Chapelle-Montlinard to Cours-Les-Barres to Nevers-pictures added

Tuesday 3^rd September

Chapelle-Montlinard to Cours-Les-Barres

17km 5 locks

We had a good trip to Cours-Les-Barres, passed some nice moorings but again too early to stop.  Beffes looked to be fantastic moorings, brand new this year we’ve read,  but is was only 10.30am and we weren't ready to stop yet .  The moorings at Cours-Les-Barres were ok, but we were moored too far away for the electric, and the connections were already used anyway, but we got water.  There is a restaurant in the village and a bakers. 

Rangali and Amarok-
we were so pleased we meet up with Charlie and Marcia from Arizona

Another Piper moored up by us called Amarok, with some really lovely Americans onboard.  Marica and Charlie are part of a co-ownership group and they had another couple onboard with them for the week.  We were invited for drinks with them at 6pm and we ended up being invited to share their dinner with them, and thier friends Frank and Shirley, Rabbit stew and it was delicious. We were able to reciprocate with some homemade sticky toffee pudding that we luckily had in the freezer.  Lots of wine was drunk too!

Marcia and Charlie are following the same route as us stopping at Nevers, then onto Decize and then up the Nivernais to Auxerre.  Their barge is about 6 years old and still looks fantastic, comforting for us to see!

Wedsnesday 4^th September

Cours-Les-Barres to Nevers

24km 5 locks

Amarok left about 15 minutes before us and we followed them to Nevers.  We had another great trip, beautiful sunny day.  The past couple of nights have also been cloud free and the stars have been amazing, not light pollution here.

Amarok leaving for Nevers

We had to go through a huge double lock at Guetin, with lots of tourists watching and taking photos of us.  I always feel very claustrophobic when we are deep down in a lock, its nice when you come up to the top.

Guetin Double Lock

Nevers has a branch off the main canal with a port du plaisance.  There was no space for us so we moored opposite on some white bollards, not so pretty but ok.  We are staying two nights.

We went on our bikes a short trip to Nevers, walked around, bit of sight seeing, bought a French mobile PAYG, found a restaurant we went to a few years ago that we liked but sadly it was closed down, bit of food shopping and then back to the boat.  Charlie and Marcia from Amarok recommended the restaurant at the port Café de la Marine, so we went there for dinner and it was excellent.  Bed early for Deb as a head cold got the better of her.

Thursday 5^th September

Nevers

We walked back into the city to look around the cathedral.  Marcia told us last night about how stunning the windows were in the cathedral especially in the morning light   The original windows were destroyed in a bombing raid by the allies on the nights of 15 and 16^th July 1944.  The target was a marshalling yard at Nevers railway station, this was missed and the city was hit killing 162 inhabitants and three of the bombs hit the catherdral.  After 30 years of work, the stunning, contemporary, stained glass windows have been completed costing 7.1 million euros. The tower is covered in scaffolding so work still continues.

After bit of retail therapy, lite lunch, another walk around the old city we then walked back to the boat to relax.  Its another very hot day in the mid 30’s, amazing for September.