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| Watching boats coming up as we wait to go down |
It felt really exciting to be
back on the boat and moving off from Nancy on the morning of 11 June. It was a bit overcast as we left, stopping
off after 10 minutes to stock up at the Auchan by the canal and get some croissants
for breakfast. Once we pushed off our
first day of travel continuing east would prove fairly uninteresting moving
through the industrial outskirts, so we amused ourselves by playing the train game,
as the line ran alongside. As a train came,
we waved, hoping they’d ‘HONK!’ back – and we had a three out of three score!
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| Our second out of three 'Honks!!!' |
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| It was a bit dull, like the weather. |
Our first night was at the
first rural spot we came to at the small town of Crevic, where the heavens opened
as we moored up. It was a nice if
unremarkable little spot which three days later I failed to recall at all when talking to someone about where we'd been! It was
raining quite heavily the next morning, but it wasn’t cold, we were still in
shorts, but we decided to stay put and catch up on our missed episodes of The
Bridge before setting off. As the skies
cleared, we also mopped out 2.5 buckets of rain water from the engine bay
before going on our way. A short hop of
6km and 2 locks took us to the port at Einville au Jard where we took one of
the last remaining moorings. The commercial
boats populating our earlier travels to the West of Nancy had now been replaced
by hire boats, all speeding along as if the canal is a motorway – I prefer the
commercials…… A quick wander around the
town, purchasing some meat from the butcher, some groceries, and cakes and bread
from the baker and we were set for the evening, which involved a chat with Anna
and Steve on Victoria about going up the Rhin and the amount of rain we’ve had.
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| Busy port at Einville |
The next day we were up sharp
and off quickly as although we were only covering a short distance, our
destination had been noted as a popular one and we didn’t want to miss
out. As we entered our first lock of the
day, a hire boat appeared behind us and honked and waved, at which point we committed
the cardinal sin and shut the gates on them.
We had our reasons; we were going up the locks and some of them are
really rough at the front where the water rushes in and we’ve had experience of
being bounced about with other boats behind us and it’s not pleasant. So we felt quite bad but justified, until the
lock started filling – smooth as millpond, barely a movement as we rose – gulp! Typically, at the next lock, we had to wait for
the boat ahead of us rising and leave the lock and another to come down, by
which time the party we’d shut the gate on had caught us up – karma……. Hoping the lock would be as smooth as the
last, we shuffled as far forward as we dare and let them in behind us. The locks are 38 metres long, we are 18.5 and
they were about 15, yet they were still gesticulating that another boat could’ve
still got in with us – maybe a kayak….. I
went to the back of the boat and explained why we didn’t want to share, and
apologised but we’re just very cautious about the locks and they seemed to
understand.
Not long after we pulled into
the left to our mooring at the Etang du Parroy, where it remained overcast and
windy for the rest of the day, much to our annoyance having stocked up on food
for barbecuing. Mike needed to get some
work done, so I left him to it and set off for a nice long walk up to the
reservoir that gives the area its name and then onto the little town of Parroy.
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| The lock buildings start to take on a kind of 'Colditz' look....... |
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| Looking across the Etang du Parroy |
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| The architecture in this area is very different from that we've seen in other parts of France - you can tell we are close to Germany. |
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| And as expected, there are war memorials everywhere. This was to commemorate the 5th Battalion who protected the bridge across the canal at Parroy during WWII. |
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| Lovely mooring at Parroy, which was full by the early evening. |
Tea was cooked that evening
on board in the conventional way and we were quite glad of the warmth from the
Heritage!
June 14th saw the
start of the World Cup in Russia and the start of summer for us, we hoped. The sky was clear, the sun was out and we headed
off, so did every hire boat in a 10 mile radius it seemed. From seeing barely another boat in a week we
were seeing two-three in each pound between the locks! A very popular canal, but we could see why.
Above Ecluse 9 we pulled into
a little Dingly Dell mooring, pleased with ourselves to have got somewhere nice
and secluded for the evening. Then a
hire boat arrived and squeezed in alongside, and then another, but thankfully
this one was just waiting for the lock. The
other boat had just stopped for a long, late lunch and headed off again just
after 4pm, by which time Mike had done some more work and I’d walked into the
local town Moussey (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay……..) for a look.
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| Hire boats everywhere..... |
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| Walking past the base of this post I was amazed at the amount of bird shit on the ground and looked up to see a Stork's nest on top! |
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| A closer look showed two young storks waiting on dinner coming home....... |
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| Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay.......... (sorry, couldn't resist...) :) |
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| Dingly Dell mooring :) |
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| BARBECUE!!!!!! - Woohoo!! |
We finally managed to use the
barbecue for only the second time this year!
Our evening’s entertainment
was pumping out the black tank (nice) and then we settled down to watch Spin, a
French drama we’re watching on Channel 4 Box Sets, and just as we tucked
ourselves into bed, the rain started. Ah
well, better then than when we were cooking a few hours earlier.
