Saturday 9 May
The canal closure that caused us to alter this year’s
cruising plans has had other repercussions too. The route we’re now taking to
get to where we want to be is a lot longer which means we’re going to have to
travel more each day. That in itself is fine as that’s partly why we enjoy
boating so much. It does mean, however, that we won’t be able to spend as much
time exploring places on the way and having those long walks we enjoy. It won’t
be like we’re missing out though as we’ve been on all the waterways at least
once before and those around the Marne valley several times. This then has
further ramifications with respect to the blog because I want to avoid repeating the
sights and sounds I’ve covered in previous years.
Those thoughts make me stop and think further, particularly about why I write a blog. The
main drivers are for me and Karen to recall our memories and also to keep our families
informed of where we are and what we’re doing. At the same time it’s heart
warming to know there are regular readers, so I don’t want to put them off with
continuous repetitions. The long and
short of it is that I’ll keep in the forefront of my mind that it’s for mine
and Karen’s enjoyment in later life to help us relive our memories so please bear with me if you feel there are unnecessary repetitions.
We’d agreed with VNF that we’d set off down the flight from
Demange-aux-Eaux at 9.30am. Karen wanted to have a run so started down the flight while I took the boat down.
She wanted to cover at least 15 km so we’d had to calculate at what
point she’d have to turn around and start running back in order to meet me on
the way down. The first 17 locks are in a chain and we remembered that the chain didn’t
work particularly well four years ago. VNF have probably decided that rather than
repair the failing automation it was cheaper to have an éclusier attending boats
so they were on hand to make sure things ran smoothly. Sure enough, when I rounded
the corner to the first lock an éclusier had it set and was waiting for me.
As well as on the journey up to the summit the canal
continued to run through wonderfully rural countryside, enhanced by the return
of the hot weather.
For a young guy it was unusual that the éclusier didn’t speak
any English apart from the numbers. He used a translation app on his phone to
communicate with me on our way down whenever he appeared at a lock and wanted to tell me something or
answer a question I put to him. We needed water and I asked where we could get some and he
told us to stop at the eleventh lock down and he would turn the water on
provided we had our own hose.
Karen and I timed things perfectly as when I was going into
the sixth lock she arrived from the opposite direction at the same time having completed her target distance. I told
her we could get water at lock 11 but she said she’d checked the tap on her way
past and it wasn’t working. I passed this onto the éclusier who said it was okay and that he would have to turn on a stopcock inside the lock control hut. As the éclusier had indicated, we had no problem getting water when we were in the lock which also had handy recycling and general waste facilities. We moored up when we arrived at
Naix-aux-Forges and remembered that although we’d stopped there before that we’d
never walked around the village so we had that delight to come.
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| Moored at Naix-aux-Forges |
After a late lunch we went for our walk starting with the lavoir by the village lock. I’m including a picture of the basin as it was the first lavoir we’ve been in this year that had a basin full of clear water so, apart from no lavandières (washer women), it looked like it would have done in the days before washing machines arrived. No doubt there would have been no signs of any vegetation either.
Naix-aux-Forges was very pretty and made much of the river Ornain running through it. There were a couple of mill streams and of course a couple of old mills standing alongside them. The pictures we took didn’t do the place justice but here’s the church:
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| Walking back to our mooring |
Once again we were able to sit outside during the evening to enjoy the lovely weather.
On Saturday we cruised 15 km down 14 locks and saw no boats.
Sunday 10 May 2026
With rain forecast later in the afternoon we set off for Ligny-en-Barrois straight after breakfast. As we’d stopped in a chain overnight we had to call VNF to get it going again for us and the remaining three locks in the chain all worked perfectly. After the chain we were then back to using a télécommande. Since the advent of automation removed the need for resident éclusiers, the vast majority of lock cottages no longer house them and their families. On many canals most of the cottages have been preserved by selling them off or letting them out. Sadly on this canal many seem to have been demolished and some of the others are in a poor state of repair such as this one at one of today’s locks.
We made it to our mooring at Ligny-en-Barrois in the dry and
we‘d just secured the boat when our éclusier from yesterday turned up in his van. We
were surprised when he asked us what our plans were as we thought all the locks
would be okay now and we wouldn’t need him driving down in his van with us. We told
him we would leave at 9am on Monday and he seemed happy with that and off he
went. The mooring was shared with
motorhomes but the services were out of action for the vans which is why it was
only half full. Last time we stopped everything
was working and vans were having to go elsewhere as all slots were taken.
