The River Saône to the Canal du Centre: St-Romain-des-Iles – Tournus – Chalon-sur-Saône – Fragnes – Rully - Santenay

14 August to 23 August 2018.  55 kilometers, 13 locks.

Tuesday 14 August – St-Romain-des-Iles to Tournus. 48 kilometers, 0 locks, 5 hours 5 minutes.

See this couple's story here

There not being much to St-Romain at all,

we cycled to next-door Maison Blanche, did some shopping and, just before eleven, we departed into the wind which soon abated giving us a lovely days cruising. Strangely for this time of year, not only did we have the St-Romain pontoon to ourselves but the small ones at PK87.4 and PK90.9 (‘PK’ is used as a Kilometer Point of ‘milestone’ along a given waterway so PK90 on the Saône is ninety kilometres from Lyon where PK0 is) were empty as was the long one at Crêches-sur-Saône. And there were only two boats at the two city moorings at Macon!

Macon.

Window cleaning.

Spotted this raptor as it hit the water and then flew away with the fish.

But of course ever popular Tournus was full and once again we were fortunate that a boat was leaving as we arrived but how we managed to fit into the available space without hitting either of the two big hire boats on either side is beyond me – we appear to have come a long way since those first days in the Netherlands when I could barely steer into a 15 meter wide lock without getting the foot-tapping treatment from the Dutch boaters and having the huge lock gates closed on us before we had tied up.

At last we found a vide-grenier or attic sale where the French sell their unwanted goods to other French people who, when the vide-grenier gets to their village, sell the items on to other French people who, when the vide-grenier gets to their village, sell the items on to other French people…and so it goes. This market was being held three kilometres away in the church square at the village of Préty where we expected a dozen or so small stalls to be set up. Instead, the whole village had been cordoned off and there were dozens of tables loaded with everything imaginable – people had even set up tables in their gardens.

We did come away with a lovely salad bowl, two pictures and a mirror for the forepeak – better, Tess?

Just a small part of the vide-grenier.

Then it was back on the bikes to ville enchanté Tournus via the very pretty, rural, stone-walled village of Lacrost

 – aboard Elle we settled down for a late braai and some boat watching.

Muscling out a smaller cruise ship...

...which wisely makes way.

Thursday saw us visiting the Hotel-Dieu (literally ‘House of God’ but used to describe a hospital run by the church), began in the seventeenth century expanded in the eighteenth, and the attached museum which houses, inter alia, a number of works by the Tournugeois artist JB Greuze – all well worth the visit.

The hospital entrance.

One of the three wards.

The chapel - soul saving as well as life saving.

The apothecary.

Our last day was another lazy one with a walk through the town (twice), another visit to the fascinatingly restored Abbaye Saint Philibert.

The free serviced pontoon mooring.

The upstream 'wall' mooring for bigger boats.

St Philibert's remains.

Saturday 18 August – Tournus to Chalon-sur-Saône. 30 kilometers, 1 lock, 4 hors 30 minutes.

Despite there being a big market on Saturday mornings, we stuck to our plans and, well before sunrise, with navigation and saloon lights shining brightly, we set off for Chalon-sur-Saône.

Sparrows.

Amazed to see this little antelope trying to swim across the wide Saone.

Our mid-morning arrival found plenty of space at the port and the bikes were leisurely unloaded, the Action bargain store and Carrefour lightening our wallets before we had found our way into town where we strolled the streets, strangely quiet something possibly due to it being August and many shops sporting bits of paper announcing ‘En congé’ – on leave.

Entrance to the port at Chalon.

But we did enjoy watching the new-look Springboks giving the Argentinians a hiding. Despite political interference in team selection it looks like Rassie Erasmus might be building a team of promise.

Sunday 19 August – Chalon-sur-Saône to Fragnes. 9 kilometers, 1 lock, 1 hour 25 minutes.

One night was enough at the €24 port

Industrial tapestry.

and exactly at lock opening time on Sunday morning we arrived at the first of the Canal du Centre locks, rising the ten meters

to be met by the lockkeeper who informed us that lock number twenty five was ‘en panne’ – out of order. We would be notified when it had been repaired, “Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. Who knows”. Not a problem for us as we had planned to have Sunday lunch at the tiny restaurant about a kilometre downstream of Fragnes and chill the afternoon away. But it is August isn’t it? And the restaurant was ‘en congé’ wasn’t it, as was the one at the port itself. But we had provisioned up at the huge Intermarche and Lynn presented a delicious moules marinieres dish which we enjoyed with a fresh baguette from the port-based boulangerie.

Star chef!

Monday was a lazy day which ended with the news that the lock had been repaired and us having englishpersons Andrew and Debbie from widebeam narrowboat Nounou aboard for drinks.

