Negra to Gardouch

Saturday, September 15th

After the disappointment of not getting away yesterday we spent another night in the Hotel du Laragais, courtesy of Locaboat. This was an opportunity to eat some more of the local food, drink some more wine, and suffer the sounds of the nearby railway line:

At least we could "sleep in" a little, and the taxi picked us up around 10:30am to take us back to the Locaboat marina. Our boat was due to be ready by 2:00pm, but we very quickly realised that they weren't going to make that deadline. French lunch "hour" put the lid on that possibility. We checked out the bikes (not Rob's usual standard), picked two, and went for a ride along the very beautiful and apparently very long bike path alongside the canal:

Anyway, they worked hard, were very nice, and we got a bottle of wine, a bottle of champagne, and a one day refund as compensation:

The boat was more or less ready to go by 3:30pm, although we were going to be without a heater (not that we even expected it to be heated, or for heating to be required). "Training" took about an hour, and it's certainly throwing you in the deep end of the canal (well, only 2 metres deep). We were away by 4:30pm after one short spin around the canal with the trainer - he jumped off and we headed off!

Now the first lock is only a kilometre away, and it's automated, which means the crew on the shore pressing buttons and the captain stearing the boat into the lock, and it was an upwards lock - hair raising! We also had to do it with another boat which had also just started. And don't forget - prudence.

Another few kilometres, and a double lock, also "uphill", also accompanied by our new found American "friends". Fortunately, this lock was controlled by a lock keeper, who was also very helpful (Prue stayed on the boat this time).

It was now after 6:00pm and because locks close at 7:00pm it was prudent to moor the boat for the night. The local village didn't offer more than a tapas bar, so we ate (and drank) on the boat - thank God for those supplies we bought earlier.

PS. absolutely no Internet of any kind this evening, so this blog is being posted a day late (je suis désolé).