Dav and Pen

Today 2005 at St Mammes upper Seine.

Tam is right in that the small scale of the BCN waterways plus the locks would make it very difficult to make water transport economical even if the loading and unloading infrastructure existed. In big cities like London and Paris which are both on major rivers heavy low value products like aggregate and the removal of waste both domestic and construction make sense because of the tonnage that boats can move. When the canals were active 25 tons or 50 on a pair was more than other forms of transport (except)railways could move and a steady supply of coal from the midlands south kept the factories full but they had to carry stocks none of this just in time business then. As Ashby Canal Transport we tried very hard in the 70s and 80s to find regular work but without much success even the lock gates went by road. whoever is behind this I wish them luck.

Today in 2008 a fine view of Chateauneuf en Auxois one of the beau villages of France which was virtually abandoned in the 1970s before some artists and artisans brought it back to life.

Contact sport!

Today in 2016 on the R.Yonne. This hire boat had tried to reverse inside the pontoon as all places were full and he picked up a lump of wood which jammed the prop. The hirer hoped his insurance would cover the cost!

It’s always possible but they would like the hours. 9 -12 then 1 -7pm and not many boats. The problem is that there are very few places to wait near locks and if you get caught out at lunchtime on a river section and the lock keeper is being officious and won’t let you in the lock to wait it can be be quite a problem. You are not allowed to touch the gear unless agreed and I have been threatened with the Gendarmes after waiting 2 hours at a lock before shutting the bottom gates and letting the leakage fill it.

This morning 2016 drifting about waiting for the lock keeper to arrive. Should start at 9am but just arrived at 9.30. Nivernais canal

Today in 2017 at Grey on the upper Saone. Looks like we had a fly problem.

Today in 2008 about to enter the 3.33km tunnel at the summit of the Burgundy canal and light at the end of the tunnel after about 50 minutes

Today in 2004 at Montargis met up with Tam and Di. Two very different types of Dutch barge a Luxe motor and a Hagenaar.

Be interested to know how it got to Belfast in the first place. Assume it’s going to be turned into a suction dredger on Lough Neagh.

Today in 2019 Hebden Bridge with a car show in the park.

Today 2013 on the Briare canal a smart Peniche loading from the silo.

I’ve got 2 of these one with a large Grand Union size socket? and one with an Oxford size. Sure they came from a WRG stall at a rally years ago. They aren’t really useable but polished up they make a decoration. I have a long throw steel one which somebody drilled the hole out from a solid piece of metal and which was very useful up t North.

I’ve still got a pair I brought in Belgium about 10 years ago. Wear them every day . If that the place where the big park is in Bruges think the cobbles are still there.

Today in 2013 on the summit of the Briare canal. Meet up with our S.African friends in their Piper who were traveling in the opposite direction to us. Strange how often you meet people you knew without any planning.

Today in 2013 we were at Rogny Les Sept Ecluse on the Briare canal. The original staircase has been bypassed by 5 new locks.

Today last year at Berry au Bac some good barge handling.

I seem to remember that when we brought Tadworth there was a shear Bolt which was supposed to break instead of the metalastic joint but it’s a long while ago now.

My wife hated these locks as she didn’t like all the people that were usually about and would start talking to her whilst she was trying to remember how to work them. She wasn’t keen on getting near the edge to look down either.

Today in 1999 on the Shannon Erne waterway. The mooring is at Houghton shores part way across and the signpost quite useful at the end.

Perhaps it’s an old eu thing although probably this place had some left over yellow paint.

The tomatoes are coming on nicely. Today 2016 at Clamacy Nivernais canal.

Interesting that the 1885 map shows the house being there and the gable end in the photo has a 1900 date brick built in. Possibly it was 2 houses at one time. It never had official road access when we were there but I often drove across the field to see Tommy,who was also responsible for the paddles on the puddle bank that controlled the level.

When we lived in Braunston in the 70s Tommy Johnson the lock keeper lived in that house and I always thought it was possibly a lengthmans house as it would have been built after the route was altered.