On the Canal du Nivernais

For some time Mr. C and I were taken with the idea of boating in France. That is, just the two of us in some smart little craft gliding down some scenic waterway. “Your first waterways cruise will be an unforgettable experience,” promises the Locaboat brochure. And it was a week-long Locaboat cruise we chose this past May, from tiny Corbigny about midway on the Canal du Nivernais to the town of Joigny on the river Yonne, in Burgundy.

Lauded as lovely and peaceful with unspoiled countryside, the Canal du Nivernais, built between 1783 and 1842, is now plied only by recreational craft. It seemed ideal, especially for neophytes like ourselves. 

 So how did reality compare to rosy expectation? First of all, it was an adventure, but adventures are not stress-free.Take the usual anxieties of travel and add to that trying to master (or at least handle adequately) everything in this totally new milieu. Simply driving the boat is not difficult, but maneuvering, i.e. entering a lock, mooring, takes some skill (and luck). As to the locks, despite the assurance on Locaboat's website that “there's no need to worry about them,” we found each lock to be somewhat of a challenge in one way or another.

On this particular itinerary there are

sixty-two locks, and going downstream as we were (meaning that the water was at lock level on entering, so we were “locking down”), one person must jump to the lock side to secure the boat. There are also several lift bridges which require someone to hop out to open and close them. Plus there's tying up for lunch and in the evening. Everything entails much hauling and pulling on the ropes. So the intervals of idyllic cruising are brief, and those of physical activity are frequent. I even lost weight!

 We were probably fortunate in going early in May, even if the weather was a bit chilly, because we enjoyed solitude along stretches of the canal. Eventually we caught up to another Locaboat going our way with three American couples around our age and often went through the locks with them. The locks (écluses) on the Canal du Nivernais have charming little houses that formerly housed the éclusiers, but now the lock keepers are government employees zipping up to the locks in vans. Each oversees several locks and were generally pleasant and helpful, especially the young women. Obviously they were accustomed to the bumbling efforts of vacationing boat renters, and it surely helped that we were passing through before the summer hordes wore down their patience. 
 

Overall we encountered mostly helpfulness and good will all along our cruise, from the other boaters, from the people who oversaw the moorings, and from the employees of Locaboat. We were also quite pleased with our Pénichette Classique, the smallest of the Locaboat fleet, but quite adequate for two people. In fact, it was fun spending a week on the cozy little boat, falling asleep to the lapping of the water, eating a meal we had cooked on the galley's stove. 
 

We explored the towns where we moored but didn't bicycle off to discover more distant attractions, both because we were often tired from our exertions on board and also because there simply wasn't time. The cruise was not really “at our own pace,” nor, despite our slow speed, was it all that leisurely, due to the aforementioned locks. “What time will you be leaving in the morning?” the lock keeper wanted to know the evening before. Then there were the mandatory mid-day halts when the lock keepers were at lunch. And, of course, there was the time specified for arrival at our final destination. So we had to keep going, even through one miserable day of cold, unceasing rain.

 

At the small city of Auxerre, where the Canal du Nivernais ends, the swelling river Yonne bustles with boats big and small. Thank goodness we were “experienced” by then! Another day on the river, navigating new sorts of locks along with much larger boats, brought us finally to Joigny and the conclusion of our journey by water. We were tired and we were ready for a long shower in a big bathroom. But most of all we were so glad that we had finally had this adventure that we had thought about for so long. 

 

And now that we know more or less what to expect...we are thinking about doing it again! (Although on a different waterway with fewer locks.) And if anyone reading this is pondering a similar adventure afloat, please feel free to get in touch.