Pogny to Orcote

23/10/2012

Today is clouded over, and cold – 14.5°C, brrrr... We got an early start to make our destination in good time – leaving a town with not a lot but aiming for somewhere with a shop or two, as well as showers and electricity!

Exit to head to Champagne capital Reims - closed, but no sign!

Not much to report, except the locks are all set up for us on arrival, and we have the procedure down to 9 minutes on average. At 12.15 we came to the end of the Canal Latérale a la Marne and into Vitry-Le-Francois, where left takes you to the Canal de la Marne au Rhine and right takes you to the Canal de Champagne a Bourgogne or the Canal de la Marne ala Saone, depending on who you ask. By the way, no obvious signs to warn people the Marne to Rhine canal is closed!

Left - to the Rhine, Right to the Saone (eventually!)

Our direction - not looking pretty so far!

At the first lock of this new canal we got a new remote control, and a pretty scary map showing the, ahem, 71 locks up (covering 239m rise) and 43 locks down (covering 156m drop) over a distance of 224km with a cheeky tunnel in the middle of nearly 5km – unlit! Yikes! Still, the most positive thing for us is that they didn’t stop us going this way, knowing where we’re headed, so nothing can stop us now!!

We passed an EDF barge early into this section, and he was riding seriously low – so they must have flooded the section to give him extra depth, which explains why each lock we come to is overflowing; But overflowing over the gate in front of us as we enter, and overflowing the sides when it fills – leaving not a lot for fenders to push against to keep us on the straight and narrow! Still, best foot forward, and J has got pretty nifty at leaping on and off the boat where necessary...

These locks have also been made automatic since the guide we have was published (2000 – with handwritten notes from previous owners, it’s a great read!) so instead of handling the slimy pole inside the lock, there is an extra button on the remote to fill the basin – how civilised!!

We made it to Orconte in really good time, and are sharing the spot with a Dutchman en route for Spain in his campervan – only he and his dog walk 6km in the right direction, then 6km back to collect the camper and drive to the next spot! Interesting. The facilities are closed but the power is on and the sun is shining so we’ll head into town to the shops and see what’s about before planning tomorrow’s itinerary.

Postscript - the Marie turned up at about 6pm to open the showers and toilets, and charge us for the night; we had been into town to a dog loving butchers who gave us a huge 'Charolais' bone for the dog as well as two lovely Charolais steaks (Oh-la-la, yummy!) and to someone advertising that he sold apples, onions, shallots - he was slightly incredulous that I only wanted 6 apples, and said it wasn't even worth turning on his scales to weigh them! Very nice though!!