St Leger sur Dhuene. end July 2016

One of the very few places on the Canal du Centre that can be described as a 'destination', - very pleasant. 

Other 'destinations' Paray le Monial, and Santenay (next stop) 

The fantastically picturesque Valley de la Vaux lies to the south and is where the Challonaise wines are produced, centred round the town of Mercury.  We did not visit Mercury, but we toured the villages to the west near St Jean de Vaux. This is the area to the South of the Cote d'or starting to the South of the River Dheune. (This river follows the line of the canal for some way)

We had our car.  This was over the hill to the south of the Canal du Centre 16km from the canal

Picnic spot near Chateau Germolles - the French are good at picnic spots

As well as picnic spots and wine, the French are also good at pastries, growing geraniums and building log piles.  Unfortunately they no longer build castles and chateaux, just log piles, bungalows and out of town shopping centres.

Falmouth and bike trip to the wonderful Potager near Constantine.

On this holiday we have avoided using the truck and have biked everywhere.  So much so that my bike ran out of battery for the first time on way back from Falmouth Ferry at Trellisick.

This and following photos are of The Potager, near Constantine

So glad we found it.
(I was sitting on the wall to the left in this photo and I noticed a tiny (ie less than 2 cm) high Echium.  It would have definitely died through lack of water, and as I was on my bike and had already bought a plant, I decided to scratch it out with my finger, put it in a damp serviette and take it with me).

Tresithick Farm, Devoran, Cornwall

Enys Garden (near Mylor Bridge and Flushing) is a sort of 'Lost in Time' Garden

House falling into disrepair,  and no one knows what to do with it.  Gardens are mostly wild and with more formal areas.  

Original source of drinking water for house.

Candlabra Primulas

Lakes and Tree Ferns

Following photos taken near our holiday barn.  Three footpaths from the door.  Bliss!

Restroget Creek between Point and Devoran, just below pub.

Timber built house on footpath to Devoran

I started out on this holiday thinking to myself that I wouldn't take any photos, just enjoy the moments.  That lasted a day!  There are so many memorable and interesting places.  Tree lined creeks and gardens.  It is like a paradise here with Tree Ferns, Gunera and Echiums being some of the most spectacular.

At the bottom of our lane near Point, Devoran

Restroget Creek

Little old cat same place

Canal Lateral de la Loire and Canal Roanne

Plant sale at Arboretum Balaine, near Villeneuve sur Allier

When you leave the Nivernais you enter the Canal Lateral de la Loire at Decize and from the fully automatic lock at the new port head East or West.

We headed East towards the Canal du Centre, but before that we had a shortish stretch on the Canal Lateral de la Loire and we decided to take the short cruise down the Canal Roanne and back.

Before leaving Decize, as we had the car, we visited the absolutely beautiful Arboretum Balaine and were lucky enough to be there on a weekend when there was a heritage plant sale. Unfortunately it was overcast and drizzly.

Here are some highlights of the cruise from Decize to Digoine and the one to Paray le Monial taking in the canal Roanne on the way.

Romanesque Church on the hil at Iguerande

Iguerande Church Nave

Charolais cows drinking from canal Roanne

Bourbon Lancey - a town 10km from Canal Roanne.  We cycled there.

Church Bourbon Lancy.  Town Pretty deserted, many closed shops as always around here.

Another lovely cow looking at me on an evening walk from an attractive mooring at Lamenay-sur-Loire.

Industry and working barge in distance near Digoin

Canal bridge over River near Digoin.  But not the one over Loire at Digoine,

Cafe at Marcigny near Chambilly Canal Roanne.

Romanesque Church Chambilly

Second part of Nivernais. From Marigny sur Yonne

Chatillion en Bazois Chateau

The second part of the Nivernais, from Marigny to Decize took 5 days.  We cruised for about 4 or 5 hours each day and moved every day.  We needed to get to Decize where we were going to do our exam with Tam and Di Murrell. This has given us the qualification to cruise the German waterways. 

This part of the Nivernais Canal makes it's way through Nievre, the most rural part of Burgundy.  The landcape is attractive, but is so sparesly populated that the towns and villages are bereaved of life.

