Montbard to Ravieres to Ancy le Franc to Tanlay - Canal de Bourgogne

Sunday 31^st August

Montbard to Ravieres

11 locks, 19km, 5¾ hrs

We left Montbard just before 9am to get to the first lock of the day for 9am.  We had an easy trip; all the lock keepers were quick and efficient.  It started off chilly and grey but cleared to be a lovely sunny day.  We had lunch in lock 72, we shared it with a hireboat.  They were most put out when the lock keeper started to work the lock at 12.55pm, as they hadn’t finished their lunch, and they tried asking him to wait…..he didn’t!!!  We arrived at Ravieres at 2.45pm and there was lots of mooring space at Ravieres.  The downstream end of the quay looks like its been smartened up for hotel boats.  Quite a few hire boats arrived later in the afternoon from Montbard, and the moorings soon filled up.

Beautiful scenery
The clouds cleared to become a lovely warm day

Ravieres.....hotel barge quay

Road into Ravieres

Lots of space at Ravieres

 Monday 1^st September

Raveires to Ancy-le-Franc

5 locks 8.5km 1½ hrs

We had a very short trip today and we were moored up by 11.30am.  We had a walk around the town, the chateau was closed as it was Monday, we don’t mind as we will be travelling back this way next year so we will have something different to do.  It’s a nice mooring at Ancy-le-Franc, with free water and electric. The spaces were soon filled up with hire boats. The mooring says two spaces of 25m needed to left for hotel barges.  As we were just tying up a hotel barge arrived coming through the bridge next to the mooring….I thought….uh oh! “We’ll have to move”, but luckily it didn’t stop and it motored on past.  Kev walked up to the lock we had just been through to check if any hotel barges were expected, he was told no they weren’t today so we could stay where we were which was good.  We walked back to lock 79 for a nice lunch at the hotel.

We enjoyed looking at the stars in the evening, as there were no streetlights nearby.  No shooting stars, but a satellite was spotted.

These three hire boats all came out of one lock, it must have been a tight squeeze

Ancy-le-Franc
The Chateau was closed as it was a Monday

A lovely quiet mooring at Ancy-le-Franc

 Tuesday 2^nd September

Ancy-le-Franc to Tanlay

9 locks 19km and 6½ hrs (inc 1 hour for lunch)

We left Ancy at 8.40am to arrive at the first lock just before 9am as instructed by the lock keeper yesterday.  There was no one to be seen, so we floated around for about 15 minutes and at last a lock keeper arrived and we were off.  Not many locks to negotiate today.  We had lunch moored up in a very nice lock, ecluse 87.  There were loads of colourful flowers, and humorous statues/sculptures everywhere.

We arrived in Tanlay at around 2.30pm.  There is a sign on the quay that states that 2 x 25m needs to be left for hotel barges.  So we walked to the next lock to ask the lock keeper when the next hotel barge is expected, it’s not until Friday afternoon, and only one.  We will be staying here for a few days as we have some great friends, Rob and Jo coming to stay the weekend with us, arriving Thursday.  If we do stay here on Friday, we can always move over the other side of the canal, as there is a quay over there too, but no electric and water as we have here.  We had a walk around the small town, the chateau is closed on Tuesdays, there is a butchers who also run a small supermarket, a well stocked hardware shop, a boulangerie and a few small restaurants.  

In the evening we ate in the restaurant at the port; it’s a pizzeria and creperie.  It’s a booming little business with tourists and the locals.

  

We met this hotel barge in a nice wide spot just before a lock

Lock 87, a very pretty lock
A nice place to be for lunch

Lunch break

Behind the lock keepers cottage at lock 87 there is a stream
with penguins, polar bear and a crocodile!

Wednesday 3^rd September

Tanlay-a day in port

It was a washing, cleaning the boat and odd jobs day today.  It was lovely sunny again today, with a stiff breeze.  We’ve been so lucky with the weather.  It’s been the busiest day so far for hire boat traffic, compared to before Montbard.  Quite a few boats have stopped for a couple of hours to visit the chateau here in Tanlay and then have carried on their journey.  It’s been quite blustery today, so some of the skippers on the hire boats have struggled handling the boats.  Fun to watch!

Early evening at Tanlay, the hire boats have moved on

A clean boat!

Pont Royal to Pouillenay/Pouillenay to Montbard -Canal de Bourgogne

Thursday 28^th August

Pont Royal to Pouillenay

32 locks, 19km 8¾ hrs with 1½ hr for lunch

We set off at 8.50am to arrive at our first lock at 9am.  We originally planned to go to Marigny-le-Cahouët which would have been 13 locks and around 12km but we weren’t asked where we were going by the lock keepers so when we got to Marigny at 12 noon we thought why not carry on, after lunch, down the chain of locks to Pouillenay, which we did.  We had a great team of eclusiers, two guys working with us, and the locks kept on coming!  The scenery was fantastic, and we were fortunate that after a very grey, unpromising start to the day, it ended up lovely and sunny with a cooling breeze.

For a change we were lucky at lunchtime, after mooring up we walked the short distance into the village of Marigny-le-Cahouët to find the boulangerie open!  We got there just in time as they close at 12.30 for lunch.

We arrived in Pouillenay at 4.40pm pretty tired, but we enjoyed the day.  We walked into the small village and there is a small grocers where we bought some bits and pieces.  There was a hotel and restaurant in the village but we ate on the boat.

Leaving Pont Royal, lots of space here.
The restaurant was ferme, they were on their annual holidays!

Our team of two eclusiers, ready and waiting!

Our lunchtime mooring at Marigny

A rare sight..... other boats!

Through one lock and straight into another!

Stunning scenery the whole day

Pouillenay.
We moored up on pins
We could have squeezed in on the other side on the official mooring
but we couldn't see any bollards and we were tired!

Friday 29^th August

Pouillenay to Montbard

19 locks 18km 8 hours including 1 hour for lunch

We decided that we wanted to get to Montbard for the weekend, so we did another long day today.  There were still quite a few locks, but not so many as yesterday, with longer gaps in between.   

We didn’t have such a good day today because the lock keepers were working singularly, and they weren’t so well organized.  Our 9am lock ended up being 9.20am, we met a couple boats coming up who we had to wait for; in the afternoon we had to wait 40 mins at a lock for a hotel barge to come through and then on our 3^rd from last lock, no eclusier appeared for at least 15 minutes.  She apologized when she arrived, asking us how long we had been waiting for (we said 3 days!) luckily she got the joke.  She said the young lad who worked our previous 2 locks was supposed to ring her when we went through but he didn’t.

We arrived in Montbard pretty tired but at least we were going to be in a town on a Friday, so that meant the town was going to be open!  We had a quick walk around, it’s a strange little town, but quite nice.  We went for a meal at a buzzing little restaurant called Calypso, mainly a pizzeria.  Full of locals. It was quite good, and very reasonably priced. 

We decided that we would not move tomorrow, and have a well-deserved rest.

Venarey Les Laumes
We arrived here at lunch-time.  we moored up just where a hotel barge
 was due to arrive at 3.30pm, lucky we weren't staying!

Beautiful scenery

This is the hotel barge we had to wait for,
it added 40 mins to our already slow journey

Lovely flowers in Montbard
Now thats what I call a proper hanging basket

Our mooring at Montbard, near the Locoboat hire centre.
We are watching the new holiday makers have their first lesson for our evening entertainment!