French recollections 2

See French recollections 1

Migenne – Connoisseur Boats

I said we moored up at Migenne that night. It wasnt as simple as that. We had planned to stop at Laroch St Cyndroine which was reported to be lovely.
It was – and of course all the moorings were already taken.
The next possible overnight spot was some way awayand through two more locks at least, and it was getting late. The only solution was to go through a lock into the Canal
de Bourgogne and moor up in the largertown at Migenne.

Right next to the railway station, so a bit noisy.
So that was one of the big differences we discovered in France – there are not so many overnight mooring spots, particularly on the rivers. You need to plan a bit and get to your destination in plenty of time.

Auxerre – St Etienne Cathedral

The seeds of the notion to buy a boat were already beginning to sprout. We moored close to the Connoisseur Boats yard, so had a look at one or two boats for sale – but just browsing and getting ideas.

Back out through the lock in the morning, onto the river Yonne and headed upstream towards Auxerre. We followed a large converted Dutch Barge the whole way, through the 8 locks. Became friendly with the owner, and went on board to have a look. These Dutch Barges are really great – so spacious – but much too pricey I am afraid. Also this one still needed a lot of work to finish the interior! Mmm – We need to buy a boat that is pretty much ready to go. I am not keen on spending all the time renovating the boat. We want to cruise!

Following barge through the locks

We arrived at Auxerre at about 1830 – and got the last available mooring space! And this was supposed to be off season. Good place though – and with free wifi.
Stayed here 2 days. Auxerre is another lovely old city. It has a cathedral. We did the historic walk through the city, following plaques in the
pavement, and using the printed guide from the tourist information to explain all the buildings.
Set off again in the morning, this time following another smaller Dutch Style boat. This one was a time-share boat. Owned by 12 coupleswho each had use of the boat for a part of the year.
Not my idea of fun. The boat always stays at the same base, so you would only see the same part of the country each year. And considering there are some 6000 kilometres of waterway in France, it seems daft to stay in one place.

Moored at Bailly

After a pleasant days cruising, with 7 locks, we found a lovely relatively quiet mooring at Bailly.
Conveniently close to a wine cellar! We took the cellar tour – the cellars are actually in a disused lime cave – and bought a couple of bottles to take back to the boat.
These are the best times – relaxing on the boat in the evening with a glass of wine and some delicious French cheese!