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If I was to write a travel guide it would have to include a recommendation for the best boulangeries in the villages or towns on the Meuse. So as we meandered downstream the focus of each village, was ‘where is the boulangerie?’, and ‘is it open’. We are in the middle of the summer holidays,… Read more

From Dinant we headed south up the Meuse and into France. Along the way we passed Bayard rock, which stands out on the side of the river like jagged teeth. Then it was onto Freye Chateau, built in the style of Versailles and the largest chateau in Belgium. Our guide fluvial (waterways guide) indicated there… Read more

One of Peter’s favourite descriptions of himself is ‘a bald headed old coute called Lucky’. Well his luck was in overdrive! In the morning I returned our electricity key to the Capitainne at ADEPS only to be told the the Ronquières incline plan had been closed again and would not reopen until 2nd August. It… Read more

I’m sure if there was a ‘Bargees Rite of Passage’ it would include successfully transversing the incline planes and boat lifts on the European canals. During our hire boat life we had achieved the passage through the Azvilliers Incline Plane and the flight of locks at Beziers. But more challenges awaited! Heading south from Brussels… Read more

The only mooring in Brussels is at the Bruxelles Royal Yacht Club, and unlike our previous moorings, it is not in the centre of town. But conveniently there is a tram stop just outside the club that whips you into the centre in about 15 minutes. The population of Brussels is about 1.2 million and… Read more

Well Antwerp should be on everyone’s bucket list. This town, with a population of only 500,00 is vibrant , multicultural with a fabulous history. Old monuments are being renovated, the riverside is being developed, it’s really a town going all out to attract the tourist dollar. We left Temse with the ebbing tide and were… Read more

We had a restful 2 weeks at our mooring in Brugge. This is where we are leaving our boat for the northern winter, so it was great to get to know our surroundings a little better and to do a few touristy things. We took the train to Ostend (only 15 minutes away), and then… Read more

Well I’m so glad I took all those French lessons, now I need to learn a little Flemish! Jo left us in Wambrechies in the rain, heading down to sunny, hot Province. We headed north to the cold and more rain, along the Canal de la Deule. We had planned to stop the night at… Read more

Although we planned our departure from Dunkerque in the morning true to form, we were delayed again. The sea lock to the canal didn’t open until 4.00pm, so we filled our time with a stroll to the city centre followed by a thorough wash for the boat. The wind was strengthening throughout the day, and… Read more

At last we have completed the journey across the channel to France. Yes it has been a long time coming but all the better for the wait. After spending a few days in Chatham, visiting the maritime museum, which were the naval docks yards established over 400 years ago and the gin distillery, established 4… Read more