With the cooler weather on the way in Europe, just like ducks Ivan and I have started canal cruising south for the winter. But before we set off we had plenty to see and do on the Saone River and canals in the north east of France.
Aren’t dungeons underground?
I don’t know whether we’ve read far too many fairy stories, but when Ivan and I heard about a dungeon that we could visit we both thought it would be underground. How wrong we were. See the tower in the background of the photo below? That’s the dungeon. It was brilliant and definitely worth a visit.
Getting there, of course, was half the fun. We parked our boat Laura and headed off on our bikes to the delightful tiny village of Rupt-sur-Saone with a population of 114 people.
We were able to tour the grounds of the chateau and climb the dungeon (which for those playing at home in French is donjon). Here’s a video (below) of Ivan climbing the winding stair case. There’s lots of puffing and panting because it was very steep and it was a hot day and the dungeon is 33 metres high. Towards the end of the video you get a great view of the countryside, so hang in there.
The climb to the top was certainly worth it as the view was magnificent. It’s amazing to be able to climb inside a piece of history that was built in the 12th century. Inside the structure were many different floors where multiple prisoners could have been housed. We could see holes in the stone for the prisoners’ chains. It must have been a terrifying place.
Walking around the top rampart Ivan spotted a very important structure that would have been very important for the guards.
Ali on the helm in a tunnel
After the excitement of the dungeon we had even more excitement of me on the helm, taking us through a tunnel. We love canal cruising through the tunnels as they are an amazing feat of engineering. It was nerve wracking because there’s not much room on either side of the boat, but I did a good job on the helm, if I do say so myself (i.e. I didn’t pinball off the walls). Go me!
Sleep tight
Getting a good night’s sleep on Laura the boat is not hard, especially when we tie-up in regional areas. There is nothing nicer than gently canal cruising to a remote spot, away from any light or noise pollution, with Ivan cooking dinner on the BBQ and then eating under the stars. When the weather is clear like the night below, Ivan and I normally get a glass of wine and look at the constellations and count satellites. On nights like this, there is no noise, absolutely no movement on the water and we sleep so soundly. Bliss!
Discoveries in little villages
One of the things we absolutely love about France are the many unexpected discoveries we see as we ride around. We get up in the morning, have a rough idea of where we want to go, do a bit of canal cruising and then take off on our bikes and see what happens. Everywhere you go there’s something interesting.
One day we rode through a tiny village called Autet and came across a wonderful chateau with another right across the road. This region must have been very wealthy in its day to have so many grand homes. I know we must seem obsessed by chateaus (or chateaux if you want to use the correct terminology), but they are pretty amazing.
Autet also has an ancient lavoir where the women used to wash their clothes. This one was in excellent condition.
Meeting lots of different people
Living on the boat in France has enabled us to meet so many different people from different countries, especially from around Europe. We love hearing all the different languages and accents, like in the cheeky video below.
Canal cruising south for the winter
Whilst the days are generally still warm, there’s definitely a change in the air. The temperature is trending down and winter is not too far away. The canals and locks in France close for the winter and for boats it’s time to start heading to a marina to ride out the cold weather. So that’s what we’re doing.
Mostly, owners lock up their boat and go home (wherever that is) for 5-6 months, but not us. We have a 12 month visa and we’re staying. We’ve chosen Roanne marina for a number of reasons including:
- The marina has plenty of people living aboard their boats for the winter, so we won’t be lonely
- Roanne is a big town with markets and restaurants to keep us fed, watered and entertained
- It’s not far from Lyon so we can get off the boat easily to travel around Europe when we start to go stir crazy
- It’s super cheap – it will only cost about €600 for 5 months including water and power
Chalon-sur-Saone
So now we’re slowly canal cruising south so that we can be well and truly ensconced in Roanne by the canal closure time at the end of October. Of course, along the way we’re still seeing the sights and meeting amazing people and eating and drinking far too much.
One of the lovely cities in France we travelled through is Chalon-sur-Saone. The food market in Chalon has to be seen to be believed – it stretches for about 1km, snaking through cobblestoned streets around ancient buildings. So much fresh local food! We went a bit crazy and filled two backpacks and our arms full of food including about a kilogram of cheese. The stallholders tell you how to cook the cuts of meat and which bits of fruit are ready to eat now, and which bits need to wait a few days. It’s the most enjoyable way to buy food.
Football heartbreak
No, we’re not talking the Wallabies here but the Brisbane Lions in the AFL grand final. Ivan is a Lions fan (and Richmond) so we got up at 6am to watch live and listen on the radio. Alas, Collingwood won but at least it was an excitingly close game. Here’s Ivan in his jammies drinking a beer at 8 in the morning. He said he had to drink beer to support his team. Sounds legit. I didn’t take a photo after the game but there were certainly no smiles.
What not to do in a lock
And finally, I’ll share with you some videos on what not to do in a lock. Locks are not hard to manage as you can see in one of my previous posts here, but they do require tying your boat up so that it’s secure. These boats have not done this and that’s why they have featured in this section. So if you’re thinking of hiring or buying a canal boat (and we highly recommend doing so!), make sure you secure your boat in a lock.
I do feel a bit sorry for the people in the above video. To be fair, it was a huge lock and required changing the rope position midway through due to the depth. It would have been very stressful for them. But the lesson here is to understand how locks work before you use a canal boat so that you don’t run into any trouble. For the video below, I have no words.
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French