3. Bassin Rond to Soissons 5th to 29th August 2024.

5th - 9th August.  Bassin Rond to Cambrai Marina - (12.4km, 5 locks in 4¼ hrs). This canal is quite pretty but there was a fair bit of weed about on the Canal St Quentin. Until now we had been on the larger canals that had more traffic, so no weed issues. We were a bit concerned if the weed would give us some problems and took it carefully and I was on weed watch especially going in out of of the locks where the weed was either propelled in or propelled out by the force of the water from the locks. It was more of a worry for our bow and stern thrusters, we didn't want to loose power from them. Being a keeled cooled engine, we had less of an issue than other types of cooled engines, but still caution was needed.

At the first lock we had to collect a large black box with a remote control and charger in it. This was for controlling the locks. When we saw the sign on the Bankside with a picture of a remote, we were to press the correct button - either up or down - depending if we were going upstream or down stream. The sign actually points you to the correct button should you be unsure. Once in the lock and securely tied up, you then press the black button to activate the closure of the gates and the sluices. We really liked this system, although, it didn't work on the first lock and a lady from the VNF had to come and open the lock for us and check our remote. We waited for an hour before she came. It didn't matter, we weren't in a hurry.

We arrived at Cambrai marina which was quite a tight turn, so Ayhan went in reverse and we moored next to some trees, which was a blessing as it gave us shade, but we didn't get too much of an overhang from the trees. Some of the trees have a sticky sap that is a nightmare to get off the boat, luckily these trees didn't. We had water and electricity costing us €17 a night. We began the cleaning and the laundry. It was cool for this job in the mornings before the sun moved around.

Cambria isn't the most exciting of towns. It has a lovely church, but apart from that it was useful for a food shop, cleaning and a resting place. There was also a large fair in town, mostly stalls and they were setting up on every street.

9th - 10th August. Cambria Marina to Riqueval Tunnel entrance (28.5km, 17 Locks!! in 6 hrs). We decided to head off promptly as we knew there was another motor boat going in the same direction as us, so we wanted to get far enough ahead of them for it to be good for us both at the locks. Thankfully the remote for the locks worked a treat and it was a very user-friendly system.

We weren't sure how far we would go today, but we knew that there are two tunnels coming up and one is operated by an electric chain motor and we are pulled though and they don't operate on Sundays, so being Friday, we either had to get there for the next day or wait until Monday. We decided to keep going and we moored near to the tunnel entrance in readiness for the 9.30am slot the next day. We had let a VNF chap know at one of the locks that it was our intention to go through the tunnel the next day as you have to book your slot. It was actually quite a pleasant mooring spot, very peaceful. The other motor boat also arrived about 40 mins after us.

10th - 14th August. Requeval Tunnel to Fontaine Lock (30km, 2 tunnels, 6 locks in 6 hrs). The VNF guys arrived on time. We were told to be ready for 9am and they came with the chain motor towards our boat. As we were the larger boat, we are at the front. They gave us the ropes from their boat and we fix it to our bollards at the bow. The motor boat behind us gave us their lines to attach to our stern bollards and off we go. Ayhan did a grand job.

You are not allowed to have your engine on as the tunnel is nearly 6kms long and the fumes would build up. The boat didn't get pulled in a straight line as the motor boat behind us didn't have his line equal distance, so we kept getting pulled off course and had to use the thrusters to keep us away from the sides. It took about 1½ hrs to go through. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but also quite an experience. Well done Ayhan.

After the first tunnel we had a second tunnel to go through, this time on our own and it was shorter just over 1km, so it was a lot easier going through without towing another boat and being towed.

There was still a lot of weed about on this canal, so I was on weed patrol again. We were given a different remote at one of the locks and had to hand the other remote back. Didn't like this remote so much and once in the lock you had to push a heavy lever upwards to activate the closure of the doors and the sluices etc. Not so user friendly. There was a VNF chap that followed us in his VNF van to all the locks, probably new that there might be some issues ahead.

