Nevers to the beginning of Canal du Nivernais

Friday 6^th and Saturday 7^th September

Nevers

We stayed put at Nevers for Friday and Saturday.  We were going to leave Saturday but we woke up to heavy rain.  We met up with Marcia and Charlie from Amarok Friday and Saturday evening, they are such great company.  We look forward to seeing them on our travels up the Nivernais and at Auxerre.

Sunday 8^th September

Nevers to Fleury-sur-Loire

23km 5 locks

We had a good journey to Fleury, and it’s always nice to be able to moor up where you planned.  We got to lock 18 at Fleury at 12.30 so we knew the lock keeper would be on his lunch.  The lock gates were open, and we have often been told that we can moor up inside the locks at lunchtime, (plus there were no bollards or pontoon to moor up to prior to the lock), so we slowly entered the lock.  There was quite a flow of water coming through the end gates and after I had managed to throw the rope over the bollard, Kev put it into gentle reverse to stop, but we carried on moving….quite fast….so he had to really go into hard reverse to stop.  There was a sluice gate open on one of the forward gates and this was causing a back wash that was dragging us in.  We managed to tie up but you could really feel the pull of the water.  A lesson we have learnt to watch out for sluice gates that are open, and not to go too far forward.

A great mooring at Fleury-sur-Loire

We were on our own for most of the afternoon, and one other boat joined us early evening
I am sure its busy in high season

The mooring at Fleury-sur-Loire was lovely, really quiet, but nothing there at the village.  There is a small restaurant at the canal side, it looked more like a café.  They were closed Sunday evening.  Kev was really pleased that we moored up just as the Italian Grand Prix was starting, so we settled down to watch that for the afternoon. 

We paid 5 euros for water and electric, so we did a few loads of washing and drying and the dishwasher to get our moneys worth.

Monday 9^th September

Fleury-sur-Loire to St Leger-des-Vignes The beginning of the Canal du Nivernais

We set off at 8.30am to be at the next lock in time for 9am.  This we did and the lock keeper had just arrived to start his day.  We had a great trip to Decize, where we entered two automatic locks that took us onto the Loire for a short section.  The second lock that goes into the Loire has fixed poles for your ropes, which was great as it was quite deep and no way could you throw a rope over the bollards. 

We decided not to moor at Decize but to go through the first lock on the Nivernais and we moored up just before the second lock at a great mooring.  Why is it great?  There is a Carrefour supermarket exactly by our mooring, so perfect for us to be able to stock up on heavy items, and Kev filled up two jerry cans with Diesel, so we are almost full again. 

When we moored up there was an English wide beam boat at the mooring, and Terry the skipper was really helpful in telling us about all the best places to moor up on the Nivernais canal.

We rode our bikes back to Decize and had a very average lunch, the town is closed as its Monday. We did think we’d stay here two nights but there isn’t that much here so I think we will move on in the morning.

Slidey pole makes it easy in the second Loire Lock

Useful sign in the second lock shows where the Nivernais Canal is off the Loire

The lock gates are see through so it makes it much more pleasant 

Nice to be on the river for a short stretch

A good  mooring on the Loire if you wanted an easy one for Decize just after the bridge

Nice to see the Herons are following us up the NIvernais

Our mooring at St Leger-des-Vignes just a short cycle ride to Decize and two steps from a Carrefour supermarket

Decize Town centre

Old Town Moorings on the left, we are glad we didn't risk going up the river as it could be shallow

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.

Canal Lateral a la Loire continued....

Friday 30^th August

Chatillon-sur-Loire to Bannay

33km and 5 locks

Last evening we went for another walk around Chatillon and realised we’d missed a big chunk of the small town out on our first walk around but we'd been primarily looking for somewhere for lunch it was understandable!  So last night we walked up to the old church and the buildings around it were amazing, so old and rickety, but many of them had been done up so although they were all mismatched, and higgledy piggetty, they looked fantastic.  I wish I’d taken my camera with me.  Its well worth a stopover at this lovely town, the moorings are great and the restaurant Le Vieux Port is certainly is worth a visit.  Lunch maybe better than dinner as it was closing pretty early when we walked past at around 8.30pm but it was really busy at lunchtime.

We left Chatillon around 9.30am this morning and had a great trip to Bannay.  There are lots of great moorings along the way, it seems very much set up for the hire boats and we’ve seen quite a few of those today. 

A Piper barge (sister to a boat called Dorchester that is kept on The Thames) 

We bought a bottle of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume from the lock keeper
at Lock 36 Les Houards.  The Sancerre was good, yet to try the Pouilly

Unusual church at Bannay

Just an ok mooring at Bannay

Saturday 31^st August

Bannay to Menetreol-sous-Sancerre 8km no locks  (we are really slowing down now, very relaxing)

As we've been to Sancerre quite a few times we didn't feel the need to go again.  So we went a short trip to Menetreol-sous-Sancerre and stopped at a lovely mooring right in front of a restaurant where we had lunch and dinner!!  The boulangerie is closed for holidays!

A good mooring at Menetreol-sous-Sancerre, sloping sides though

Sunday 1st September

Menetreol-sous-Sancerre to Herry 14km 3 locks

In the morning we walked a short distance from our mooring in Menetreol-sous-Sancerre to a local wine producer in the town, and purchased 12 bottles of Sancerre after a tasting, (only small sips, as it was only 9.30am and we’d not yet had breakfast!) 

Ringing bell at wine producer at Menetreol-sous-Sancerre, not a word of english spoken
but we came away with some very nice bottles of Sancerre around 7 euros each

We went back to the restaurant in the town for coffee and a croissant, and then went on our way.  The first lock was 1km away and we had to wait 40 mins as the lock keeper wasn’t there.  He left a phone number, which we rang to let him know we were waiting, he has to look after three locks so is a busy man.  A Norwegian boat turned up that we’d met in Nemours and we shared the next three locks with them.

We have moored at Herry, in the guidebook it says it has a restaurant (closed and up for sale) a boulangerie (closed on holiday!) there is a small 1 pump petrol station (closed today as its Sunday!) so we are having a quiet afternoon/evening on the boat. 

We'd only gone 1km and we had to wait for lock,
you can see Sancerre behind up on the hill

Sharing the lock with the Norwegian boat, quite a tight fit
Its lunch time so we are waiting for 1pm for the lock keeper to return

Herry- This was on a Sunday evening, it looks like Monday is a collection day for household rubbish.
There were lots of people driving around the town stopping at all the different piles of clutter around the village
taking what they deemed worth saving.

Monday 2^nd September

Herry to La Chapelle-Montlinard 6km 1 lock

We are really slowing down now, only 6 km today!  We moored up and took our bikes into La Charite-sur-Loire, as its Monday, most of the shops were closed but we enjoyed looking around the town, we’ve been here before, it’s a lovley old town, very old church over 900 years old.  It’s a beautiful sunny day, we have come back to our mooring after a nice lunch in town to sit and read and fish.  Kev has caught a catfish already, so he’s happy.

The moorings here are ok, nice and close to the town, only 2.5km.  There were two moorings with facilities, but we have just moored up on the bank as we don’t need water or electric, so it’s a free mooring.

La Charite-sur-Loire

La Charite-sur-Loire

Notre Dame Basilica at Charite-sur-Loire

Notre Dame Basilica

Old Bridge over Loire to Charite-sur-Loire
1520-1535

Our mooring at La Chapelle-Montinard
A short bike ride into Charite-sur-Loire