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| Autumnal morning at the Port of Roanne |
It was cool and overcast when
we pushed off from the port at Digoine and headed off across the aqueduct and
towards our last downwards lock of the year.
It was a deep lock and the lock-keeper helped us with our ropes and
asked which direction we were headed so he could alert the lock-keeper at the
first locks on the Canal de Digoine a Roanne.
It was a bit odd with the sorry acceptance we were heading to port for a
long stay over winter in Roanne, but excited to be on a new bit of canal for
us, and a very, pretty, rural canal at that.
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| Approaching the Pont du Canal at Digoine |
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| On the aqueduct |
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| Taking a left onto the Canal de Digoine a Roanne |
The first three locks on the
canal here are in a chain and are automated, but we were still accompanied
through by an eclusier, which was just as well as the locks are deep and with
no floating or climbing bollards, a hook was dropped down to us to pass our
rope up to the eclusier to secure to a bollard.
Once tied on, Mike engaged the engine and we prepared to be thrown
around, however, we discovered that the deep locks on the Canal Digoine a
Roanne are as slow and tranquil as the canal itself and we smoothly slid up to
the top without a bounce. After the
second lock the eclusier asked what time we’d be at the next lock. I understood his question, but gave a blank
look as I had no idea and thought he’d probably have a better idea how long it
would take us to get there given he was familiar with the waterway. When I asked how far it was, he then asked if
we had been here before and I clarified that no, it was our first time on this
canal. Ah, he smiled broadly and
explained that we were back in the land of lunch hours on the canal and with it
being 12.05pm, he was off for his lunch.
I asked what time was best for him and we arranged to meet at the next
lock at 1.15pm, as he was putting a boat up the first lock at 1pm. As it was only 10 minutes to the next lock,
we pulled in and had a bite of lunch while we waited til it was time to go.
Despite the lack of sunshine
and blue skies we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon’s cruise, it really is a
lovely little canal, with the only other blight on the horizon being the lack
of consistent internet signal. Having
the radio drop in and out all the time is the thing that makes Mike most angry
these days and he has little patience with areas with a weak signal, and this
canal is unfortunately full of them.
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| Without the radio to entertain him Mike resorts to the sport of Fly Swatting |
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| Always happy to see cows cooling their hooves |
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| Sunset at La Beaume |
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| Lovely quiet mooring at La Beaume |
We were off sharp the next
morning as we’d said we’d be at the lock before lunchtime and it was a couple
of hours cruising to get there. We were
accompanied through the lock by Mr Grumpy and then as he headed off for lunch,
arranging to meet us at the next lock at 1.30pm, we pulled over and did a
pump-out, deciding that it would be good to arrive in Roanne with an empty
tank. As we had plenty of time, we did a
good few rinses, and seemed to get the tank pretty empty – well, certainly
empty enough that the pump stopped pumping and put us in a bad temper for
several minutes as we thought the pump had gone. A few more buckets of water for another rinse
got it going again and again we pumped until it could pump no more, had some
lunch and then headed off to the lock.
We arrived (23km and 4 locks)
at the little port at Melay late afternoon and just got moored and settled in
when the sky darkened and the rain came on and stayed on for the rest of the
evening. We couldn’t complain, it was
the first rain we’d had in weeks, but it meant we didn’t get a look around the
area – not that there appeared to be much to see…….
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| If only we knew our mushrooms..... |
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| More lovely cows :) |
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| At this lock as the keeper dropped the hook for me to pass our rope up he dropped it completely and it just missed me!! He laughed and said it was the first he'd done that...... I had to tie on to the ladder and move the rope up as we rose.......... |
Sunday 22 October would be
our last day of cruising this year. We
would arrive in Roanne a week earlier than planned, but the weather forecast
wasn’t good and we were kind of ready for the ease of water and supermarkets on
hand for a while. With another couple of
hours cruising before the first lock, we had arranged with the lock-keeper the
previous day to meet at the lock at 1pm.
He said it wasn’t him that did the next few locks, but he’d phone and
let his colleague know.
We probably shouldn’t have
been surprised when we arrived at the lock to find no one there, and the lights
out showing it wasn’t in use – despite it not being lunchtime or on winter
opening hours! We hung around, and even
had time to reverse a bit further back and pick up two huge logs to add to the
pile of wood we’d been collecting along the way to use in the wood burner. The front deck was now full of wood and
difficult to move around to reach ropes and bollards in the lock, but hey-ho –
we had free firewood!!
Eventually we managed to get
the boat into the side and Mike went up to the lock where he found a phone
number taped to the lock hut door. He
rang and the chap, who spoke very good English, said he’d be there straight
away, and sure enough, pulled up in his van a few minutes later. Clearly Mr Grumpy hadn’t made the phone call
yesterday…….
As we came up the lock, the
wind started to get up, so I helped the eclusier and opened the second gate (we
had been going in and out on one as we’re narrow enough to do so) to make Mike’s
exit easier. However, the wind was
strong enough that he couldn’t come back for me so the lock keeper told me to
walk around the corner and there was a mooring he’d be able to get me at.
It seemed in no time at all
we were coming into the outskirts of Roanne and our final lock of the season
came into sight, which would take us into the port, the very large port!
