Thursday 18th May 2017 Deluz to abv lk 37 Grand Crucifix 25.5kms 10 locks

Deluz, moored boats and Locaboat hire base

15.2°C Leaden skies – rain due tomorrow. Sun out by mid-afternoon, thunderstorm after we’d tied up. A train went past with thirty empty car transport wagons. Set off at 9am. There were already some noisy fishermen on the opposite bank. A new layby filled with cruisers moored end on to the bank had been built in Deluz and a Locaboat hire base. Upstream of that was what was once an elegant factory building, now sadly decaying,

Old abandonded factory, roof falling in. Deluz

its roof falling in. A little further on by the church in Deluz there was a mooring for bigger boats at the base of a sloping grassy bank with a wooden piled edge. Flood lock 46B was in action. Tied to a floating pontoon, the water level went up by about 10cms. Back on the river, there were cliffs on the left and forested hills all around as we swept round a big bend to lock 45 Aigremont and a rise of just 0.7m. On the lockside a row of gabions had been placed to make a layby for VNF vans only – why do that when vans could just

Below Laissey lock - weir to the right - mill stream to the left

drive on to the lockside anyway which was on the same level as the road – do they often drive into the lock? 2kms of winding river, passing the little town of Laissey on route to lock 44 Laissey. 2,2m lift. A factory (still in use) on the left of the lock was supplied with water from above the lock, which meant there was water flowing, not only from the weir on our right, but also from a millstream on the left. Sitting below the lock waiting for it to empty was a bit dodgy as there was no waiting pontoon and the flow was trying to push the

Above Laissey lock - weir to the left - mill stream to the right

boat sideways towards the middle of the river. Inside the chamber there were large recesses in the lock walls, one at the back of the lock ladder. Put a rope around a vertical bar in the rod recess. The lock filled gently via ground paddles only. 2.3kms of river to lock 43 Douvot (1.35m) which had a footbridge over the lock which made an ideal vantage point for gongoozling passing cyclists. Above the lock there was an island with no sign to say which side was the navigable

Clary growing on lock wall at Ougney

channel, we followed our Vagnon guide and went left. About 2kms to the next. The river still lay at the foot of cliffs and forested hills. A short sharp rain storm caused Mike to put the brolly up and me to close all doors. Under a road bridge and into lock 42 Ougney (1.25m), there were houses on both sides of the lock chamber and a beautiful blue clary flowering in the lock wall. 2.2kms of river running below Fourbanne cliffs which stood like massive castle turrets. Up lock 41 Fourbanne, another 2m rise, with a big VNF van on the lockside, but no occupant in sight. On upriver

Fourbanne cliffs

with cliffs towering above steep meadows with grazing cows, 2,5kms to the next lock. A big group of waving cyclists went past, we wondered if they were on a cycling tour. Into lock 40 Baumerousse, a very deep one at 4.1m lift. It filled gently, again with just ground paddles, no violent gate paddles. Two young men stood on the lockside watching, The canal above had lots of floating brown blobs of dead blanket weed. The moorings at Baume-les-Dames had been

Squeezed into the moorings at Baume-les-Dames

altered out of all recognition with finger moorings and boats moored end on to the bank. There was a length long enough for us to slot into on an angle. Signs said pay at the campervan place just across the road. There were tariffs for vans 10€ but nothing for boats and the office didn’t open until 6pm – it was 1.40pm. One Swiss cruiser was occupied so Mike went to ask how much they charged. He was told that charges went by length, below 15m was 15€ per night and over 15m was a staggering 20€ per night – and we were planning on stopping two nights as the weather forecast for the next day was bad, rain all day with thunderstorms. No way we were going to pay 40€ when we

Moored on pontoon above Grand Crucifix lock

didn’t really need their water or electricity. We set off again at 2.45pm. The sun came out and it was getting hot again. Sunshade up. Through an open flood lock 40B and along a canal section with very high steep banks with rocks along the base. Back on to the river round a big left hand bend with two scowling young fishermen in a small boat anchored in the middle. Two Swiss cruisers went flying past heading downriver as we approached lock 39 Lonot. A pontoon was angled to the river

Moored above lock 37 Grand Crucifix

just before a sharp right turn into the lock. Up 1.7m, into a short lock cut then back on to the river, another short reach of 2.2kms to lock 38 La Raie au Chèvre on the right hand side of the river with a long open weir to the left. Up just 1m. The next short river reach had holiday chalets in ones and twos before lock 37 Grand Crucifix. Gently up another 1.5m. There was a pontoon above – and it had no notice forbidding mooring. We tied up. It was very hot and we were starting to get tired. The lock behind us closed, but the red lock light was flashing. A large VNF van went past, paused by the lock then went on downriver. A pleasant place to stop. Glad we did as a thunderstorm brought pouring rain not long after we tied up.