We didn't know how far we would go today, but the weed dictated to us as there was so much of it at the sides that we couldn't moor up even if we wanted to so we continued until we came to Fontaine lock, where our friends from 'Josephine Florence' were moored up for a few days. Paul was waiting for Pauline to return from the UK, so we decided that this was as good a place as any to stop and it was great to catch up with Paul. Paul also advised us that being next to the trees would be very welcomed as the temperature was due to rise in the coming days and he was right, we really welcomed the shade.

We invited Paul to our boat for dinner that night and went to his boat the next night and then Pauline arrived the next day and they both came to us for dinner. It was good to celebrate together as we had been talking about getting to France for ages and had all been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, so we had good reason to celebrate together!! 🍾🥂

There wasn't much to do or see at this stop-over, but we didn't need supplies and we had plenty of water so we just kept out of the heat as much as we could and relaxed. We did use our bikes to go to a very small supermarket. We also watched the VNF worker clear away the built up weed at the lock.

14th August - 16th August. Fontaine Lock to Chauny (14km, 12 locks in 6½ hrs). We don' t aways intend to have such long days with so many locks, but if there are not the nice mooring spots then we just continue until we are comfortable with the stop.

When we arrived at Chauny, it didn't look very appealing. We moored up and were not sure if we wanted to stay more than a night, but we had been advised that the next day was Assumption day - when Mary went up to heaven - so everything would be closed and thought it a good idea to stay put. We were glad we did as they had a market on the next day which was fun to walk around. They had an amazing patisserie and even Chauny town itself was quite nice and the small supermarkets were open so we did a reasonable shop. All in all, it was a good stop over.

16th - 19th August. Chauny to Pinon (Anizy-le-Château) - (28km, 5 locks, 1 aqueduct in 5½ hrs). We had a sharp turn onto the L'oise a L'Aisne canal, taking us straight into a large lock. It was an extremely difficult lock to manage because the lever that had to be pushed up was at the front of the lock, far away from where we needed to attach our ropes to secure ourselves, so Ayhan had to move the boat forward for me to reach the lever and then quickly reverse backwards for us to secure ourselves before the lock started to fill with water. We managed it but I didn't like it.

After the lock we came straight out onto an Aqueduct. It was very narrow, only just slightly wider than our boat. Again Ayhan did a grand job. The aqueduct took us over a river with a long drop below and we had lovely views - well I did - Ayhan was too busy making sure we didn’t steer off the aqueduct!!!

At the second lock there was a very helpful young VNF chap working there. I mentioned - in my rubbish French - that the lever system in the locks was quite dangerous. He gave me a number to call that would work until lock 9 and he said that if I phoned him when we were in the lock and we were secured, he would activate the locks remotely for us, which he did, so that was brilliant. We were also able to fill up with water at this lock, so that was a great result.

We arrived at Pinon, going straight past it at first as it wasn't obvious where the mooring was. Anyway, we tied up and it was peaceful and very well located near to a big supermarket and a diesel pump. We stayed here and stocked up with food, drink and diesel.

There was actually quite a lot of commercial traffic on this stretch. they are not quite the size of the ones on the larger canals, but still, on these small canals, they are not to be messed about with.

19th August - 20th August. Pinon to Pargny-Filain (10km, 4 locks in 2½ hrs). When we arrived at the first lock I got myself confused as to which way were going in the lock and pressed the down button by mistake, so the lock opened the gates for the opposite way. I called the number I had for VNF and luckily a very nice VNF lady came along and reset it for me. I won't be doing that again!!

This canal is very narrow with a lot of over hanging branches. It is very pretty, but not the place to meet a commercial boat coming the other way. Ayhan proceeded with caution. We knew there was another tunnel coming up so we decided to stop at Pargny-Filan where there was a small pontoon with water and electric for €7, which was great. I did some laundry and we topped up our water tanks. It was a lovely peaceful stop-over next to a big lake.

