L'Avenir - Cruising Europe's Inland Waterways

Le Martin Pecheur (Kingfisher), Nargis, France I am no great believer in coincidences but what are the odds of this? Late yesterday afternoon, we were looking for a place to moor for the night. There seemed to be nowhere. No villages, no picnic areas, nothing to tie to except trees (not really allowed). Just at that beginning to be fed up point we rounded a bend and saw a bar/restaurant ahead which, unlike many canalside businesses, was still open. Even more surprisingly, hanging from a flagpole was a Saltire (Scottish flag). Seeing our Saltire on the boat a man on the terrace called out in the question that everyone in Scotland is answering today 'How are you voting?' Like this Scottish owner of the bar we don't have a vote but we do have an opinion or two so we tied up to the convenient rail and joined him to discuss them. What a great evening in a Scottish bar, filled with Scottish memorabilia, drinking McEwans Export and discussing the Referendum! Great t...

leaving Montargis and the canal de Briare Last year we shot down the canal du Loing at high speed - well, at all of 6km per hour. The locks were in the process of being automated. The canal was to be closed so the work could be done and we needed to get through to the next waterway before the closure or find our boat marooned for the winter. The canal is a fairly short one and quite pretty but we hadn't time to appreciate it sufficientlyso we were pleased to be able to spend a little more time this year. As it happens the lock update remains in progress. I don't know what the point of closing the canal was. They are now getting on with the work as boats pass through. There are still lock keepers between Montargis and Nemours and then again at Moret. I think we may have been one of the first boats in Nemour to receive a remote controller to operate the locks. A cheery lock keeper came round the mooring to hand them out to all the boats there. We were first through that day ...

Moret sur Loing A few pictures from our recent whirlwind trip from Migennes to Briar. These waterways definitely merit a more sedate journey - perhaps sometime in the future. Moret sur Loing The beautiful Moret was home to the impressionist painter, Alfred Sisely. The town is very proud of this artistic connection and has information boards at various locations showing the paintings executed by Sisely at those spots. Canal du Loing Lavoir on River Loing at Mountbouy Rogny les Sept Ecluses Staircase of 7 ecluses taken out of service in 1887 after 245 years of use and replaced by a chain of 6 locks - the barge is exiting the first of these 'new' locks. Briare church mosaic clock. The church is decorated with mosaics inside and out. Doing our maritime duty. Towing a fellow boater in distress onto the next port.  This next is for you Emma and Andrew! Dutch dachshund on his holidays at Ouzouer sur Trezee

Leaving Paris we cruised south on the Seine. After a day the suburbs are behind, the river widens and forest rises from the banks. A bit of a millionaires row this judging by the mansions. There was quite a lot of commercial traffic on this stretch so you really have to tag along with one (or two or five) in order to pass through the enormous locks. The keepers generally won't work the lock until a commercial barge wants to pass through. At the final lock of this stretch we caught up with Graham and Iris, two  Australians we had met a few weeks ago on the River Marne. They have been cruising in France for years and are a mine of information. 'Follow us,' they said. 'We know a lovely place to moor.' And they did. Moret is a lovely medieval, fortified town. Alfred Sisley, the impressionist painter, some of whose work I saw in the Musee d' Orsay lived and painted here and Napoleon slept here a night on his return to Paris from Elba. I know because there's...