When we’d pulled into the port we spotted some unattended
fishing rods where we wanted to moor so slowed right down. The fisherman was in one of the vans and came
out to move his rods as soon as he saw us arriving. Fortunately it was all very
amicable and he was able to reset everything once we’d tied up.
The previous time we came to the town we followed the town
trail so this time we went for our own walk. Continuing down the main street out of town, a
direction we didn’t walk before we came across one of the old gateways into the
town. We couldn’t believe it hadn’t been on the trail, especially as apart from
one tower there was very little left of the original fortifications.
The rain did start in the late afternoon so we spent the
rest of the day on board.
On Sunday we cruised seven km down eight locks and saw no
boats.
Monday 11 May
At 9am, while Karen left for a run I set off as agreed with
our éclusier even though there was no sign of him. As I left the basin we’d
stayed in overnight I turned right onto the canal to continue downstream but noticed
that the lock immediately upstream had no lights on. When I reached the first
lock, the lights were on and it worked perfectly. I concluded that we were
asked about the time of departure so that they would make sure the power was on
at the locks we were going through. This
may have been the reason there was no power at the locks in the other direction. It was a grey day and although rain wasn’t forecast
until later in the afternoon it started soon after leaving Ligny-en-Barrois and
by the time I picked Karen up from her run she was soaked.
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| It’s beautiful here when the sun’s out – honest! |
Despite the weather, we made good progress encountering no problems with the locks and also no sign of our éclusier. We were planning on mooring on a couple of bollards we’d stopped on before at Longeville-en-Barrois. Leaving the lock before the mooring we saw that the pound was very low and were concerned we wouldn’t be able to moor because it would be too shallow at the sides. As it was we were correct in our thinking and after a lot of faffing around decided to give it a miss and carry on to Bar-le-Duc where there was a free mooring at a VNF office or a paid for one with services at the town port.
As the gates opened for us at the next lock, two red lights
came on signalling that it had gone out of action. It was pretty obvious what
had happened as a large branch was stuck behind one of the gates stopping it
opening fully. We went into the lock anyway
to have some lunch and I rang VNF. The timing was perfect as our éclusier
turned up in his van as we were just finishing lunch. He soon had us on the way
again.
On the outskirts of Bar-le-Duc we saw a couple of bollards at a place called Savonnières-devant-Bar and moored up for the day on them. We’d noticed the bollards before but had completely forgotten about them and for some reason hadn’t recorded them in our mooring notes.
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| Mooring at Savonnières-devant-Bar |
The rain ceased later in the afternoon and we went for a walk although admittedly it wasn’t the best of walks as it seemed the area had been transformed into a massive retail and commercial park for Bar-le-Duc residents. A young local street artist under the name KREM is used by the council to decorate bland buildings such as sub stations etc. All the works we waw were nature related and looking at his website later it appeared that that's the subject he majors in. Not only does it brighten up the area it must prevent unsightly graffiti.
Tuesday 12 May
Karen ran along the canal to the far side of Bar-le-Duc and back
again while I went for a walk up the hill behind Savonnières-devant-Bar. It was
a village we hadn’t visited before as it was the first time we’d stayed at the
mooring we were on. In the middle of the village was an information signpost
including directions to a lavoir so that's where I headed first.
We always feel like cheats when lavoirs are signposted because it’s fun searching them out, for example by finding streams and following those. Sadly it was locked but peering through cracks in the door I could see that the basin was still in good condition and could hear plenty of water running through it.
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| Complete with obligatory abreuvoir (animal water trough) |
It felt to be a well to do village and the sort of place people would live in if they worked in Bar-le-Duc. It may have always been well to do judging by the size of some of the older homes:
Walking up the hill behind the village I thought that the
more modern houses spreading up the valley probably had relatively prosperous owners
too. The house on the far right had solar panels on the roof which is something we rarely see in France. As France produces around 70% of its electricity from nuclear power and also its prices are regulated, the cost to the consumer is a lot less than in the UK and consequently there is not so much desire to have solar panels. Having an EV we notice how much cheaper the power is over here than if we charge away from home in the UK.
Coming back down the hill I had a look around the village.
