Nivernais and Morvan

20th May, 2011 (Tony)

When we cruised the Canal du Nivernais in 2007 we were limited in time and had a deadline to get to Vermenton to obtain our licences. This time however we have no constraints and since turning off the Loire at Decize we have intentionally dawdled in order to explore the greater environs of Burgundy. It's not all grape country — in fact only a very small portion of this beautiful region produces wine. We paused overnight at Cercy la Tour and rode our push bikes around the village and up to the lookout high above the town. But at Panneçot we lingered for a couple of days in order to explore deep into the surrounding hills on our motorbikes. On a magical, summer's day we set off for one of the most enjoyable rides ever — far up to the very heart and among the highest hills of Bourgogne; through Moulins-Engilbert, on to Chateau Chinon the largest town in the Morvan where we stopped for a delicious lunch at a hotel restaurant. From there it seemed illogical not to continue to Mont Beuvary, not only one of the loftiest lookouts (821m) in the area but also the site of famous archaeological diggings of an ancient Gaul settlement later occupied and extended by the Romans. The place was never attacked or ruined, just eventually abandoned. Julius Caesar visited the same place, only 2050 years before us. Looks pretty much the same... As we swept around a bend near the top of the mountain we were astonished to discover an absolutely stunning, modern museum dedicated to the history and relics of the site. This building must have cost at least four million euros. A spectacular edifice of glass and polished granite. I was so gobsmacked I forgot to take a picture of it. What a find! From there it was all downhill back to Sable, a 105km ride through some of the loveliest scenery we've come across.

We continued our cruise to Chatillon en Bazois and reconnoitred on motorbikes through another extensive area of the Morvan, finding by chance a huge dam at Lake Pannecière on the Yonne where we sprawled on the grass for a picnic lunch. We tried to locate the source of the Yonne near Mont Beuvary, which like the Seine, bubbles out of a grotto but we somehow took a wrong turn. We did however come across the Rigole which feeds water from the lake to the Canal du Nivernais at its summit, crossing several valleys on impressive tall aquaducts. At Chatillon en Bazois we met up with Terry and Ruth whose Tchalk, Verwissling, usually moors directly in front of us in Roanne. They took their boat to Migennes last winter to carry out some repairs and are now on the return journey to Roanne. Sally's sister Myra arrived there on the bus and with another couple of Brits in the port we all sat around in the evening sunshine for pre-dinner drinks and in no time at all, less than three litres in fact, solved all the problems of the world. Obama, Cameron, Gillard, Key should all take a canal cruise in France...

At Baye you feel as if you are on top of the world, well almost. Moored to a seawall, one overlooks a big lake — storage water for the canal. We relished a glorious evening dining on the top deck watching sailboats tacking back and forth. Next morning we chugged through the three tunnels and commenced the arduous descent down the sixteen-lock chain to Sardy, then on to Chitry les Mines. We learned only a few days before our arrival that Ted Johnston's wife, Guislane, passed away last year. He was pleased to see us again and it wasn't long before we were reminiscing about acquaintances and relatives back in Nerang. We also couldn't pass up the opportunity to indulge in a meal of steak and chips at his sister-in-law's quayside cafe and to meet his son and daughter and grandchildren. Ted is still fighting beauracracy for approval to build his new ship's chandlery but he continues to operate very successfully from the cramped quarters above his home. My credit card account can testify to that. Everyone who has ever cruised the Nivernais will fondly recall the lift-up bridges that must be wound up and down by hand and the gorgeous scenery between Chitry and Clamecy. Nothing much has altered though a few of the lock-keepers cottages have fallen into disrepair. Sadly, the canal itself is silting up and is now quite shallow in many places. All right for the many hire boats and just ok for Sable but any vessel drawing more than a metre stirs up a constant stream of mud. The entire canal is in dire need of dredging but I imagine no one wishes to fund such a massive undertaking.

At Clamecy we jumped on the train one morning to Auxerre and hired a car. The Avis lass demanded I sign a form declaring that the vehicle was faultless and strode out to the garage and fetched a Ford C-Max. I noted a couple of spots of bird shit and dutifully strutted around examining the body (the car's, not hers) whereupon she declared, "Seulement sept kilometres!". She was right, there was only 7km on the clock! It must have been delivered by train the day before. So Sally, Myra and I spent the weekend exploring even more of the Morvan, venturing up to Vezelay with its remarkable 11th century abbey, a site revered by all pilgrims embarking on the long trudge to Santiago de Compostela. We continued to Quarré les Tombes with its bizarre collection of ancient limestone sarcophagi encircling the church and then to Brisson for a very sobering and solemn visit to the Museum to the Resistance. What brave heroes. And what an amazing labyrinth of forests and valleys the Morvan comprises; and very beautiful too. Little wonder the Nazis found it difficult to track down the marquis; but when they did their reprisals were brutal. We cheered ourselves up by paying a visit to Vauban's own personal chateau at Bazoches. What a delight. All the furniture and rooms are pretty much exactly as they were in the 1700's. Particularly amazing was the huge hall (nowadays a ballroom) which Vauban used as his office and where he and his engineers designed and modelled the numerous fortresses for which he became renowned. His descendants still comfortably occupy a wing of the modest-sized chateau. One of the best in terms of authenticity and condition we've seen in France although the gardens, originally designed by la Notre, no longer exist.

No visit to (White) Burgundy would be complete without a stroll around Noyers an absolutely postcard picturesque village full of old, very olde, half-timbered houses. Likewise Chablis, a very pretty town surrounded by France's finest chardonnay vineyards. So it was lunch at a fine restaurant we visited almost exactly a year ago. After dropping the girls back at the boat at Clamecy I returned the car, now not so new with 880 km on the dial. A top weekend atop the tops. But we're not yet entirely done with Bourgogne — there's still the appellation of Irancy and the vineyards of Auxerre to come. I intend to update the website at Auxerre where hopefully internet access will be better.