20th - 21st August. Pargny-Filain to Berry-ou-Bac Lock no 3. (32km, 1 tunnel, 4 locks and 1 aqueduct in 5¾hrs) Now on the Lateral a L'Aisne canal. Our original plan had been to stop over at a place called Maizy, but it was full of weed and the sides were over-grown with shrubs so we continued on until the lock at Berry-ou-Bac and moored with the commercials there. Not an exciting stop but safe. This stretch of water was more open though and different scenery. The waterways have all been nice in their own ways.

Earlier that day I had had a message from another boater letting me know of the up-coming closures for the next canal that we were about to get onto - Canal de L'Aisne a La Marne. We had planned to go to Sillery and then Epernay and return the same way to get to our winter mooring at L'Isle Adam near Paris. We had originally been planning to go to St-Jean-de-Losne for the winter but we felt that it would have been too much of a rush, plus our backs are giving us some issues and didn't want to push our luck and be stranded. Anyway, this closure meant that we wouldn't have enough time to do what we wanted to do so we decided to return the way we came until we had turned onto Lateral a L'Aisne canal and then continue towards Soissons for a while. Quite a few boaters have recommended Soissons.

21st - 29th August. Barry-ou-Bac to Soissons. (48km, 6 locks - one being a double lock taking us from the Canal Lateral a L’Aisne onto the River Aisne - in just over 7 hrs). We were just getting ready to leave when the commercial boat behind us broke free from its back bollard. The boat was unoccupied. The lock keeper came and pulled the front line and Ayhan gave him a hand, which slowly brought the boat back in and luckily there was another commercial just coming out of the lock and they pulled over and brought their long ladder and got onboard and got the boat securely tied up again.

After that drama we went on our way, knowing that there was a commercial in front of us, so if another commercial was coming the other way, he would be our buffer!! We had hoped to find a mooring place for the night before Soissons, but as you may have realised by now, we didn't find one. The good mooring spots were taken up by the commercials and the other spots didn't look safe, so we soldiered on.

We went into a double lock which was quite interesting, we literally went into one lock taking us down to get straight into another lock. I was too busy dealing with the lock to take photos unfortunately. This then took us onto the river. It was nice to be on a wider stretch of water again and it was open, but there were loads of floating branches and debris all over the place, so had to keep a good lookout, the river flow was quite strong, which worked in our favour, so that was a good thing.

On the sides of the rivers and canals there are kilometre markers, so that you can cross check where you are with the waterways guides.

We arrived at Soissons at 4pm, rather tired. It had been a longer day than we would have liked. The quay has been newly renovated and although it was on the river bank it was safe. We found a nice spot away from the noisy bar the other end. Unfortunately the newly installed electric and water points weren't working, which was a shame, but the next day some chaps came to do some work and must have got some water to one point, so we managed to at least get water, which is the main thing for us.

We had decided to spend a bit of time here and explore and it was also time to bake some sourdough bread - the recipe and original starter mix is from our good friend Maurice. We bake all our own bread now, even in France. We are managing to keep the starter going but we are struggling to find strong enough flour in France. You would have thought that there would be every kind of flour in France, but not the very strong flour - or we just haven't found it yet. Baking our own bread is so helpful, especially if we are not near to any shops.

Soissons is a lovely town, with some amazing cathedrals and churches etc.. They have a lovely market on a Wednesday and a Saturday. We were lucky enough to be there for their independence day on the Sunday, so they had loads of old American army vehicles going along the parade with people dressed up in the uniforms from the American and the French army from WW2.  It was a special day.

The following day, a lovely couple - Julia and Tony - arrived at Soissons on their Dutch Barge called DILLIGAF, (google it’s meaning!😉😆). They moored infront of us and we helped them with their mooring lines and said hello and invited them onto our boat for some drinks. They turned up with loads of nibbles and drinks and Ayhan cooked them some dinner and we had a lovely evening with them. That is the great thing with this boating life, you meet some wonderful people and have some very spontaneous and enjoyable times. Julia & Tony are also members of the Dutch Barge Association, that we belong to.

The next day the four of us went into Soissons for some lunch next to the Cathedral, it was a lovely meal and a fun time.