The oversized church of St-Calixte was built in the late 15th
century and was in stark contrast to the modern mairie which as is the custom
was also oversized for the size of the village
The memorial to local folk who died in both world wars stood
in a peaceful park behind the mairie:
In order to save water we use a plastic washing up bowl in the
sink on the boat. This year it has started splitting from the top and therefore
needs replacing. We’d forgotten that the French culture is such that plastic
washing up bowls aren’t generally used. We soon remembered this when we realised
that they just cannot be bought in supermarkets over here. The only bowls on
offer seem to be round or square and with an easy pouring spout therefore used for washing clothes rather than dishes. Not only that, the sink on the boat is rectangular. We’d given up
hope of replacing the breaking one when I suddenly remembered that there was a
spare bowl in the dark recesses of our under-bed storage. I retrieved the bowl only
to find it was too large. Neither of us remembered buying it nor the fact that
we must have known at the time that it was too large. The only way to get it to
fit was by slicing off the overhanging lips at each end so at least we now have
a functioning washing up bowl.
When we were both back at the boat we set off on the short
journey to Bar-le-Duc. There are two lift bridges in the town and soon after
triggering the lock before the first bridge an éclusier arrived to control the
bridges for us. There were three boats
already in the port but we soon found out that they were still overwintering
and there was plenty of room for us to moor up.
It was an unseasonably cold day and once we were tied up we
lit a stove for the first time this year to keep the chill off. The reason we
stopped at the port rather than our usual stop outside town was that we needed
to be near the railway station. Karen was heading to Ålesund in Norway tomorrow
for a week to help out (and spend time) with our latest grandchild, Samuel. We’d
found that the best route was to take a train to Paris from Bar-le-Duc then
Eurostar to Schiphol airport, one of the few airports where direct flights to Ålesund
are available. After lunch we walked to the station to check the trains and also
how long it takes to walk there. We then had a quick wander around town but
didn’t take many pictures as we’d been on the town tour before and wanted to
chill out on the boat for the rest of the day before Karen left for her trip.
Bar-le-Duc is the capital of Meuse, the département we are
currently travelling through, and is split in two by the river Ornain. Seven bridges cross the river as it runs
through the town:
Back on board we stoked the fire up and kept it going during
the evening. Two boats travelling in the opposite direction to us arrived later in the evening and just squeezed in to the remaining spots at the port.
On Tuesday we cruised 2.5 km down two locks, through two
lift bridges and only the saw the two late arriving boats..
Wednesday 13 May 2026
It was an early start as Karen’s train to Paris left at
6.10am and we walked to the station together so I could see her get off
safely. We hadn’t bought return train
tickets for her as we weren’t sure where I’d get the boat to during this next
week. Hopefully I’ll reach the Marne valley so could meet her somewhere like Châlons-en-Champagne
or Vitry-le-François. A lot will depend on the weather as the forecast isn’t
that good for the coming week.
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| Early morning at a full Bar-le-Duc port |
The locks don’t open for pleasure boaters until 9am on this canal which was a bit of a shame considering the early start we’d had; however, it did mean I could have a leisurely breakfast while I waited. You may have wondered why I didn’t go to Norway with Karen. Ironically, it’s because we have a pre-planned trip to Norway coming up at the end of June: our first ever cruise. We’ve never fancied going on a cruise but our narrowboater friends, Mike and Lesley, take several a year and really rave about them. They go with a small American company and the way they described their Norway cruise made us think that we should give it a go and we booked the same cruise as the one they’d taken.
We’ll have a few days in Amsterdam first and then cruise the
entire length of the Norwegian coast up into the Arctic circle. We finish in Dublin for a couple of days
having also spent some time on a couple of Scottish Islands on the way
back. During the three weeks on the
Norwegian coast we’ll actually have a day in Ålesund so will be able to catch
up with our Norwegian family while we’re there.
This is why we’re on a schedule to get our boat somewhere we
can leave it. Of course, the schedule was made tighter when the canal de la
Meuse was closed at the upstream end where we wanted to join it. It wouldn’t
really be possible for me to have taken a week out now and for us to get the
boat to Pont-à-Bar in time on our return so that’s why I’m continuing cruising.
After my leisurely breakfast I timed my departure perfectly,
arriving at the first lock dead on 9am. After that lock is the VNF office where
we’ve moored on our previous two trips along here. Outside the office one of
the old towing locos is on display together with a 2D sculpture of an old barge
showing how they were towed:
It was at this point that Karen rang. Her train into Paris hadn’t
moved for 20 minutes so she was in danger of missing her connecting train and therefore
her flight to Norway. Having always said the trains in France run perfectly on
time for me I was rather shocked until Karen explained that there had been a
suicide on the line. Although Karen did
miss her connections she was able to get a later Eurostar service to Schiphol and
also a flight that left at 9pm, eight hours later than the flight she’d got up
early for.
