Julian Winterising Quercy

Quercy sitting on mud at Marigny-sur-Yonne, next to Mornington Croissant!

Julian has made the trip by train to Burgundy to winterise the boat.  He took a tarpauline to put over the wheelhouse.  When he got there he fixed the a faulty pump by removing the built in fridge freezer and clearing out 6 years of gunge from around the filling hole of the grey water tank (after that is worked perfectly)  He then removed the starter motor ready for that to go and be repaired (that broke last time we were there, resulting in us being stuck in a lock and having to pull ourselves out amongst other things)  Then the central heating system packed up.  So having a barge is not all plain sailing!  Julian has also developed  bad cold en-route, so he has had to deal with this in between coughing and sneezing.  Meanwhile back in England, I developed a bad case of food poisoning whilst in Corfe Mullen with our friends Liz and Steve, who were quite worried and brilliant nurses.  Back home now with Tigger who was VERY pleased to see me.

Tarpaulin over Quercy

The lifting bridges of the Nivernais and general cruising the Nivernais

Whenever I see one of the lifting bridges on the Nivernais, I always think of the film 'The bridges of Maddison County' which is illogical as they look totally different, the Maddison County ones do not lift but are covered, and Julian and I are certainly no Meryl Streep or Clint Eastwood - he hasn't got enough hair!

Me manually lifting a bridge as the hydraulic controls were not working

Burgundy countryside near Marigny sur Yonne where we have left our boat for the winter

House with interesting shaped roof just up the road from where Quercy is moored for Winter

This is what our navigation charts look like

The beautiful Chateau Faulin by Lucy sur Yonne.  Not open during our time there unfortunately.

A picturesque lock and lock keepers cottage + cat.  Two lovely 'tortoise shell' collies not in photo.

Viewed from the other way

Clamecy

Top of Roches de Basseville near Clamecy with rock climber almost at the top on left.  Fortified farm below in valley beyond canal.

Clamecy one of the backwater canals and sluice

Clamecy is another of those medium sized French towns that thrived in a previous era, grew to a substantial size and then it's population began to contract.  That said if you squint and look at some of the bridges and waterways that surround and bisect the town (and ignore the dead flower troughs, dilapidated houses and plastic bottles and beer cans in the water), you could almost be in Venice on a quiet day - very quiet.

Quercy right, Luciole left

We are arrived here yesterday (Saturday) and found 3 lovely hotel barges, Luciole, Elizabeth II and Randle awaiting guests.  They don't hang around for long, even though this is the most substantial and historic town for a good many miles and certainly until you get to Auxerre. Elizabeth looked splendid as she departed this morning with their 6 American guests (all guests on hotel barges are American)  They arrived from Paris around 6pm yesterday, when after a sunny week it unfortunately decided to rain.  Not good when you have paid over $???? dollars per person for a 6 day cruise.  Anyhow they soon cracked out the champers and stood around chatting with the crew Peter and Sheena and their helpers under the graceful awning that Elizabeth has instead of a wheelhouse. A bit later we saw 4 guests brave a walk around Clamecy.  It was they only chance they would have to see it as at 8.30am this morning Elizabeth slipped her moorings and they were off.  At about the same time I noticed the owner of Randle arrive with a large bunch of flowers which were soon arranged in his wheelhouse - that was the clue that he had passengers this week too.  By the time we returned from our bike ride today Randle had disappeared.

Clamecy lock and swing bridge with Quercy in background

That left just Luciole whose crew had a night off last night and the boat to themselves (although I'm sure they had had a busy day preparing for their guests).  We can now see the 12 guests seated around the dining table and they will no doubt be keeping the 6 crew busy.  All the hotel barges, except Randle, will be headed north up towards Auxerre - only Randle is small enough to cruise further down the Nivernais canal (where we are headed) the locks become smaller and narrower and the bridges lower.

Quercy provided an attractive backdrop as the only other traditional 'barge' shaped boat in the slightly shabby (not chic) port area, surrounded by the ultra modern sleek plastic 'le boat' rental cruisers who were either moored beside us, or who toed and froed through the lock and swing bridge, with varying degrees of driving accuracy (I can talk!)

We have had a delightful cycle ride today back along the stretch of canal we passed through yesterday which is very attractive.  We walked up to Les Roches de Basseville from where there are spectacular views over the valley to the wooded hills beyond and to the canal beside which is a beautiful and impressive fortified farm near Pousseaux.

