Australia to the rescue again

Canal boating like this is such fun. Going through the locks is totally engaging and then there are calm periods just watching the banks slide past.

One of the lovely things we’ve noticed in the locks is that the ropes from generations of boats have worn grooves in the stones making up the lip of the canal.

The lock keeper’s houses are also a joy. Mostly they are cute and preserved with flowers and a plaque on the wall giving distances to the next locks.

After one of our locks today, we came across a boat perpendicular to the bank blocking the canal. We offered help and were greeted by a torrent of incomprehensible French. We eventually negotiated a solution and towed them so they could moor properly. We left them to it from there; never really finding out what had occurred.

It was cold today and we spent the day rugged up. But there were enough sunny periods to make for happiness. In the evening we moored near an old bridge and walked up to the nearest village for dinner. The restaurant turned out to be a little local place loaded with character. Exactly what we imagined when we thought of being on the canal.