Canal Des Vosges: PK115 to Fontenoy-le-Chateau.

5 to 8 June 2017

11.4 kilometers, 10 locks.

Monday 5 June: PK115 to Amarrage de Coney (PK119.4) – 4 locks, 4.4 kilometers.

We thought that we would visit the Roman Baths in Bains les Bains so it was up lines for the short cruise to PK119.4 where there is a delightful mooring with water,

It's one of 'those' water arrangements.

close to the nearby Auberge Du Coney.

With rainy, windy weather about, reading away the day seemed a good idea until the call of the still un-christened boules became too much and we finally had our game of petanque on the clay roadway adjacent to the mooring.

Tuesday, the bikes unloaded and off we went to Bains les Baines, eventually finding a sparsely populated little town with a somewhat unfriendly tourist office and a building which seemed to house the Baths but which was locked with no sign that it was open to the public. So, after visiting the pretty church,

we rode back to Elle, passing the apparently highly rated but almost deserted Manufacture Royale  or Royal Tin Manufacturer,

Erected in 1733 - 2/3rds of France's tin was manufactured here.

and had a most enjoyable lunch at the auberge.

Wednesday 7 June: Amarrage de Coney to Fontenoy-le-Chateau: 6 kilometers, 6 locks.

In beautiful warm weather we relaxed over the short distance to Fontenoy where there was space a plenty on the long visitors quay so we nestled in behind Pferdinand (an ex-hireboat from the Khunle Tours fleet – not very pretty but immensely functional) and next to the row of Le Boat cruisers.

Looking downstream

The port from the bridge.

After having confirmed with the young lady receptionist that our choice of berth was not in anyone’s way I returned to the boat for a shower while Lynn went back to the reception to pay for our two nights mooring to be met by a sullen, non-English speaking male employee who took the money without even a greeting. Later, when Lynn went back to enquire whether there was a washing machine, she got a curt “Non’ despite there being one whirling away in the background.

A Dutch Canadian lady who was in reception recommended the plat at the hotel where she and her husband were staying while waiting for their newly acquired, ex-Le Boat cruiser, which was being refurbished. We had also had the restaurant at the town of Selles recommended but a Google search showed that the menu of the latter was none too interesting

so we decided to stay an extra day and have lunch at Fontenoy’s Le Moulin Cotant on Saturday.

Thursday was an absolute peach of a day so bikes were unloaded and a tour of the town undertaken.

The bridge from the port to the town over the river Coney

The river Coney, a tributary of the Saone, which flows into the Med

Not working and prices shown in Francs

A town of quotations - all over the place!

First it was up to the 15^thC ‘flamboyant Gothic’ church (sadly the lacework and metal museum was closed),

Mairie left and lace museum right.

Is there something Masonic in this window?

Then on to the ruins of the chateau, once the seat of the Lords of Fontenoy who were also the Counts of Toul. The tower was built around 980 by the Bishops of Toul to control the route between Burgundy and Lorraine. Militarily destroyed during the Thirty Years War, much of the remaining stonework was sold by Revolutionaries. Today, an association ‘Les Amis de Vieux Fontenoy’ is working on restoring the Tower.

Restoration works.

Then through the town to the next village of Le Magny

Rangali locking through at Le Magny

where we crossed the canal and river and cycled back into Fontenoy

and then into the countryside

A fine specimen.

before returning to Elle for lunch

Rangali arriving at the port.

and an early evening game of petanque. In front of us was a small Dutch cruiser Magaret-Christine and we got chatting to the owners. He and his dad built the boat forty-six years ago and they have been cruising her ever since!

A lovely small town with many hidden delights but unfortunately the attitude of the Le Boat hombre so irritated us that we decided to leave a day early…pity.

A view to die for.

Canal Des Vosges: Epinal to Girancourt to PK115 – Some ‘wild’ mooring.

Saturday 3 June to Sunday 4 June 2017.

35.4kms, 40 locks, 1 swing bridge, 2 days!

Saturday 3 June: Epinal to Girancourt – 18 kilometers, 16 locks, 5 hours 25 minutes.

At eight fifteen we cast off, beating an anxious looking Swiss couple on Adele.O to the draw by a few minutes, meandered up to the junction of the two canals only to find another cruiser waiting for the first lock to open – they had obviously spent the night there hoping for a solo lock-through. Twenty minutes later the lights came on and with Bison Firet (?) leading the way we entered the first lock with them tying a single line to the second last from front bollard and being severely bashed around by the inrush of water despite her being on the throttle.

The next lock (lucky number 13) opened, we entered, the doors closed – not! So up the ladder went our travel companion, words were said over the intercom, and with a smile he informed us that il arrive (‘he is coming’). Twenty minutes later the doors finally closed and poor Bison Firet (?) once again smashed her bow into the wall – this happened for two more locks, with even their protruding bicycle handlebars taking some punishment, until we suggested that they move one bollard backwards, as we would, tie up fore and aft, and do the lock activation control. For some reason he was none too happy with this but agreed and for the next fifteen or so locks we heard no more metal abuse.

Hanging on for dear life

Three hours after the locks opened we arrived at Girancourt, a most nondescript place but with a long quay with plentiful bollards and rings.

A new quay on the way

Pretty churches

Winding waterways.

Magnificent stonework!

Girancourt quay with Adele O and a storm ahead.

And it poured with rain the whole night.

Sunday 4 June: Girancourt to PK115 – 17.4 kilometers, 22 locks, 1 swing bridge. 7 hours including delays.

First to start again the next morning we arrive at lock ‘Girancourt 2’, activate the remote and nothing… Lynn walks to the control hut, chats to the VNF man who arrives twenty minutes later, inspects, resets, inspects, resets and finally the doors open and we are on our way.

This section of the canal is quite arduous mainly because 20 of the 22 locks were ‘against’ us meaning that we had to wait for them to fill before we could enter. From the time we activate the remote to the time lock has filled and the green ‘enter’ light goes on takes about six minutes so over the day we spent two hours at idle waiting for locks to fill – talk about watching paint dry! As a matter of interest, it takes about two minutes for us to enter the lock, secure two lines around bollards and to activate the ‘empty’ cycle which in turn takes six minutes until the lock doors are fully opened and we can exit, so each lock was a fifteen minute process, and coming at less than a kilometre apart you can’t do much more than drive and prepare, drive and prepare. Quite arduous as I said but at least the weather was lovely.

Prettiest boat on the waterway - flower and music note bedecked.

This lock...

...let in almost as much water as it let out.

One of many walled up lock-keepers cottages

The foreboding mooring at Thunimont

Manually operated swing bridge.

The small picnic mooring at PK115 is delightful and we had it all to ourselves so a braai and a couple of glasses of wine saw us in bed and asleep very early.

Happiness is a peaceful and deserted mooring.