Compared with Karen’s journey I had a trouble-free cruise. An éclusier had been appearing
in his van every so often to check everything was OK and when I told him I was
stopping for lunch he decided to do the same. I moored up using an old
commercial bollard for the back and knocked in a pin to tie the front to.
Soon after setting off again, it started raining and although the rest of the journey was trouble-free as it was before lunch, I was very wet by the time I got to Revigny-sur-Ornain. A VNF icebreaker called Asterix is moored above the lock there and I’d checked with the éclusier if it would be okay to moor alongside it. He said it would be fine and I moored up as agreed when I arrived in Revigny. I immediately thought of Buddy because we moored in the same spot previously and Buddy spent a lot of time on the deck of the icebreaker because its wheelhouse gave plenty of shade.
Once inside I lit a small fire in order to dry my soaking wet outer gear and stayed on board for the evening as it was still raining on and off.
On Wednesday I cruised 15 km down 13 locks through two lift
bridges and saw one boat, a French river cruiser going in the opposite
direction. This was the first boat we'd seen whilst on the move since we were on the Moselle nine days ago.
Thursday 14 May
With rain forecast later in the day I set off from
Revigny-sur-Ornain after having had an early walk to stretch my legs. The locks
were every kilometre or so and all worked perfectly. At the fourth lock, la Haie Herlin, goats
were eagerly awaiting me as the boat slid in. I don’t know how long goats live
but I’m convinced they are the same ones we saw when we first came through five
years ago.
At Contrisson I passed a sheet metal works that no longer
seems to use péniches for transport. Five years ago we saw péniches on their
way to and from the works but apparently all freight is handled by rail and
road nowadays.
The next lock after the steel works was triggered by
breaking an infrared photoelectric beam so I had no need for the télécommande.
This will be the case for the remaining locks on this canal until I reach the
end at Vitry-le-François. Two transmitters are placed on one side of the cut and two receivers on the opposite side as can be seen here:
It started raining after that lock and continued for the
rest of the journey. As I approached the next lock I could see an éclusier
waiting in his van and as the boat went in he dashed out through the rain to
pick up my télécommande as it would no longer be required. This was my only
sight of an éclusier all day and, although it was very short, it was also the
only conversation I had all day other than a phone call with Karen.
Reaching Sermaize-les-Bains the canal left the Meuse
département and entered the Marne. After a few more locks, still in the rain, I
pulled into the halte nautique at Pargny-sur-Saulx. By the time I’d tied up and
checked the water was working the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out:
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| Moored at Pargny-sur-Saulx |
The dry spell looked like it might last a while so I went for a walk that included a look around the town of Pargny-sur-Saulx. I came across an enamel plated Michelin signpost which we don’t see every day but as it pointed to a French war cemetery I thought I’d go and find it.
It was a relatively small cemetery where 284 soldiers from the
Battle of the Marne in the First World War were buried as well as four from the
Second World War. I say relatively small because around a quarter of million
French soldiers were lost in the weeklong battle. Many of the graves were marked, ‘Inconnu’.
I’d been thinking about stations that I could get the boat near for
when Karen returns from Norway and was surprised to see a rue de la Gare as I
didn’t think Pargny had a station, but I did find one at the end of the street.
Mind you it did look like it had been closed for some while.
It reminded me of when I bought a ticket from a station where
I was going to leave the car when we were in the Vosges. I’d been able to buy a
ticket online but when I drove to the station it too had obviously been closed
for a while. Why I was able to buy a ticket I will never know.
Continuing the walk around town I found the church that was
built in the 13th and 14th centuries. It looked like it had recently been cleaned up:
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| Shame about the extension |
Along the main road through town I came across the grand looking mairie and war memorial:
I got back to the boat just before there was another
cloudburst which continued for a couple of hours.
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| Just about to pour again |
After dinner it brightened up so I went for another walk starting on the other side of the cut.
Having said earlier that there weren’t many lock cottages left on the section of canal we’ve been on for the last week or so, most of today’s were still standing and inhabited. Although the cottage at the lower lock in Pargny-sur-Saulx has obviously been empty for a while:
On Thursday I cruised 13 km down 12 locks and didn’t see any boats.
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