Things on the cut were
starting to get exciting!! In a couple
of days we would reach the Inclined Plane at Arzviller, but before that, today
we would be going up the biggest lock Quaintrelle had ever been in – Ecluse de
Rechicourt, 16 metres (52.5 feet)! When
we arrived the sign announced we’d have at least an hour to wait, which we were
quite happy about as we had time for a coffee and a look at the lock, which is
incredible. However, as I was at the top
looking at the boats down below in the chamber, I realised they were at the
bottom, so I hurried back down to Quaintrelle to get ready and it was well within
an hour that we were given the green light to go into the lock.
We were on our own so were
able to space ourselves nicely with a front and rear line on a floating
bollard. Even so, it was quite feisty,
and I felt quite giddy looking up so it was with some relief we reached the top
and the gates opened up to let us out.
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| At the last lock before the big one, a group of feral cats appeared. Thankfully we had a sachet of cat food left and a large bag of dry food, which they tucked into. |
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| More appeared on the other side, so they were catered for as well. As we left the lock, we pulled in and Mike went back and filled their water dishes which were next to the lock hut, so someone must keep an eye on them - poor wee mites :( |
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| Waiting at the big lock; Ecluse de Rechicourt - life jackets obligatory! |
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| Looking down from the top of the lock - it's quite high!!! |
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| In we go...... |
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| Not the smoothest rise, but not the roughest either ;) |
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| And at the top - where a bunch of hire boats were waiting to go down. |
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| Our new Cheeser was pleased to be out of the deep lock!! |
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| Hard to get lost on the canal really....... |
We had hoped to moor at the
strangely named town of Xouaxange as we wanted to take the train to Strasbourg
the next day and we could cycle to a station from there, but on approaching it
was clear the port was full (of hire boats) who all sat and watched us hover as
they glugged their wine and stuffed their faces and no one offered to move up
or let us come alongside or indicate if they were just there for lunch or the
duration…….. So we continued on and
decided the next best place to reach a station from would be Nidderviller. As is often the way, this turned out to be a good
outcome. Although we had to pay for the
mooring (less than advertised on the pontoon!!), the capitaine was delightful
and very helpful and when we said we were hoping to cycle to Sarrebourg to
catch a train the next day she said it was too busy a road and would be
dangerous and offered to phone for a taxi for us. The taxi call was made with much hilarity as
she clearly uses this firm regularly and Valery (on the other end) and she had
a great laugh together and thus a taxi was booked for us the next morning. The other bonus of being here was that Michelle
(on Kendra Erin) had recommended a local restaurant here and we managed to get
booked in for dinner – and what a dinner!!!
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| We chose the Menu de Bouef and this was my second course, the tartare - it was delicious, a lovely meal and experience. |
So, what was not meant to be
happened and worked out for the best. On
Saturday 16th we were picked up by Valery at 10.20am for our train
at 11am. Valery was lovely, and easy to
speak French with, and told us a bit about the area and its history as we went
on our way. It was only when arriving at
the station and we were talking about languages that it transpired she spoke
good English as well as German (her second language) and had been looking
forward to practicing her English with us!
I think I need to practice my French more than she needs to practice her
English. She bid us a good day, left us
with a card and instructions to call her when we were on the train home and she
would meet us and take us back to the port.
All the way to Strasbourg we
strained to see out the window, wondering if we’d get a glimpse of the Inclined
Plane as the canal and railway ran across each other at several points, but no
joy. It remained to be discovered the
following day.
In Strasbourg we met up with Steve,
Anna and Tazzie the dog from Victoria – our next door neighbours from
Roanne.
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| Mike, Steve, Anna and Tazzie |
It was really great to see
them again and catch up on their news, some of which was not really what we
wanted to hear. Part of our trip plan
was to head south after Strasbourg and the quickest way to do this would be to
go down the Canal Rhon au Rhin branch nord, then out on to the Rhine, then back
into the Canal Rhon au Rhin branch Sud.
Sounds easy eh? Not so
unfortunately…….. The stretch of Rhin we’d
be on is huge, and smack, bang right on the border of France and Germany, with
both French and German river police patrolling.
We know this because Steve and Anna had seen them when they drove down
to have a look. There are rules for
doing the Rhin, mainly, if you’re over 15 metres in length, you need to get an
exemption (from having to get a german licence), which in order to get you must
give the details of the pilot you have hired to take you on the river………..and have
your boat inspected………. Both our boats
are over 15 metres in length so this rule would apply. The thing is, we know of other boats who have
just done it without researching the necessary and not getting everything in order
before doing so, and they’ve not been stopped and not had any problems, but
now, having asked and sent in some paperwork and spoken to various people; VNF,
pilot etc. Anna and Steve reckoned they’d be on their radar if they headed out
without a pilot and an exemption. So for
them it was a no, and they would be turning around and heading back west to
pick up the Champagne Bourgogne to take them south. For us, we could try and just slip through,
but Steve reckoned with us being such an unusual boat in France that we’d probably
catch the attention of the river police who might be curious to board our
boat. Also, we’d spoken to some English people
who had just come downstream on the Rhin who reckoned the flow at the moment
was 5/6kms, which is too strong for us to go against. And if we did go, and then something happened,
because we hadn’t followed the rules, we’d not be insured…….. The flow was really what nailed it for
us. It would not only take us too long,
but there are only a couple of stopping places on the Rhin, so we could end up
doing a 12-15 hour day to reach the port and we didn’t really fancy
that!!! So we will also be turning back
when we reach Strasbourg to pick up the Canal des Vosges, which we also haven’t
done, so it will still be new waters for us!
