Avignon to Port l’Ardoise – 30 km

To start the show rolling, here are  the shots taken on the iPhone from the papal gardens, which we failed to upload last night. It took quite a while to figure out the technology, but we finally managed it. 

We spent a peaceful night rafted up to Rickwayne, and disentangled ourselves this morning without difficulty. 

After taking on 106 litres of diesel, and bidding fond farewell to Pat and Norman, off we set, with a last look up to the papal gardens from the river.

We reached the first lock behind a Dutch and a German boat, which meant there was no space for us to tie up on the waiting pontoon. But with no wind this morning, sitting and waiting midstream for half an hour was not a problem – at least until the cruise boat Van Gogh arrived. We checked the internet and found that she is “only” 110 metres long, whereas the lock is 190, so there would be room for us behind. She had only 20 cm to spare on each side, though.

We came out of the lock last and proceeded at a stately, and economical, pace, while the others disappeared round the next bend in the river. Our lunch stop was on a stone quay at Roquemaure, opposite the Chateau d’Hers, which we had photographed copiously on our way down. After a while, the Dutch family who were moored behind us in Avignon also arrived, and several of the girls on board immediately jumped into the river, with their dog, for a swim. The Frenchman who was already there did not look entirely approving, nor did his dog, and proceeded to light his barbecue for lunch.

There are also the remains of a 12^th century castle at Roquemaure. The day was warming up, so we didn’t walk over for a closer look. Unfortunately the view from the boat when we left was obstructed by one of the 300 cruise boats plying their trade on the French rivers.  

It seemed to be a day for castles: here is yet another, Montfaucon, just before we turned off onto a branch of the old Rhône to find the Port de l’Ardoise, where we are comfortably installed. In fact, so comfortably, that we also had a swim shortly after arriving: no pix of that!

The reason for stopping fairly early in the day, mid-afternoon, is that it is about 55 km and two locks from here to the next port, Viviers, and we didn’t see the point in busting a gut to get there this evening. It will be a comfortable day trip tomorrow – we hope.