Barging from Loire to Burgundy
The journey begins . . . here.
Saturday 9th June 2018
Roanne
A pair of Belgian blokes came past our boat 8.50am to move us away from the quay so we could double bank on the outside of them. They were heading back to Belgium for 2 months. The mooring arrangements get decided by Herve who manages the port and obviously knows the long-term comings and goings. We were leaving Monday so all good with that. We hardly tied up when a bunch of boats started hooting and tooting. Eendracht, a long-time resident at Roanne, and a massive Dutch barge, was leaving. The New Zealand owners had sold to an American couple and they were all saying Good Bye. Quite touching that.
We had a lovely evening with the fellow South Africans the night before. I can understand why expats seek each other out. Although my French vocabulary isn’t terrible, the French speak so fast that my brain can’t engage quickly enough to translate what they have said back into English. It’s just so much easier speaking English. And even better to someone who understands our slang and humour.
Port Roanne is a big open marina.
There are a lot of boats in Roanne as it’s quite a bit cheaper than other marinas. It can accomodate very big boats, so a few permanent residents occupy space. Their boats even have their own post boxes! And a right mix of people as I discovered at the Thursday social evening. A good few Brits, a fair number of New Zealanders, an Australian couple as well as a couple from America and one from Canada. And a Chinese woman. Then French and Belgians made up the rest of the group. Only thing is there are not a lot of services in Roanne. It’s also at the end of Canal de Roanne a Digoin and has no passing boat traffic.
Roanne is quite a big place so getting there by bus or train isn’t too much of a challenge. Also has plenty shops which is really handy. It’s not industrial or bleak – like some places along the waterways. The marina itself is a draw card for locals who come to canoe and play boules or sit on deck chairs next to the water’s edge. There’s a fountain where children can cool off. The tow path attracts cyclists, runners and walkers as it’s pretty. Next to the marina is the river Loire which is beautiful. So overall, it’s a nice place to stay for a few days and a popular choice for long-term mooring.
Walking along the tow path.
The South Africans invited us to a reciprocal dinner as we were leaving shortly. Excellent meal and all 100% vegan, including a hazelnut creme with peaches and dark chocolate. Always so nice that people make an effort to accomodate us and they are always surprised by how easy it is to make a plant-based meal. It stays light until late so although we left to go back to our boat around 21.30pm, people were still strolling next to the boats. Even jogging at 22.00pm!
The journey continues . . . . . here.