Fortified Farm Pousseaux

The cliffs themselves where extremely interesting shapes. A man and a bird.

Roches de Basseville

Roches de Basseville

A pilgrimage to Arcy-Sur-Cure

We set out for our 'pilgrimage' after seeing a fine view of a hot air balloon at 8am in the morning hanging low over the canal at Mailley le Ville

I've been a bit obsessed by reading books about walking recently.  It started off with Patrick Leigh Fermors travel writing (wow!) then of course I had to read the follow up 80 years after of the epic walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople by Nick Somebodyorother.  I've so far managed to avoid Robert Mc Farlaine's books as they are about UK walking and I always feel I want something a little more exotic. I've read a few about the walks to Santiago de la Compostella, prompted by our visits to Northern Spains Paradors a few years ago and just now I am reading a book about a man on a lesser known route from Canterbury to Rome.

Hand

Anyhow, in a small way, I wanted to do a longish walk through some of these empty Burgundy hills following the course of the River Cure. We set of by bike to the village of Sery on the banks of the Nivernais Canal, parked and chained the bikes by the church and followed the 'Voie Anciene de Aggrippa' a straight (ish) path through woods and fields to the Village of Arcy sure Cure and from there to the Grottes d'Arcy, where I had heard there were cave paintings that were 28 000 years old.

Elephant

It took us most of the day about 18km in all, with a few set backs when we tried a short cut to caves and found ourselves on a cliff!  In Arcy sur Cure we had views of two splendid chateaux. One with crumbling medieval vine covered turrets set back on a wooded hill, the other a Renaissance building behind high walls at the edge of the village. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my phone so no photos.

Thankfully we had taken a picnic as, of course, there were no shops or cafes open en-route.  Even the caves only had a few cans of fizzy drinks at the back of a fridge (we bought the last bottle of Badoit) horror of horrors no tea! not even herbal, and only Expresso coffee in egg cup sized plastic cups!

Lovely countryside 

The tour guide at the caves was a young girl, absolutely lovely, very enthusiastic and she spoke so fast that I did not understand a single word.  Like most French tour guides, she went on a bit longer that necessary.  Very kindly she flung in a few words of English after every 15 minutes or so of furiously fast French. Julian did not hear the English either, so he had it third hand whispered loudly in his ear by me, and no doubt most of the salient facts were lost in translation.  A lovely spot, great walk, feet tired by the end.



Arcy-sur-Cure, remains of château de la Cobarde followed by Chastenay Château in the village

Cyclamen at Chateau de Sainte Pallaye

Yesterday at we came across an extraordinary sight.  Well it is perhaps only extraordinary if you are a gardener or flower admirer.

Our first sight from tow path near railway lone.  The smell was quite sickly and very powerful.

quote from internet:

'Château de Sainte Pallaye
It was built in the 18th century by the Lacurne brothers and is a listed building. The garden was created in

1740 by Polet, from drawings by Lenôtre. The Château is privately owned; no visits allowed. 
In spring, you can admire the carpet of wild cyclamens that adorn the castle entrance. '
(they were actually flowering in late September!)

Chateau in the background

Filling up water tanks ready to leave Vermenton

Mooring at Vermenton

Vermenton

Quercy at Vermenton Port

Everything anyone ever told me about Vermenton was a bit negative.  It was in the middle of nowhere, it had a main road bisecting it and there was 'nothing' there.  I didn't mention any of this to Julian as he was keen to take this little detour off the Nivernais canal.  The Vermenton canal is just a few km long with 2 locks, and the banks are studded with walnut trees, which if you are passing at the end September, is the time that the walnuts fall to the ground.  If you are lucky and no one else has got there first you can hunt for and harvest these russet coloured nuggets.

At Vermenton, the River Cure becomes non navigable upstream. Just downstream from here the Cure flows into the Yonne making it a very sizeable river.

Our view from boat in the port looking back at canal the way we came.

We arrived with a rather acrid taste at the back of our throats yesterday afternoon as a result of engine fumes! This doesn't normally happen after a days cruising, but it does occur if you leave your engine on in the locks (or worse, have to suffer someone elses engine!)

