Guny to Pinon/Pinon to Berry-au-Bac

From Guny we moved onto Pinon, only around 15km only 3 locks.

This was a great mooring as we were about 100m from a Carrefour supermarket, we were able to do ur shopping and use the supermarket trolley to bring back our shopping and Kev went back with the trolley to the fuel station to buy 40 litres of diesel.

Pinon

We thought he had decided he couldn't make the bridge, he had his wheelhouse down so we thought maybe he was too high as he was empty, what he actually was doing was looking to see if there was a mooring after the bridge, there wasn't so he moored opposite and then he and his wife went shopping at Carrefour!

Tuesday 6th August

We left Pinon to make our way to the end of the Canal de l”Oisne al’Aisne and then to see how far we could get.  We ended up at Berry-au-Bac along a shortish section of the Canal lateral a l”Aisne where our next canal starts.

We enjoyed the locks on Canal de l”Oisne al’Aisne, they seemed very new, all automatic, all worked perfectly and the up and down locks were all very gentle filling and emptying.  We went through the Braye Tunnel, which you do under your own steam, takes about 30 mins.

We are now at a peaceful mooring at Berry-au-Bac, we went for a short walk to look at the next lock we have to do, they look fine, not too big.  We came across a roadside vending van selling spit roast Chicken and potatoes, we bought some for our dinner.  We have often seen these at markets in France but we’ve never been in the right situation to buy ourselves a chicken, they smell fantastic.  So this was our first one and it tasted a good as it smelt.

We are moored with the guys we saw at Guny, a couple from Geneva and their barge is enormous the same size at the commercial peniches.  His wife is tiny and manages these enormous ropes, he is a very happy, gregarious man, good fun.  They are going the same way as us for the next couple of days so I am sure we will see them again.

As I am doing the blog we heard a big splosh in the water, so Kev has got his fishing rod out again…..I wonder if it will be fish for supper tomorrow?!!

This was the barge we were being towed behind at Requevil tunnel, he recognised us
He is now full, when we were towed by him he was empty, I wonder what his cargo is?

Entrance to Braye Tunnel

This was a nice and easy tunnel

I have done some driving, but not much!

Our mooring at Berry-au-Bac