The Saone meanders into oblivion.

The sun is rising above the tall trees that line the cramped little marina at Corre, and I'm feeling a little more well disposed towards Corre, after our arrival here in the incessant drizzle of yesterday and finding yet another town utterly devoid of shops and people, with the Intermarche 400 metres down the road. I guess I have to stop moaning about this. Julian and I repeatedly discuss this landscape of empty crumpling old towns with all the infrustructure there, but no one living in them.  We think of Rachel's quip, 'why don't all the refugees in the world come and live here?' So many people without a roof over their heads, and so many empty towns and villages, admittedly a lot with holes in the roof. If only it was that simple!

The public mooring is around the corner just past the first lock of Canal du Vosges, a floating menagerie of crusty old wrecks, but not at all romantic, just old plastic tubs in the main that are not worth paying the overwintering charge in the marina.

This is the end of the navigable Saone.  Over the past day or two, the river has become notably smaller as we have passed tributaries that feed it, and more frequently it winds in a loop through the surrounding countryside and we follow another course through a canalised channel with a lock at the start.  These are the easiest automated locks we have come across.  A simple turn on a plastic tube dangling above the water about 500 metres before the lock, immediately registers with the red light changing to red/green and gates begin to open. Then green as we approach, our signal to go in. (Unless of course we need to wait for a boat to exit the lock).

The landscape has changed from the massive flat river valley of the Saone with the vine covered hills, Cote Maconaise, Cote Challonaise, Cote d'Ore, rising to the East; to more undulating countryside.  It feels in the middle of nowhere, and when one looks to find it on Google maps, it is hard to see as there are no larger towns that pop up to locate this lonely area of the Haute Saone. Cows have changed from Charolais, to a brown and white breed and there are lovely chestnut bay, stocky horses with flaxen manes. Also lots of chestnuts!

A memorable stretch is between Ray sur Saone and Rupt sur Saone where the vestiges of former medieval fortresses can be seen, and we explored the coutryside around here on our bikes, and actually found some cafe/restaurants open - in fact we found one so busy that they could not serve us lunch!

Over the past few days we have seen very few cruising boats, it is the beginning of October, and yesterday, for the first time in 10 days we had rain instead of wall to wall sunshine, and this morning condensation is on the windows, so I have been round wiping them all with a tissue!  Forecast is good for next week, hoping for fine weather at the end of the month when Rachel joins us.