Montbard to Pouillenay, Locks 64-46
Once again two for the price of one, but really yesterday fell into the category of Not Much Happened, so it seemed a good idea to skip a day. The first thing to report was the spectacular sunset at Ravieres, after we had posted. We sat out on the aft deck and admired:
Travelling was not too easy yesterday, since this time we were the first of three boats in the locks, the others being hire boats and sometimes not wholly under control. But nothing untoward resulted, and one of them dropped out at lunchtime. We found a good mooring in the small marina at Montbard, next to another happy quartet of New Zealanders who had just arrived to start a week-long cruise in the other direction on a rather smart hire boat. Montbard also boasts a Casino supermarket within walking distance, so we replenished supplies. Storage on board is not extensive so we have to shop quite often.
We set off alone in the locks this morning, and did well with some enthusiastic young lock-keepers, zipping back and forth on their scooters. Towards the end of the day, the locks were coming thick and fast, but before then we managed to enjoy the landscape and the agriculture.
We passed through some pretty villages, though the rain was incessant all morning. This, seen through the murk, is Courcelles:
We are climbing all the time, and will eventually reach 378 metres, or more than 1,000 feet. Apparently this is the highest of any canal in France. The landscape has a more upland feel to it now:
The chart shows that we are moving into ladders of locks:
We reached Pouillenay in mid-afternoon, but our accompanying youngsters had to head back the other way to look after other boats. And, in fact, we are quite comfortable here:
We have just been visited by the lock-keeper who will be accompanying us tomorrow, and he says we should make it to Pont Royal by evening. That would be 32 locks and 17 kilometres: quite a marathon!
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