After an enjoyable lunch, quick
look round Strasbourg, a pop into the Tourist Information and the Cathedral, we
headed back for our train, phoned the lovely Valery and returned to Quaintrelle
to redo our plans……… (But it does mean we'll get to go back up the Inclined Plane!!!!).
The next morning we were excited
to get going as today was Inclined Plane day!!
This section of canal is just glorious as the canal winds its way
through a tree-lined valley and you feel like you’re up in the Swiss Mountains!
The waterway continued to be
busy with Hire Boats and Mike continuing to shout at them through the window as
they passed at high speed regardless. My
theory is, they come off the motorway doing 130kmph, get in a boat, are told
not to go faster than 8kmph and slow to 3 when passing moored boats. They have no idea what that speed or how slow that
actually is. The simple thing would be
to put a limiter on hire boats. Or
instruct them to look back at their wash and when they see it breaking over the
side, they are going too fast – simple!!
Before the slide we had a couple
of tunnels to do, and in waiting for some other boats to come through from the
other side ended up in a bit of a convoy.
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| Waiting for the green light to go |
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| Yeah, yeah.... tunnel, shmunnel - been there, done it....... |
As we approached the inclined
plane, the boat in front pulled in and moored up to have a look first and we
pulled into pole position to take the ride!
Despite the sign saying, “Please Stay on your Boats”, us and the boat
behind emptied out to go and look at the boats currently on their way up. Having seen the remains of an Inclined Plane
at Foxton Locks in Northamptonshire, we were incredibly excited to actually be
going on one. This one was only built in
1968 (same age as me!) and did away with locks 1-17. It really is superb – such a feat of engineering
and up there with the wonders of the waterways with the Anderton Lift and
Falkirk Wheel.
Soon it was our turn and the
lock-keeper seemed keen to cram as many in as possible resulting in me having
to fend off the hire boat with an English family on board. Thankfully however, he did a final check
before we set off, didn’t like what he saw and shuffled the other two boats back
a bit and retied the hire boat in a slightly different position. Then we were off!!!!
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| Waiting our turn |
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| The last boat leaves having just come up and we get ready to go into the big bath! |
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| This is a bit too close for comfort! |
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| That's better :) |
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| Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee................. |
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| And very soon we're at the bottom..... |
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| And exit the big bath tub. |
At the bottom of the slide we
pulled onto a visitor mooring to go and have a look from the bottom. Then spotting a water tap, with no ‘Do Not
Use’ sign, we pulled back and filled the tank for free before continuing onto
our mooring at Lutzelbourg. Coming into
Lutzelbourg is one of the most beautiful little bits of waterway and we were
really taken with the little town, as were all the hire boats and it looked
like we might not get a space! But we
needn’t have worried, Lutzelbourg has tons of mooring space and we got in no
problem. After lunch some of the hire
boats moved off only to be replaced by more as the day drew to a close.
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| Gorgeous little lock cottage |
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| Coming through Lutzelbourg |
After a bite of late-ish
lunch we headed for a walk up to the castle.
I had spotted a big sign on the other side of our mooring with several
circular walks through the woods lining the canal, one of which took in the
chateau, so we set off.
The view from the chateau was
amazing but the highlight was the unexpected beauty of the walk through the
woods on the way back. It was one of the
nicest walks we’ve ever done with the woods changing from light woods, to
darker, to stone cliffs which reminded us of Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire. Back at the boat, we relaxed on the front
deck and thought about the day; the tunnels, the lift, the scenery, the walk,
the woods. It was one of the best days.
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| The ruined chateau above Lutzelbourg is made from the Vosges sandstone which is red. |
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| Lovely little Lutzelbourg |
By the time we opened the
shutters the next morning, most of the hire boats were gone and eventually
there was just us on the moorings. We had
decided to stay another night and after an easy start for a Monday morning,
Mike settled down to do some work and I headed off on one of the other walks. It wasn’t as spectacular as the previous day’s
and I didn’t have Mike for company but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Back on board, I had to break the news to
Mike that the little bar, that had showed the Germany game the previous
evening, was closed on a Monday so we’d not be able to watch the England game
there. Fortunately (or unfortunately
depending on how you feel about football!) we had a good internet signal and
were able to watch it on the tv on the boat.
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| In France, where ever you are in the middle of nowhere, there'll always be a bench :) |
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| Can you see the boat way below? |
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| At the end of my walk I came across this little cave called, Grotte de Lourdes. |
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| A very quiet second night in Lutzelbourg. We're looking forward to passing through here again. |
Tuesday 19th would
see us all the way to Saverne, but that’s another entry!
