4. Soissons to L'Isle Adam 29th August to 8th October 2024.

29th - 30th August.  Soissons to Vic-Sur-Aisne. (18.6km, 2 locks in 2hr 20mins). We decided to leave promptly this morning, before 9am, even though we knew it was a short journey. We had a lovely cruise, the locks were super easy, no other traffic and the river was free from debris, it was probably one of the nicest cruises we have had so far.  Also, as we were approaching the next mooring spot, a boat was just moving off, giving us a nice space to moor in. There was water and electricity that was actually free to use, so a great opportunity to fill up with water and get that laundry done! The town was also quite nice and there seemed to be a fair few English tourists there.

Not long after we arrived, Julia and Tony from DILLIGAF joined us as we were all heading in the same direction, towards Paris. Later on that day a large 21m Dutch barge asked if they could moor along side us as there was no further space, so we agreed. They were a lovely couple called Rachel and Janos on C’Savargo. That evening we were invited onto Julia and Tony’s boat for a BBQ dinner, it was a very pleasant day.

30th August - 2nd September.  Vic-Sur-Aisne to Compeigne. (25.5km, 4 locks in 3½hr). We went from the River Aisne turning left onto the River L’Oise) We were feeling a bit hungover this morning and the weather was looking a bit unsettled, but we decided to head off anyway. This stretch of river was also very nice with the easiest locks to use, another lovely cruise, The rain held off until just before we arrived at Compeigne. We moored in a lovely spot in near to the town opposite the chandlery and fuel station. No water or electricity, but we didn’t need it anyway, so all good.

The next day we decided to fill up with fuel - via our 20litre plastic cans and 3 trips - which is a bit of a slog, but we didn’t need too much thankfully. We had discovered that it is always good to fill with fuel whenever possible as you don’t know where the next fuel place will be. We also did a good shop at the Chandlery buying the French waterways guides for all the regions that we might want to cruise on.

Later on that day, Julia and Tony arrived and moored in front of us. It was Freshers week, so there was a run where the new students ran throwing coloured powdered paint everywhere, so we decided to stay on the boat to make sure they didn’t throw any coloured paint on our boat. Ayhan ran alongside them for a very short while, pretending he was also doing the run, trying to make everyone think he is fit!!😂😂

That evening Julia, Tony, Ayhan & I went into town and had drinks in a bar in the town square. It was a lovely evening.

The next day Julia and Tony headed off and Ayhan & I walked all around Compeigne, which is an absolutely lovey town, our favourite so far. They also celebrated their independence day that Sunday, so we saw the same old army vehicles and some of the same people that had been in Soissons the previous Sunday. We also visited the stunning Compeigne Chateau, it was really a pleasure to walk around, although it was a very hot day indeed, 35°. Every street had character and it was a very picturesque town.

The patisseries are one of my biggest weaknesses and I feel impelled to find one at every stop and see what they have for me to take back to the boat and eat. They make everything look so tempting! There are also some amazing chocolate shops too!

2nd - 3rd September. Compeigne to Creil. (37.3km, 3 locks in 4hr40hrs). Creil was really just a convenient place to stop. Nothing special here and we were moored between the commercials. The locks on the river L’Oise are controlled via VHF, meaning I had to call them on the VHF and tell them that we were coming and from which direction etc.. I really do dislike doing this as my French is so bad. My fault, I need to improve my French!! The Winter project with Duolingo.🤞🏻

3rd September - 8th October.  Creil to L’Isle Adam Marina (30km, 2 locks in 4hrs). It wasn’t the best day for cruising as it was raining but at least it wasn’t windy. There were a few more commercial boats around today, probably because we are getting nearer to Paris. We arrived at the wrong time as the Marina closes for a long lunch and there is a lock to get into the marina, so luckily there is a very large waiting place at the main river lock, and we were able to wait there until the Marina staff came back at 2.30pm. The lock to get into the marina is at right-angles to the river, so Ayhan had to time his turn and speed well otherwise the flow of the river would push the boat off course. Ayhan did a grand job.

The Marina is in a lovely area, surrounded by houses, and tastefully done and there are 6 restaurants and a patisserie/bakery 😋🤭. There were not many boats moored where we were, so nice and quiet. DILLIGAF had arrived the day before us and were staying for a couple of days to get their boat ready for visitors.

The main town of L’Isle Adam is about a 15-20 mins walk and the train station is about a 15 min walk. The town is very attractive and has a good selection of shops, restaurants, a supermarket and the best ever market, with fresh fish as never seen before. A lot of Parisians come to L’Isle Adam at the weekends, so it has a nice buzz about it. The train from the town takes about 45mins to Gare Du Nord in Paris. It does stop at all the stations en-route, otherwise it would be a lot quicker.

We invited Julia and Tony on the boat for dinner the second night as they were heading off the next day. It had been lovely to get to know them and they had given us loads of help and advice for cruising and mooring the French waterways.

Another dutch barge called Inevitable, returned to the Marina - the owners being Kris & John - who had been moored at the same marina as us in Caversham and had arrived at this marina a few weeks before us. We had never really got to know them, so it was nice to finally meet them. Before they headed off back to America they came on our boat for a few drinks.

We stayed on Ayanna until 8th October. Ayhan gave the outside of Ayanna the biggest and best clean ever. I did the cleaning inside and all the laundry. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t as kind as we had hoped for during our 5 weeks at the marina.

We had a local duck adopt us and would walk over the cabin roof each morning hoping to wake us up, she was obviously wanting to be fed, which we didn't do, even though it was tempting to and we were asked not to by the marina staff, as they didn't want to encourage them as they make a real mess on the boats and pontoons.

When we had better weather we went by train to Paris and went up the Eiffel Tower and walked all around Paris. They were dismantling all the stadiums that had been built for the Olympics, it was quite interesting to see how they had built everything around the famous sights.

From the Marina we went on our bikes to the local shopping area to explore and spent the time getting the boat ready for the winter. The two guys at the marina office seem very nice and very helpful, so we feel that it will be a safe place to leave Ayanna. It will be the first winter that we will be far away from her so fingers crossed it will all be ok.

Our winter months in the UK will be spent learning French, planning our next years potential routes, loosing the weight that we have put on - due to good food and too much socialising - and also trying to get fit as our backs are giving us some issues.

17th - 20th December - We flew to Paris and stayed at OKKO Hotel near the Gare de L’est. We wanted to check on Ayanna and take some things to the boat, plus spend a short time in Paris at Christmas time. Ayanna looked good and the marina guys were keeping an eye on her.

We went to see the newly renovated Notre Dame, which was quite amazing, if not just a bit busy. As usual we ate far too much, so the diet was ruined, but when in France eat like the French! 🤭😋 A short but nice trip.