Park near the port

The problem yesterday was that as we were all ready to follow another boat out of a lock on the River Yonne, we turned the key to start the boat and nothing happened!  Julian did this a few times and each time, nothing happened.  We towed the boat out of the lock with ropes and tied up to a tree.  After a while  we tried again and it started (inexplicably) but of course we knew we had a problem and could not risk turning the engine off until we had reached our destination. (Julian later identified it as a blown fuse)

Old willows and horses on walk towards the centre of Vermenton

Back to Vermenton.  We arrived late afternoon, and as the sun sank behind the trees.  Large bats started flitting around.  Julian managed to buy some fuses from the man who runs the base here, and everything worked again. We gave the man two bottles of beer and he told us he lived in Filton nr Bristol for 2 years in his 20's.  He had noticed that our boat as it is registered in Bristol.

Washhouse

The following morning I got up early as the sun was beginning to rise and the mist was hanging on the water.  A fisherman appeared on the opposite bank as I was enjoying my morning tea, and I hurried my tea as I was keen to set off and explore.  For many years Vermenton was the place where logs, that had been cut in the Morvan hills to the south, were floated down the Cure and made into floating 'trains' to continue their journey to Paris, supervised by men who worked them as boats.  The logs were stored on the banks and floating down when the water levels were at their highest.

Logs arrive at Vermenton 16th to 20th century.

I walked out of the port passing a field which contained ancient willows shading a number of horses swishing their tails, I decided to by pass the town and explore the near side river bank and the numerous islands that rise in the middle of the river here.  Beside an old pumping station was the first of a number of footbridges that provide access to all these islands where a 'Boulesarama' has been laid out amongst Foxglove Tree avenues.

As the skies turn pink and I watch two herons make their way to their night time roost, Julian and I agree that we have had an interesting day following the Cure Valley through woodland trails. Sometimes walking our bikes and sometimes cycling. We took a picnic in case we did't find a cafe
which of course we didn't!  On the way back to stopped off as the Abbeye Reigny which was hosting a political conference. A small wooden 'ferme' notice hung from a board which clearly stated that is was open on Sunday afternoons in September (it was Sunday afternoon)   We wondered if we could just wander round and blend in with the delegates, and we were making out way round the far side of the car park (walking with bikes) when I noticed ripe figs on a tree by the wall. Trying to stand our bikes in the long grass, we quickly plucked a few whilst looking round nervously.  SoonI had my (small) pockets stuffed with them, so felt even less like I could blend in. But now we had found such a little treasure trove, it seemed less necessary to look round the Abbeye and so after a bit we turned back brazenly cycling away along the tree lined entrance avenue - now we were in retreat and no one could challenge us!

Water levels

Why don't we write like this any more?

Map of logging activities

We are moored roughly between number 6 and 7 on the above map.  The area to the right is now an attractive park with little foot bridged over the islands.  To get the other side one has to walk right round and very briefly negotiate the N66.

Island on River Cure

Besse sur Cure near picnic spot

A day out in the Puisaye

Giselle Buthod-Garcon Bowl

Today we set out from Auxerre on the long promised pottery and art studio day.  Julian had his Kindle in pocket and was ready and willing to act a chauffeur on the understanding that he would be left to read while I went to view the art.  Our first stop was at Metairie Bruyere, workshops specialising in Graphic Arts.  We saw the exhibition of work by Reni Botti and Jeane Piere Bouchard, a lovely setting by a lake.  We were the only visitors. It looked like a fascinating place with lots of old printing equipment, unfortunately our French wasn't up to a tour even if one had been offered.

Next stop was Toucy.  We have passed through this town before, but now realised that on the main road you miss the lovely centre - quite a bustling place by French town standards with some impressive ramparts and several galleries.  We had come for the Gallery de l'Ancienne Poste, specialising in contemporary ceramics.  We splashed out on a Giselle Buthod-Garcon bowl. An interesting shape with a lustre glaze on the inside fired in a raku kiln.

Chateau Ratilly

We sat in the main stquare and had a picnic lunch with delicious pastries from the local boulangerie followed by a chocolate chaud in the Cafe du Commerce.

Setting of deeper into the Puisaye region I had a number of visits planned.  Unfortunately all were closed  - there simply aren't enough tourists around to keep these places going, and so often places are not open as advertised in publicity material printed at the beginning of the season.

Towards 4pm we arrived at Chateau Ratilly and felt immediatly uplifted by this beautiful medieval castle - yes even Julian felt uplifted!  Not enough to see the art exhibiton and pottery, but we both enjoyed the exterior.  Try as I might, I really could not like the pottery.  Not very inspiring table ware with the same two or three glazes on everything.