Decize is one such town, and the new marina is away from he main centre and is pretty uninspiring.  Not the place I would have chosen to spend 4 nights, but we had the course to do and we also collected the car with the help of Steve who runs the port at Marigny, and were able to leave in the car park by the capitaniere in Decize for the remainder of our trip.

The main interest in this part of the Nivernais is the Sardy staircase and the following series of tunnels.
Photos are below

Me outside Pottery at Ecluse No 2 of the Sardy lock staircase.

Port Brulee Lock Cottage.  Top of staircase.

Cafe/Art Ecluse at Sardy Staircase

Port Brule top of Sardy Staircase near water source.

Going through the cutting at La Colloncelle

Bridge over cutting

Vauban's Tower

We are moored with another boat at Sardy at the base of the Nivernais lock staircase.  16 locks in short succession.  We moored here at 4pm, had an early supper and then went on our bikes to look at Vauban's Tower. This is a prominent feature in the landscape, not visible from the canal but we have passed it many times by car and I wanted to take a closer look at the vestiges of the home of Vauban, before he moved to Chateau Bazolles near Corbigny.

Vauban's Tower - the place Vauban lived before he was famous.

Julian near entrance where owner has thoughtfully stick his postbox in front of the information sign - something tells me he doesn't really want visitors peering up his drive.

Scrubbling the boat and a walk

Julian's legs outside the bistro at our over wintering port Marigny-sur-Yonne

Here is Julian enjoying a well deserved doze after a morning washing and scrubbing down 6 months of grime and green slime off the boat. Thankfully not too many spiders decided to make Quercy their home over the winter, or maybe it's just too early for them to come out. In St Jean de Losne there were always many of two different kinds of boat spiders

Marigny showing the bistro and lock bridge in the background and cleaned Quercy on the far bank.  The cruiser in the foreground has seen better days.

At around 9am the sun was slowly burning through the layer of ice covering the boat and I was out there with my hand brush and bowl of lukewarm water scrubbing away at the accumulated grime that builds up after a winter unattended on the canal bank.

Julian appeared huffing and puffing at the thought of using non power tools and mumbling that next year we would definitely get a pressure washer. I told him that was quite unnecessary and that a little elbow grease and very little detergent was what was required.  He then proceeded to make up a mixture that seemed to be made up mostly of detergent and settled down to a lot more huffing and puffing, interspersed by groans.

In our separate ways we both managed to clean half the boat and the results seem rather similar.  As the bistro was open (and always in need of custom) we rewarded our efforts with lunch.  Julian got strange looks when he ordered smoked ham and goat's cheese salad without the smoked ham, and even stranger looks when he ordered 'deux biere' for himself, he really should have mastered numbers one and two in French by now.

We are going into a very remote part of Burgundy where there are no shops for the next few days. There are no local shops here, just a bread van twice a week, so we went into Corbigny to the ATAC.  Julian was happy to drive home with the shopping and I walked back finding a little path through the woods.

Old iron bridge over railway

I was delighted to find my way back from Corbigny to Marigny along this path, marked by the helpful yellow lines on convenient trees or telegraph poles. Aided also by my map.

Pollarded birch along the track into the woods

The train looking like a monster racing through the wood

Beetle on the path

A flower growing in profusion along with anemones in the damper parts of the wood.  Also many violets and cow parsley.

Practising portrait mode on Rachel's camera

Steve came in for a drink with us on Quercy. His little boat had been craned out awaiting some replating.  I had tea as I had had a kir at lunch (makes cheap wine very palatable) so I stuck to tea.

Our first day cruising and after a misty start the sun burst through and stayed with us all day. The trees are not in leaf but hawthorn blossom is in its prime, bright green hawthorn shooting everywhere and whilst there are not bluebells or wild daffodils, the cowslips grow in proffusion.

We are moored with another boat at Sardy at the base of the Nivernais lock staircase.  16 locks in short succession.  We moored here at 4pm, had an early spper and then went to look at Vaubaun's Tower. This is a prominent feature in the landscape, not visible from the canal but we have passed it many times by car and I wanted to take a closer look at the vestiges of the home of Vauban, before he moved to Chateau Bazolles near Corbigny.