Monday 13th July 2015 Lumes to Malmy canal des Ardennes. 21kms 6 locks

Below Dom-le-Mesnil lock R Meuse

14° C Grey clouds, a few spots of rain, warm. One cruiser had remained on the quay behind us overnight and it was still there when we left at 9.15am, continuing on our way upriver. It was drizzling when we were getting ready to move, but stopped before we set off. Two men were fishing from a little open motor boat by the cut off loop of the river at Nouvion, they waved as we passed. Several columns of smoke were rising from the trees in front, both were garden bonfires in Flize. A hireboat cruiser went past heading downriver, followed not long after by a Dutch steel boat we’d seen back at Bogny. Zapped the lock at Dom-le-Mesnil, gates opened and we had a green light, I lifted the blue rod, then nothing. Mike backed out of the chamber, double reds – en panne (broken

Meuse lock at the start of the Canal des Ardennes 

down). I phoned the number we had for Charleville, no reply. I rang Givet and they told me that lock 40 was en panne (must have a control screen on PC which tells them the state of each lock) and the guy said he would send someone. Meanwhile, the cruiser we’d left behind at Lumes caught us up. Told the couple on board that we’d phoned to get the lock fixed. No sooner we said that than we had a green light. Sent the cruiser in first and we followed in behind. The skipper of the cruiser lifted the rod, but there was someone in the lock cabin anyway. The lock filled, a mere 1.07m and we were on

Peniches moored at Pont-a-Bar

our way again. A short lock cut, the lock house was lived in but the weir keeper’s house was derelict, and we were back on the river again. A VNF man in full safety kit was strimming the sloping grassy bank by a set of steps that lead down to a moored rowing boat, opposite which was another set of steps up to the barrage, a fine needle weir still in working order. A herd of brown cows were grazing in a big meadow on the left bank, we’re back in cattle country. The cruiser continued upriver, we zapped the post for Meuse lock 7, on the start of the canal des Ardennes. Up 2.04m, noting that the lock house was still inhabited, and we carried on up the canal. A Dutch Barge went past heading down

St Aignan top lock and tunnel

the canal for the river. Instead of slowing down to wait for the gates on Meuse lock to re-open, the skipper stuffed the bows up the bank right by the lock. Strange things people do? We carried on up the canal, passing a long line of moored boats and the quay below lock 6 was occupied by two empty péniches, Spirit and Cathares, moored side by side and probably their crews were on holiday (it is Fete Nationale – Bastille Day – tomorrow and also our Black Country Day). Up Pont-à-Bar lock 6 and we passed another long line of moored boats on the left and the hire base on the right. The canal banks were lined with meadowsweet and meadow cranesbill as the view opened out across the fields to the long hill where there is a tunnel at St Aignan. The little river Bar

Moored on the old quay above Malmy lock

meanders well out of sight to our left and around the hills - the canal follows its valley to the summit. The grass had been cut back and there was now a mooring area of about 300m length below St Aignan lock 5. There were three cruisers moored there (one from Seneffe) and the crews waved as we went past and into the lock and up another 2.91m. A short pound, round a right hand bend and we went up St Aignan lock 4, 2.26m rise and into the 300m long tunnel. Lunch. 5.9kms to the next lock. Horseflies were out in numbers again, spent an interesting time swatting them. White Charolais cows were lying down in a meadow before Malmy lock 3. We went up another 2.01m then tied up at the end of an old quay. VNF had left a workboat at the other end and a large new bulldozer was parked right next to it. It was 2pm. Set up the solar panels and the satellite dish, etc, then gave Mike a hand to get the bike off the roof. He went to collect the car from Bogny at 3pm and I found no signs of an Internet connection, just GPRS here which doesn’t even do e-mails. Oh dear, that’s that until we move again….