Nivernais and Friends

Les rochers du Saussois

The Nivernais was a great experience. The canal is beautiful and meanders through fantastic countryside and interesting towns. But for us, we loved the way the canal rejoins the River Yonne where it is navigable. Every so often you round a bend or come through a lock and the whole waterway opens out with weeping willows and sparkling weirs.

 

'Touring in style' - spotted in Auxerre

Matching accessories

Mal and John joined us for a week and we enjoyed a leisurely cruise from Vermenton to Clamecy. The weather was great and we stopped at Mailly-la-Ville and Châtel-Censoir, both great places to spend a night or two. 

Châtel-Censoir

Mal & John getting some exercise en route...

Many 'écluse fleurie' to be found along the canal

We were able to 'leapfrog' our car fairly easily using the local trains which meant we could visit some places further afield. Sheena and Pete on the Hotel barge, 'Elisabeth' had recommended that we visit the Saturday morning market at Toucy, the chateau building project at Guédelon and the town of Vézelay - thank you both - we all enjoyed those trips immensely.

Vézelay

Guédelon

Nick and Val joined us in Clamecy. We continued climbing towards the summit - including the long, hot, flight of locks at Sardy. Nick became pretty proficient at steering Slo-Mo into the locks (there was plenty of practise) 

Nick was pretty good operating the lifting bridges too

It's difficult to describe to people what this cruising life is like but Chris off 'Joli Roger' says it's like going through the back of the 'wardrobe' and coming out the other side - and this IS the other side. Wish we had thought of this description, it captures it exactly. Passing through the three tunnels on the final ascent to Baye epitomises this concept. 

'through the wardrobe'

The mooring alongside the Etang de Baye, although no facilities, was wonderful. We were able to watch the sailing, the birdlife and simply enjoy the wide expanse of water and countryside. We'd been looking forward to hiring a small sailing catamaran for the day but unfortunately there was no wind, so we would have been better off in a canoe - however Pete maintains that he and canoes do not mix - he always ends up inverted!

Étang de Baye

Nick and Val left us at Châtillon-en-Bazois, having first taken our car to Decize (the trains get more complicated after Clamecy). 

Between Panneçot and Cercy-la-Tour we spotted storks - they're the black and white blobs in the picture (honest).

Storks

We hadn't been that enamoured by Decize when arriving by car, but as so often is the case, arriving by boat was totally different. We moored up in the Port having 'shrunk' by just over a metre to comply with the length restrictions. 

Port Decize

It's a great mooring - an imaginatively designed complex and very friendly and well maintained. The willow tree in front of our mooring had a resident heron and a ragondin - so hours of entertainment for us. 

Pauline and Richard on Klaas Jan arrived in the marina on their way to the Nivernais - we enjoyed catching up with them and to hear about their adventures.  Richard's birthday gave us a perfect excuse to have a meal at the Port Hotel - really good. 

Klaas Jan setting off for the Nivernais

When visiting the Saturday market in Decize we noticed some further activity further along the quayside under the trees - some sort of local animal market we thought. We revised our opinion when we came across a display of 4 brand new (very expensive) BMW cars . It turned out to be the annual Decize Horse Sale - world renowned. 

Then we felt as if it were "Apocalypse Now" - we were under the flight path of the air ambulance that came into land at the nearby hospital!

Saturday Mike and Tonia arrived by train from Paris. We picked them up in Nevers - we had been planning to take Slo-Mo up to Nevers and cruise with them back to Decize but the weather had turned very wet and cold and Pauline and Richard had said that that section of the Canal Lateral à La Loire was not exactly inspiring. 

So Sunday, a trip by car to Moulins to enjoy wandering around the town and then a visit to the 'Circus Exhibition' at the Costume Museum where we also had lunch. It was brilliant - would highly recommend it. In fact any exhibition at the museum would be well worth seeing.

Glen & Mike in Moulins

The weather picked up enough for a day cruise back up the Nivernais and the next day another trip to Moulins by car, and in the evening another meal in the Port Hotel - again delicious. 

It was disappointing that we couldn't do more cruising but the time flew by.

Very grand café in Moulins

So the 'Nivernais and Friends' … we've enjoyed so much sharing our 'other side of the wardrobe' life.