The Collette Brinschwig exhibition was housed in one of the turrets and one could wander through and take in the atmosphere of the building and ponder on the works of art.

Collette Brunschwig Exhibition at the Chateau

Julian on the pleasant walk towards the impressive Chateau Ratilly

Walk migennes to Moneteau

Long straight path out of Migennes

The oil leak on our boat has forced us to spend an unknown amount of time at Simon Evans boat yard on the Yonne at Migennes.   So I thought I'd take the opportunity presented by an enforced stay, and the proximity of the railway station here, to do a longish walk.

Seignay

Headed of yesterday morning for Moneteau, via Seigenay (whose old market hall I had spied as we whizzed past in the car one day).

I got off to a great start as I soon found a sign for a pedestrian bridge over the river Amencon, a river we had followed on the Burgundy canal from pont d'Ouche, and which disappeared to become part of the Yonne just beyond this point.

This path stretched as far as the eye could see passing productive and attractive allotment gardens situated along the valley of the Yonne.

The path appeared to continue after a road junction, and this was confirmed by reference to my Google maps phone app - very handy as I had no detailed map with me.  My luck and Google maps reliability ran out at this point as the track became a grassy path and ended in a field. My attempts to scramble on a nearby bank were rewarded by a view of more fields and no path, so I retraced my steps and knuckled down to a bit of road work.

I soon reached a village near Bonnard, crossed the railway line and followed lanes and minor roads, passed over another familiar river, the Serin, and reached Beaumont. Feeling like a sit down by now, I seemed to have arrived at one of the few villages in France that did not contain a bench.  I satisfied myself with perching on the edge of a flower bed to consult Google maps again.

A 4km stretch of boring minor road led to the town of Seigenay. At this point my hard boiled egg and Dr Kargs crispbreads beckoned so insistently that I sat on the first bench I saw and unpacked my provisions, no matter that it was by the side of a busy dead straight main road.

Revived I stood and wiggled everything a bit to get my limbs moving again and set off up the hill. I soon found both a cafe and the hotel du commerce, and they were both open! Spoiled for choice, kitches still open at 2pm, and I had already eaten my lunch. It is always the way in France. If I had not taken a picnic lunch, they would have been closed. Anyhow, I settled for tea avec lait froid and it came in a teapot which was a huge bonus as I squeezed 3 cups from it.

I was a little disappointed at the lack of leafy lanes and the amount of open roads I was travelling on, but this trend reversed after Seigenay when I found a delightful forest edge walk to take me to Chaumes. Even better, as I wandered out of Seigenay I found a pattesserie that was open - at 2 o'clock! What a wonderful place this town was.

Gury

The leafy lane was followed over another railway cossing by another pleasant path past quarry pits, now a wildlife area and fishing lakes, to Gury on the river Yonne, visited previously by boat.  This time I decided to look out for the Rivieres restaurant, and was glad I did. The place was very inviting, and exuded a deliciou garlicky oily smell. Only problem was that having had lunch, then a pastry, I wasn't very hungry.  I was running out of energy though, so decided to have deux boule de glace. Caramel and pistache. The pistache ice cream was a delicious blob of creamey pistachio yumminess, I honestly don't know how it managed to be so full of pistachios. Made a note to return to taste more of the pleasures of this unassuming place in the middle of a very small village.

Le Rivieres

By this time I reckoned that I had walked over 12 miles and was reaching the limit of the what I would describe as an enjoyable walking experience. I had reached the river and the scenery of the last few miles was delightful, but the ache in my hips and feet were the dominant sensations for the last stretch.

Thankfully I had jotted down the details of all the trains back to Moneteau and if I didn't dawdle I would get the 17.34 which would take a whole 11 minutes to get back to Migennes where I started 7 hours ago! Arriving at the station I was a bit disconcerted to see a flight of about 20 steep steps to the platform, and a little bit worried to find that tickets could only be obtained by machine with the use of a credit card which I didn't have on me.  Oh well, I was not intending to walk back so I would get on and face the concequences. In the end a very kind lady bought me a ticket with her card and I paid her the 3.30 Euros cash.  Julian met me Migennes and I hobbled back to the boat and enjoyed a delicious cup of tea.

Yonne between Gury and Moneteau

While I had gone, and left to his own devices, Julian had bought a packet of rochfort cheese. I simply dread to think what would happen if I were not with him for the majority of the time!

River Lock near Moneteau.  All the river locks are like this.  A barage/weir over the river and then a small lock on one side.