Category: Uncategorized
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From the Sambre to the Meuse
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 […]
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New challenges conquered
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 […]
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A week in Brussels
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 […]
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Antwerp and beyond
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 […]
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Back to Ghent
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 […]
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Our first weeks in Belgium
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 […]
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Joie de Vivre waterstepping through France
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 […]
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Third time lucky
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 […]
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A Farewell to the Thames
It was with great excitement that we approached Monday 27th and our planned departure from the UK. This journey had been a long time in the making and at last we hoped we would be fulfilling our dreams of cruising the European canals on our own boat. Andy Soper from the Dutch Barge Association, who […]
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Our last few weeks on the Thames
We have enjoyed our boating experiences on the Thames but as the saying goes all good things must come to an end, and new adventures await across the Channel. We travelled up to Oxford with Helen stopping at our favourite moorings, in Sonning, (this is where George Cluney lives, but he wasn’t home), Wallingford and […]
Karen’s Travel Blog 