Monday 17th August 2015 Tronville to Fains. 14.6kms 15 locks

Commercial traffic does exist on the Marne-au-Rhin!

11.7° C Hazy sunshine with a cold North wind. Outside temperature was just 17°C when we set off at 9.50am. Contractors for VNF had arrived with two little lorries with grass cutting machines. The Dutch boat that had moored in front of us while we were out sight-seeing in the car yesterday afternoon had set off uphill when the locks opened at nine. Lock 28 Tronville had a lock house that had been bricked up many years ago and was now covered in vines. A VNF van went past heading downhill. Lock 29 Bohanne had no lock house and there was a huge snail on the lock

Old lock house at Tronville - covered in grapes

wall, never seen one that big before. We had to wait a short while for lock 30 Guerpont to fill. Again there was no surviving lock house. There were woods on our left and a big open field between the canal and the busy N135 road on the right. Lock 31 Silmont had a lock house that was lived in and an old lock cabin as well as a new Andersen-shelter-type modern lock cabin. Things were looking up, first there were lots and lots of ducks above lock 32 Tannois, AND it had an old lock house that was being lived in which was undergoing renovation. Spoke to the old couple, who were stood at their front porch amid piles of building materials, and said we were glad to see a lock house being

old lock cabin at Silmont lock

modernised rather than demolished. There were gongoozlers galore all around the lock, several groups came over to ask the usual questions (haven’t had any of those in a while!) while we descended in the chamber. As we left a Danish cruiser went past heading for the lock. Forested hills on the left were getting bigger and there were big empty cornfields to our right. Woods closed in on both sides as we arrived at lock 33 Maheux (no house). A longer pound (1.5kms) wound between the trees to lock 34 Grand Chalaide. Here the lock was either lived in or was being used as an

Poor wee doggie at Longeville lock

office/rest stop by the VNF. There was an old lock cabin too and kebs (long handled rakes for fetching rubbish out of the lock chamber) and boat shafts in the stand on the lockside. Amazed to meet a hotel boat coming uphill. La Nouvelle Etoile had Amercian guests on the deck sitting out and a British crew who spoke as we went past. There was a long aqueduct over the little river Ornain directly before lock 35 Longeville. Its lock house had been renovated and rented out most likely as the windows were all shuttered and there was a dog was on a chain by the door with a notice on the fence that said “Please do not feed the dog”.  On through the town of Longeville, which had a large

Aqueduct over Ornain at Longeville

centre commercial with a Leclerc hypermarket. It grew noisy as the railway line came closer to the canal as well as the road. Lock 36 Savonnières also had a modernised house which was lived in, maybe a sign that we’re getting closer to the big town of Bar-le-Duc, more houses needed. Lock 37 Popey had a lived in old lock house but with a different ambience, BBQ, chairs and tables in front of the house, which made me suspect it was lived in by VNF employees. Lock 38 Marbot also had a lived in house and a lift bridge below it that worked automatically with the lock. It also had video surveillance

Automatic liftbridge at Marbot lock

cameras, not common yet in France. On into the town, roads getting noisier. There was a second liftbridge, but as this one carried a wide main road and had two lifting decks, there was a VNF man in a cabin for bridge working alongside it. We waved to him as we went through. Passed a long empty layby with bollards next to the backs of factories and the railway. We paused at the halte nautique for water. The place was full of campervans, there was just one ex-Locaboat pénichette on the pontoons. We stopped at the quay and refilled our tank with water. A DB Luxe arrived just as we started. French flagged and with the port of Toul on its stern, it had a British crew. They wanted us to move up so they could get on the quay. It wasn’t long enough for both of us and so Mike said hang on five minutes and you can have the whole quay. They hovered in the middle then pulled into the quay as we left. Not far to lock 39 Bar-le-Duc. No house now, very noisy with an elevated road right alongside and a railway very close on the other side. An old man with one leg, sitting in a powered wheelchair, was playing his trumpet by the lock. He played the last post and stuff like that. Mike whistled La Marseillaise and then he played it for us. Bravo! We clapped. He smiled, we think he liked having an appreciative audience, if only

Our trumpet soloist at Bar-le-Duc

for a very short while. It was even noisier below the lock. The VNF offices were next to the towpath just beyond the lock.  A man came out and asked how far we were going. Mike said two more locks. OK and a man in a van left. Another long aqueduct over the Ornain lead into lock 40 Chantereines. Another lived in lock house. Lock 41 Grand Pré had a lock house that was immaculate with garden furniture and lots of potted plants, like a picture from Homes and Gardens. Wouldn't want to live there, a freight train passed over the bridge right below the lock, on level with the house – the noise!

Preserved towpath traction engine at Bar-le-Duc

We thought we were going to stop below the lock. There was a small centre commercial with an Intermarché and a Bricomarché and although there was a piled edge it was too shallow, the boat was sitting on the bottom. Just then an empty péniche came into view heading uphill. We pushed off and Mike said we’ll go down another lock. The passing boat was called Nobis and had a tender on the stern cabin with Ste Rita on its bows (seen that boat everywhere) The skipper waved as we passed. Down lock 42 Fains (another VNF lived in house) and were surprised to see Eric and Michelle, (our neighbours from Condé) on the lock side. They were off to Bar-le-Duc on their bikes. Not

Moored at Fains-les-Sources

surprised they’d done that, (their boat Paradis Blanc was moored below the lock), it’s a lovely town but the moorings are so noisy. There was a liftbridge below the lock. It didn't lift, so Eric called the VNF on the intercom for us, then they went off sight-seeing and said they’d see us later. A VNF man in a van turned up – there was already a police van by the end of the bridge and three officers watching. The tiny quay below the lock had water and electric (same prices as Bar-le-Duc, 1,10€ to stay there overnight, 6,40€ for electric and water plus 20c per person per night tourist tax) No room for us anyway, three cruisers had filled it, so we moored next to the pilings. It was 3pm. A very large boxy looking steel cruiser hotel boat (from New Zealand it said, it was for sale) arrived at 6pm. The lock lights went to red/green but the bridge didn't lift, so it moored behind us on the old layby which has sloping stones underwater.