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| Getting closer to Roanne |
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| The lock into the port up ahead |
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| Bye bye canal, see you in April.... :( |
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| We had been told it was a very large port - and it is!! |
As the Capitainerie was
closed on a Sunday, there was no Capitain (Herve) to tell us where to go, so we
pulled into the only available space we could see, waving to Andy and Sally on
Puzzler who came out to greet us, and got settled in for the night. Although we’d had a lovely couple of days
cruising to get here, and were dreading being locked in for the winter, it felt
good at that moment of arrival to have arrived and it was lovely to see Andy
and Sally and Shannon the dog again.
After a cuppa with them and a quick catch-up, Mike set off on the
Ninebot to the other side of the port (it’s a mile round) to see Bill and Jane
on Lazybones. Despite never having been
here before, it felt like we’d come home!!
The next morning, we went to
see Herve first thing where he hummed and hawed a bit and said we could stay
where we were til Wednesday but would then have to move, but he wasn’t quite
sure where too. He had a couple of
options, one of which was down on a pontoon, it was either that or, “…….em…. I’m
not really sure what the second option is……” Herve confessed as he studied his
Port Plan, with magnetic strips with boats names on them so he can work out
where everyone goes. We went and looked
at his suggested pontoon, next to Victoria, and decided that would suit
us. The power wasn’t switched on yet, so
Herve suggested we stay where we are until he confirmed the power was connected
and we could move.
Knowing we wouldn’t be moving
for a couple of days, we set about chopping all the logs up, finding space in the
locker for them, filled the water tank, did a diesel run so the tank is full
over the winter and then Bill very kindly ran us up to Grand Frais for
groceries. We’ve never been into a Grand
Frais and realised what we’d been missing – it’s the Waitrose of French
Supermarkets with a superb choice of fresh fruit and veg and fantastic butcher
and bakery, for which we were happy to pay a little bit more for……
The next couple of days were
spent catching up on cleaning, paperwork, Mike doing some work for a client,
meeting other boaters, having cuppas with Bill and Jane and on Tuesday
afternoon we walked up into the town to have a look around and familiarise
ourselves with the local shops. We didn’t
hear from Herve again, so on Wednesday afternoon we went over to speak to him
again and he confirmed that we should move between 9-10 on Thursday morning as
someone was arriving on Thursday that were going into the space we were in.
The weather had been getting
gradually warmer and on Thursday as we prepared to move we both had our shorts
on!
We got moored up with the
help of Steve and Anna (our new neighbours on Victoria) and various other
neighbours who came to take a rope and say hello – it’s quite the little
community which is lovely.
We took the opportunity of
the warm weather to start work on the paint work – the gas locker and bow of
the boat was in a sorry, faded state, and Mike had been rubbing it back and
filling in chips over the last few weeks, so it was desperate for a coat of
paint. It was also a good opportunity to
get the plank and poles sanded back and a few coats of varnish back on to
protect them over the winter. Thursday
evening is the Port Social night in a local bar that opens up especially and it
was nice to see a couple of familiar faces and meet some new ones too. They seem a good bunch and lots of activities
get organised over the winter, so I think the time will pass quite happily.
Our first social event (apart
from Thursday evening) was a Chinese buffet on Tuesday for lunch and very nice
it was too!
Work on the boat seems
never-ending as inbetween all the painting and sanding and varnishing, suddenly
it was time for the monthly checks and I was in the bilges cleaning out the
shower pump. Mike serviced the engine
the other day, and having completed the oil and filter changes, ran the engine
to check all was good and a huge fountain of oil squirted out and all over the
engine bay!!! Needless to say, the air
was blue for a good hour as he cleared the mess up as best he could and tried
to work out what had happened. He
tightened the new filter, but it was still leaking, not as badly though, but
there was clearly a fault with the seal, so, depressingly, he had to drain what
was left of the new oil he’d just put in, put in another new filter and then we
had no more new oil left to fill it!!
Bill came to the rescue with the car and not only took us to the
supermarket out of town for oil, but to the Decheterie to dump the two loads of
old oil – well, one old and one not so……….
In between all the boat jobs
I’ve managed a few runs and was hugely delighted to complete a circuit of the
port (1.06 miles) with no knee pain at all!!!
The track round the port is red dust, so a bit softer than the tarmac I’d
been running on, so I wonder if that did the trick. Anyway, I’ve been running every Monday/Wed/Friday
and last Friday Mike joined me on a second circuit of the port, on the promise
of a full English breakfast on Saturday morning if he did. I’ve also been doing squats and lunges with
my weight and side leg raises, tummy stuff and the plank, so hopefully
strengthening the muscles supporting my knee.
With us both having done a
few runs (well, Mike’s done three now!), we were looking forward to this
morning’s weigh-in, and you can imagine the disappointment when I had gone up
1.2kg since last Saturday and Mike had gone up ½ kg!!! I put it down to muscle weighing more than
fat………
So life in Roanne is good so
far – I can’t believe we’ve been here for two weeks already (remind me of that
sentence when I’m slitting my wrists mid-February, struck down with cabin fever
and desperate to be out on the canal).
It’s a good sized town with all amenities and the port has a friendly
and active community. Sadly we’re
missing the Petanque game tomorrow afternoon as we’ve hired a car and are off
for a few days, but we’re going over to Puddleduck, with Nicky and Gorette onboard,
for drinks tonight.
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| Chopping up the wood at our first, temporary mooring |
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| The port by night |
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| View from our first mooring, across the port |
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| Now our view, down at the other end and on the other side :) |
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| We are on a pontoon jutting out from the quay, so this is the view from the kitchen window! From further forward on the boat we can see up the port which is nice, and being this way means we have less people staring in our windows....... they stare in the back doors instead........ :O |