Tuesday 21 August – Fragnes to Rully. 9 kilometers, 8 locks, 2 hours 35 minutes.

We are now firmly back in lock-filled canal country but rather than making long days followed by long stops we aim to break the way ahead into smaller chunks with shorter stays especially at places we have visited before.

Having checked with the small, luxury hotel boat Finesse, skippered by a Guadeloupian gentleman with a broad Caribbean accent, that they would not be leaving early, we departed Fragnes on another baking hot morning setting off upstream

Sister ship to Finesse.

These guys managed a serious muddle as we were exiting the lock.

Splashy lock!

and arriving at Rully where the lady lockie insisted that we had booked passage through the Rully lock (and beyond?) which we had not. And as there was a space at the small quay we were not going anywhere. Phone calls to her boss ended with her abrupt departure, the lock doors being closed and the double red lights coming on (lock out of order) – what had we done wrong!

Anyway, about an hour later all was back in order and we waved at Nounou as they passed us heading for Santenay.

Hello again.

Don't let the lock eat you....

Unfortunately they ran aground at PK21 between Remigny and Santenay and had to endure a couple of anxious hours before a commercial barge pulled them off the pile of gravel which seems to have been dumped into the canal some three meters from the side reducing depth from two meters to about fifteen centimeters.

It was simply too hot to go into the kilometre-away village but late into the afternoon we walked across the bridge

to a ‘cave’ which was selling wines from one of the regional co-operatives and which resulted in our wallets again being hijacked – but the wines from this area are fabulous albeit very expensive.

Expensive wine and a bottle of regional rum.

And later we were joined on the opposite bank by Finesse.

Wednesday 22 August – Rully to Santenay. 7.5 kilometers, 3 locks, 1 hour 55 minutes.

Just after sunrise I rode into the village of Rully which is a visual delight; had we known it was so pretty we would definitely have made more of an effort to have explored it despite the heat.

Chateau Rully.

Half past eight sees a VNF van pull up next to us and the gentleman asks that we confirm our departure for that day. Our planned nine o’clock lock entry is a problem as Finesse had also planned to depart at the same time which would put us behind her dreadfully slow progress upstream. Without much hope we ask Mr VNF if we could leave right away as the lock was open and the green light was burning and to our amazed delight he says “ten minutes” – bye-bye Finesse, maybe we’ll see you in St Léger.

This part of the canal is lovely with the valley dropping down on our right and vine-covered hills rising to our left

To bend this steel grating someone must have hit the door hard.

Chagny at the end of the tree tunnel.

Remigny.

and in no time we are passing through the sterile port of Chagny, past the site of Nounou’s misadventure and arriving at the small quay at Santenay, deserted last year but packed this time. Fortunately, we are informed by an American skippered cruiser that they would be leaving shortly; the barge behind them was also leaving so twenty minutes later, with one line around a small bollard and the others fastened to pins, we were comfortably ensconced in the shade.

Bikes off and into town we rode, stopping at the small Proxi for something to braai for lunch – both the boulangerie and the butcher are ‘en congé’ but nothing to worry about as the weekly market is being held in the town square the next day.

Town square.

Plenty of places to taste wine.

Minute steaks, pan fried for lunch, an afternoon snooze and the sun eventually makes it way across the canal, catching the opposite trees and covering us in most welcome shade.

The shade is coming.

We are back to back with New Zealanders David and Sue aboard Akarua and sundowner chat is passed between our respective vessels until quite late.

David and Sue.

The morning market the next day was a disaster especially as we had invited David and Sue for a chicken curry lunch and chicken and veggies were needed; three stalls only, one selling Murano glass jewellery, one selling fish and the last selling honey! The butcher had re-opened but he only had pork and a roll of beef so pork curry it was and the Proxi had a decent range of vegetables, thank goodness.

Lynn cooked a blinder of a curry and over a couple of varietals we swopped stories, laughed and had a most enjoyable luncheon.

The River Saône: Lyon - PK35 (Anse) – Montmerle-sur-Saône - St-Romain-des-Iles

10 August to 13 August 2018. 66 kilometers, 2 locks (bliss!).

Friday 10 August – Lyon to PK35 (near Anse/St Bernard). 34 kilometers, 1 lock, 4 hours (cruising time).

Cruising ‘back’ along previously traveled waters has some ambivalence; on the one hand one has seen all the sights and on the other, one can spend more time examining places which might have been bypassed too quickly.

An eight thirty departure saw us closely followed by a Danish flagged cruiser and then overtaken by an Australian flagged one, both of which had been opposite us in the Lyon port.

Beautiful Lyon.

The Courts of Appeal.

Paddle driven!

