Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (risking the breach)

THURSDAY 31 MARCH

With cooler weather forecast for the following few days we set a stove on Wednesday evening so it would keep in overnight.  When we awoke on Thursday morning, we were glad we’d lit it, even though it was lovely and sunny, there was a definite chill in the air. We set of for Condé-sur-Marne soon after breakfast but first we had to get the Juvigny lock set.  Even though we were moored right next to the lock, this entailed turning around, going back down the cut to the twisty pole, turning around again, twisting the pole to set the lock, and then heading back again.

Finishing the turn ready to twist the pole

We stopped in the next lock at Vraux to take on water and also to give the boat another washdown.  More Saharan sand had fallen during the previous two nights and, as we had water on tap and no boats were in sight, we took advantage of being in the lock.

Fourth washdown in a week!

As we were packing everything away a couple asked me if they could film us in the lock and, not feeling churlish, I agreed.  I’ve no idea why they were doing it or what for, but they were extremely grateful and set a tripod up in the middle of the lock bridge.

Filmed going through the lock at Vraux

After another few kilometres we were approaching the port at Condé-sur-Marne where we’d left the boat while we were back in the UK. The port is at the start of the canal l'Aisne à la Marne and as we didn’t need water or electricity, we moored up just above the port where we’ll probably stay for a couple of days.  We were just about to have lunch when a Dutch barge came past, the first pleasure boat we’ve seen on the move this year.  As is the custom we went out to take some lines.  They were a lovely couple from Amsterdam who have come down from Belgium over the last few weeks and, like us were heading to the river Marne.  Unlike us, who only planned to go on the river for a few days, they were going down the length to Paris so they could then head south up the Yonne and then down the canal de Bourgogne for the summer.  They were only mooring up for a couple of hours as they were letting a commercial go through and get ahead.

In the afternoon we went for a wander around the village.  The only shop is a boulangerie which, much to her chagrin, Karen found when we stayed last week here ran out of croissants and pain au chocolate by 7am.  The market hall is still used but there were no signs of a lavoir if there ever was one.  The main attraction was the roundabout at the edge of the village which had been decorated for easter/pâques.

Rabbits digging for traditional (?) easter carrots

Eggy things on the other side 

Of course, there was the obligatory church and mairie.  The church of St-Remi dates from the 12^th century and although it was badly damaged during WWI the unusual looking bell tower, apart from the structure at the top, dates from that period.

Marie and the church

The church after bombs fell during the night of 2/3 May 1917

Increasingly popular in villages that have lost their épicerie was a 24/7 chilled dispenser of various staple food items from radishes through packets of dried pasta to tinned confit de canard.  I imagine the prices were probably only in reach of those living in Champagne villages such as this one. The chilled cabinets were coupled with a hot and cold pizza dispenser although, with a boulangerie still operating in the village, a pain and croissant dispenser hadn’t been installed yet.

When we got back to the boat our Dutch neighbours had already moved on so we were back on our own once more.  Once again, rain kept off all day but like the morning there was definitely a chill in the air by the evening and we saw just one butterfly on the wing, a lonely female orange tip. 

Moored at Condé-sur-Marne

On Thursday we cruised nine km down two locks.

FRIDAY 1 APRIL

I hesitate to say we had a lazy day on Friday because, quite understandably, Karen would beg to differ having gone for a run in the morning.  So, apart from Karen going for her run, we did have a lazy day.  The weather gave us a shock though after the lovely warm days we'd been accustomed to since returning: the wind had got up and there were snow flurries during the early evening.  

SATURDAY 2 APRIL

Our plan had been to move on to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ on Saturday but as it was breezy and cold first thing and the sunny weather was due to return on Sunday, we ended up staying put at Condé-sur-Marne for another day.  While having breakfast, Drakkar came past, but unlike when we saw it five days previously, it was unladen.  On its way up it had been loaded with rolled steel for delivery to the steel works at Contrisson which we saw when we were on the canal de la Marne au Rhin last year.  Apparently, once unloaded, the boats often pick up grain from Vitry-le-François or Châlons-en-Champagne on their way back to make efficient use of the return journey.  Today it looked like that was not the case.

Unladen Drakkar

Hidden from view by the boat are several buildings that make up the pumping station that supplies water to the summit of the canal Aisne à la Marne eight kilometres away. 

The hydraulic pumping station opposite our mooring

When the station was built in the 1860s five water turbines were installed to pump the water up a height of 25 metres to the top of a rise to the north of the village. From there it ran the rest of the way down a feeder channel to the top level of the canal.  The water itself arrived at the pumping station via another feeder canal that left the river Marne back at Châlons nearly 15 km away.  

The turbines were replaced by diesel engines in the 1930s that generated electricity for two purposes.  Primarily the electricity drove the water pumps with surplus electricity being used to drive the electric locomotives that operated alongside the canals in northern and eastern France to pull barges.  This was around the time the majority of barges were converted from horse drawn to locomotive drawn. 

We often come across the old electric locomotives on display in canal towns and by locks and have even seen them rotting away in the old locomotive sheds that house them.  The lock above our mooring has one of the engines on display.

