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