Our plan had been to spend a night at Fontaines-sur-Saône, a night at Neuville-sur-Saone, and then two nights at Trévaux. Arriving at Fontaines we notice that the mooring is at a busy bridge and that the town seems relatively ‘sixties’ with lots of small blocks of flats. And then reference to the DBA guide for Neuville gives us “This is also a hang out at night for various youths, while we had no trouble with them, it was not pleasant. I would avoid this place unless really stuck.” so we move on to Trévaux where we plan to spend at least one night.

Trevaux

On arrival we notice a sign on the gate giving mooring costs – this sign was most definitely not there on our last visit and, at a cost of €15 for our sized boat which includes electricity and water which we do not need, we have lunch and move on a couple of kilometres upstream,

and on to PK35 where there is a good pontoon with no facilities between (as looked at from Google Earth) the unremarkable towns of Anse and St Bernard.

Saturday 11 August - PK35 to Montmerele-sur-Saône. 17 kilometers, 0 locks, 2 hours 20 minutes.

Leaving PK35 in the distance.

Another very relaxing cruise,

Interesting roof.

on the way passing the very pleasant looking Jassans-Riottier port where long time blogger Aurigny is spotted,

Barge Aurigny on right.

sees us arrive at the choc-a-block pontoon as the Aussie cruiser from Lyon is departing its very cramped berth; as they were one meter shorter than us we had doubts that we could squeeze in but we also had a backstop – another Australian yacht at the downstream end of the pontoon had said that they would be leaving shortly albeit their space was hardly bigger than the recently vacated one. But we just squeezed in with less than thirty centimeters space fore and aft.

Pic taken after the boat behind had moved back a meter - after we had tied up.

Montmerle is an energetic and organised little town

Town Hall on right.

Tourist office.

The main road.

with a free sundowner music show every Saturday evening in July and August

One Chris Evans doing a two hour Johnny Hallyday routine. The crowd were bopping away!

Some of the crowd.

Even the Harley mob were there.

and a small market every Friday and Sunday morning – arriving on a Saturday morning and leaving on a Monday gave us the best of both worlds.

Lynn in the charcuterie.

The endless queue at the boulangerie.

The small 11^th century church, Notre Dame de Montmerle (called The Chapel of Minimes) and adjacent tower are open on Sundays between 16h00 and 19h00 so we offed the bikes, rode/pushed them up the hill, walked the last two hundred meters to the church which was a welcome relief from the heat, then proceeded further up the hill to the door into the tower – locked! So it was back down the incline and, passing through the church, we noticed an ill-lit passage and steps ascending. That’s how you get to the top of the tower but by now we had had enough so it was downhill to the bikes and downhill to the quayside where thankfully a small ice-cream stand had appeared; both the cactus and lemon sorbets were delicious!

And that was the end of our visit to Montmerle-sur-Saône.

Monday 13 August – Montmerle-sur-Saône to St-Romain-des-Iles. 15 kilometers, 1 lock, 1 hour 45 minutes.

We have been troubled with a leaking rubber boot on the cooling system; this goes back to last year but it had become bad and despite my sweatiest efforts the problem would not resolve itself. In Lyon I again stripped all the component parts apart, showered myself in coolant and blood, adjusted both caps at each end of the cooling core, put the whole lot back together again and now, after sixty six kilometres of cruising, we have not had a drop in the bilges! Hallelujah!

The weather report for today was for a storm to hit soon after midnight and then to blow and rain hard until eleven when it would start abating, so we decided that we would leave at eleven. And blow it did, raising me in the middle of the night to check that all was in order – half meter high waves with white-horses! At sunrise there was barely a ripple on the river and although it had rained during the night the decks were almost dry so, with glowering clouds and humid air we set off upstream,

tying up on a small pontoon at St-Romain-des-Iles, right outside the Restaurant du Pont – free mooring if you eat there, ten Euros if you don’t (this includes water and electricity).

Restaurant behind miniature Lynn.

So we had lunch there. Grenouilles Fraiche de Crème pour madame, de Persillee pour moi (fresh frogs [not frogs legs, whole frogs] – absolutely superb! The gentleman and lady at the table next to us are from Lyon and they drive the fifty or so kilometres to the restaurant once a week to enjoy its offerings and Monsieur is adamant that the frogs here are the best in the region if not in the whole of France). And, most unusually for a Monday, the large restaurant was packed – we had booked on arrival at the port – and most patrons were enjoying either fresh frog or fresh whitebait, another house specialty.

Pretty garden outside the restaurant.

There are some who say that this looks disgusting but we don't comment on their
preference for guinea pig, bat, dog, snake or scorpion fish, do we?
These other options worldwide might be yummy too!

PS: Can anyone give us a compelling reason to stop off and visit Mâcon – all research says that there is just about nothing of much interest there?