arrived shortly before 2pm, just as the weather was really heating up. We tied up at the Halte Fluviale with a couple of other boats.  We were next to a campsite and once we paid our fees, 13 euros, we were able to use the facilities. Finally I could have a shower and wash my hair!  There were also two washing machines so took the opportunity to finally do all the laundry. As it was so hot and windy I was able to dry half the stuff on the lifelines, doing all the smaller fiddly bits in the campsite's tumble dryer.

The mooring was peaceful, not like yesterday. We sat on deck in the afternoon sunshine. A swan came over with its family and we fed them on crumbs.

The occasional massive riverboat came past. We haven't seen these for a while, if anything they seem bigger than the ones on the Seine.

Once everything was done we walked into town. From a distance it sort of reminded me of of some Greek islands. Boxy buildings climbed up the steep hillside with churches and bigger buildings grabbing the eye amongst the more modest houses. There was a small park next to the waterside, with information boards about the town's history. It used to have its own parliament and was effectively an independent country at one time.  

There was an ornate footbridge over the river but we took the opposite direction and went into town.

The road was steep and had steps, so no traffic. There was a rather nice looking restaurant but we carried on to see what lay further beyond.

We reached the church which overlooked the water with a fabulous view over the countryside beyond.  By now it was getting late and the only other eating places we had seen were kebab or pizza shops so we went back to the restaurant. I'd been having a bit of a whinge, can't even remember about what (probably because I was hungry) but when my dinner arrived all negative thoughts disappeared. A plate of deep fried small fish with a side order of very garlicky dauphinoise potatoes and a pint of artisan beer is more than enough to cheer me up, and the quality was outstanding. It was probably the best meal we had in France.

By the time I finished eating, having resisted the temptation to order a second helping of the potatoes as a dessert, all was right with the world. We had a walk along the footbridge just to see what was on the other side. It was a bit wobbly in places but it's been there a long time so I didn't really expect anything bad to happen.

I spent a moment thinking how lucky we are to be able to do this.  It's a wonderful experience.

Friday 9th June 2023

Another early start, up at 6.20 ish and away within 20 minutes. It was a bit grey and chilly and I assumed it would soon warm up but it didn't. It was a pleasant change from the heat. It was dead calm.

About 40 minutes later we passed a disused lock at Bernalin, now another marina. I was curious as to whether the depth would change as we passed where the barrage must have been for the weir. There was a relatively narrow buoyed channel. We'd been in around 8m of water before this but it dropped to around 4m.  I wondered what the depth was outside the channel. No way would I be exploring that in Libra!

It was a beautiful stretch of river, despite the clouds and lower temperature.

Not long after Bernalin I spotted a white building in the distance. It was pretty similar to one of our local yacht clubs, the Royal Corinthian, a Grade 2* listed building and an outstanding example of Modernist 1930s architecture.

It was right next to the Yacht Club du Rhone.  I wrote in the log book 'We must be in the Rhone!'.  When we actually reached the Rhone a while later I added 'No we're not'. Easy mistake.

Around 8.20 we reached the Couzon lock, 14km or so from our starting point at Trévoux.  I called the lock keeper who said to wait for 5 minutes, and at 8.30 we entered. We were through before 8.45, all very straightforward.

Once through the lock we pottered down the river towards Lyon. It was wonderful, watching the beautiful scenery go past.  One particularly pretty spot was Île Barbe, a small island by the left bank of the river just before another disused lock.  There was a rambling house surrounded by trees and as we went further we saw a small chapel. It was the sort of place that you really want to explore but of course we were on the move and it's probably private.

By now we were just a few km from Lyon and it was mid morning so at 10.40 we moored opposite the VNF offices. The city climbs up the steep banks of the river and the buildings are impressive, with a tower very similar to the Eiffel Tower and a cathedral on top of the hill. It turns out that the tower is actually a replica of the upper stage of the Eiffel Tower so it's no wonder it looks so similar.

As we tied up a young woman with a baby came over and started chatting. She was a nanny, and had lived in London for 8 years. She seemed to have very fond memories of the place. After we spoke we went for a short walk and got a coffee. This was practically a first. In England, if you want a coffee most high streets will offer you a choice - Costa, Starbucks, Caffe Nero, a couple of independents too if you're lucky. We've not seen anything similar in our travels in France, but Lyon had one. I also bought a baguette from an artisan baker, and immediately regretted not buying two.

We walked back to the boat drinking our coffee. We had a closer look at the mooring. Makeshift shelters lined the bank. In daylight it seemed very safe, lots of mums and grannies with babies and toddlers, but I doubt it's so inviting after dark. As we were about to get on the boat to leave a man walking his dog started to chat to us. He was British but lived in Lyon and kept his boat in Port Napoleon. He recommended a couple of places there and said to get in touch if we needed anything. Lyon seems to be a very friendly place.

We left the mooring around 11.40, heading for the confluence of the Saône and Rhone. As we approached, the right bank was covered in beautiful old buildings.

The ones on the left were ultramodern. One looked like it had sticks poking out at odd angles. Another was faced with orange metal with cutouts, then there was another very similar block but green, which was the Euronews building.

All very interesting but the next building knocked my socks off.  I thought I was looking at the Starship Enterprise, a huge gleaming edifice that looked like it has just landed from outer space, winged and standing on legs. It was the Musee de Confluence.  

Pictures don't do it justice.  It stands, as you might guess, at the confluence of the two rivers. We had covered the approximately 145km from Chalon in under 5 days. Another waterway under our belt, only one left now, the mighty Rhone.

Watch this space.

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