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The Canal de Nord is 95 kms long from Pont l’Eveque to Arlex. There are 19 locks and 2 tunnels and even though we were on a tight schedule it still took us 4 days to reach the turn off to the Canal Sensee. The construction of the canal commenced in 1908 in response to Read more

At this stage I am sad to report not only we’re we still having generator problems, but our house batteries had also died. We could have stayed our course on the Lateral a l’Oise to the St. Quentin canal, but the faster route back north was to motor up the Canal du Nord. It was Read more

The river has its source in Belgium and flows in a southerly direction before it joins the Seine at Conflans Sainte Honorine. It has always been regarded as an important transport link between the northern countries and France, although the river was not canalised until 1835. From Longueil Annel the Oise becomes the Lateral a Read more

Peter was hoping to leave the port at Arsenal around 8am, in order to avoid the tourist traffic travelling through Paris on the Seine. But as I mentioned in an earlier blog Paris is in full swing preparing for next years Olympics. As the river is going to be a centre piece it is closed Read more

The port in Paris is located on the right bank, close to place Bastille, with two metro stations, the shops of the Maria’s and a huge market on Sundays all within walking distance. We were initially concerned about the port environs and safety, after a number of negative reports from fellow bargees. In 2022 the Read more

We could have taken the Nivenais canal and continued our trip south, but our schedule includes a booking for the boat pulled out on the 2nd October, to have the bottom repainted at Diksmuide in Belgium.It had taken almost 3 months to make out way to Auxerre so we turned around and retraced our steps, Read more

As Peter will tell anyone who will listen, it took us 2 1/2months to travel from Bruges to the DBA rally. Well I’m telling you, it was well worth the trip, not only for the sites along the way, but this was certainly the best organised get together that we have so far attended. There Read more

The river Yonne is a tributary of the Seine. It flows from Auxerre to the confluence with the Seine , at Montereau. The river beyond Auxerre was canalised in 1784 in order to aid the floating of timber from the local forests to Paris. It soon became an important transportation route and only lost this Read more

As we were navigating upstream I was initially concerned about the current that would flow against us as we navigated upstream. But this concern was misplaced, as our speed only dropped by about 1 km per hour. We navigated from the Marne which joins the Seine a bit to the south of Paris, to the Read more

Still travelling on the Marne, we left the gentle rolling slopes of vineyards behind, and now enjoyed the cooling green of the forests as we meandered along the river We had ordered a taxi to transport Jo to the bus station but when it did not arrive she started a run up the hill. Luckily Read more