Barge pulling loco at Condé-sur-Marne bottom lock

By the 1980s barges were powered by diesel engines and the electric locos were withdrawn from use.  In the pumping station, electric pumps were installed to replace the diesel engines and water was drawn directly from the Marne at the pumping station itself.  The feeder canal from Châlons was therefore no longer required so is now empty other than in times of flood.  We’ve noticed the feeder canal before but had never understood why it was there, so it was good to find out its purpose.

The old feeder canal next to us when we were moored at Juvigny last week

The water is pumped up the hill from the pumping station via pipes underground until they reach the top where they are housed in a tower built in the 1860s in the Gallo-Romanesque style.  We walked up to the tower in the morning and then followed the feeder channel part way to the summit.

The tower above Condé-sur-Marne

This picture shows how the water supply pipes were concealed by the structure:

Today’s pumps supply 100,000 cubic metres of water a day at a rate of 1,200 litres a second.  

 SUNDAY 3 APRIL

We set off for Mareuil-sur-Aÿ after breakfast but had to spin the boat around first.  There was still a stiff breeze which we were able to use to our advantage and we were soon back at the junction to re-join the canal latéral à la Marne.  Having looked at our boat tracker we’d seen that a commercial wasn’t that far away, so Karen went to the front to make extra sure that all was clear.

Leaving our brief sojourn on the canal de l’Aisne à la Marne

It wasn’t long before we were heading into Tours-sur-Marne where I dropped Karen & Buddy off to walk the rest of the way to Mareuil.  The church is an impressive feature of the village even though it was only built in the 1850s when the previous structure was demolished as it had started collapsing.  I didn’t take a picture as I was facing the sun, deciding to do it from the opposite direction once past it, not realising that only the wooden spire could be seen when facing that way.

Tours-sur-Marne and the hidden church

As I left the lock in Tours, I was in a pound that had been lowered by at least a metre, leaving the guaranteed depth at 1,60m.  The level had been lowered because a breach hadn’t been properly repaired and VNF were concerned it would give way again if the full depth was allowed.  They will be closing the canal on April 15^th for six weeks or so to drain it and effect a more permanent fix.  We have to come back the same way to get to Karen’s appointment at the préfecture in Châlons but as that will be on the 13^th we’ll just hope the malfunctioning breach repair holds out with the reduction in the water level.

The reduced level meant the twisty poles were higher up and I had a dodgy moment having to stand on the roof to twist the pole that operated the swing bridge at Bisseuil.

Pole out of reach for shorties like me

The end of the lowered pound was at the lock outside Mareuil-sur-Aÿ where I stopped to top up with water as well as picking up Karen & Buddy.  It’s always good to fill up at locks as the water pressure tends to be high and the hoses have a wide bore to make filling quick for commercials.  Of course, a consequence of the dropped level was that the lock was lower than usual, and our roof was at the same height as the side of the lock.

Taking on water with champagne vines on the steep slope behind

The port in the village looked to be full of the same couple of dozen boats that were there three years ago when we came through and most didn’t look like they’d moved in that time.  We moored at a quiet spot just before the port on one of the hotel boat moorings.  We knew that hotel boats whose itineraries were bringing them this way in April & May have had to change their routes because of the impending closure so felt safe taking their mooring.

Moored at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ

After lunch we went for a walk up the hills behind the village which is one of those places where nearly every building is a champagne house.

The church with signs to a few of the champagne houses

There are 300 vineyard owners in the commune, and it is considered to be the best premier cru village and the names of all the famous producers can be seen on the stones marking each vineyard.  No leaves had appeared on the vines yet, but they all seemed to be in bud.  The producers will be crossing their fingers that there will be no more sharp frosts like there were last spring when smouldering straw was left under the vines overnight to keep the frost at bay.

A dozen rows recently replanted, looking like a war cemetery

Our walk took us through the vineyards up to a statue of Notre Dame de Gruguet overlooking Mareuil.

Notre Dame de Gruguet

The statue represents a sign of gratitude from the villagers.  Story has it that they made a vow on August 27^th, 1944, that the village would be liberated, and all prisoners of war returned.  Apparently, the village was liberated the next day, hence the erection of the statue after the end of the war.  The red and white tape is meant to prevent people walking on the area around the statue that has recently been re-laid.  Looking down the hill we could see where we were moored but, as luck would have it, we were in the only spot that was hidden by trees!

Our boat is dead centre on the far side of the canal

When we got back to the village we sat down in the park by the port for a while.  The park also serves as a camper van stop and some had already arrived, presumably in time for the easter break.  Seeing the boats close up confirmed to us that they were exactly the same ones that we could see when we sat on the same bench in 2019.    

Same bench - same boats

We’ll probably stay a couple of nights before moving on again but it all depends on the weather as there are a couple of rainy days due.

On Sunday we travelled ten kilometres down two locks.

I haven’t included pictures of our two grandsons for a while so here’s three year old Dexter and two year old Ellis.  The pictures have some sub-text as Dexter is standing in front of a Victorian post box (collecting Victorian post boxes is one of our family’s passions) and Ellis is proudly posing for St David’s day (he and Lauren & Lewis now live in South Wales).

Dexter

Ellis