LOST IN FRANCE
In the first part of a new series on the waterways of France, Don and Marjorie Walker set their sights on the Canal du Rhone au Rhin following its spectacular route through the Jura to the Swiss/german border
PART 1 The first of a new series exploring some of Europe’s prettiest waterways
Ihave been a keen sailor for many years and as our family grew up, I tried to persuade my wife Marjorie to join me. She gave it a fair shot, even trying a couple of Sunsail holidays, but after one too many bad experiences she suggested we try motor cruising instead. Encouraged by this, and with happy memories of family holidays in hire boats on the French canals, we agreed to look for a suitable craft.
We started with a well-used Broom 30, an ex-hire boat based on the Thames, but soon wanted to venture further afield.
After spending time on the Broads – during which our boat was extensively refurbished by Broom – we began looking for something a little bigger and more suitable for coastal cruising.
Impressed by Broom’s build quality and the accommodation which its aft cabin designs provide, we settled on a Broom 33 called La Strega, with a planing hull and twin TAMD 41b Volvos. We based her on the Medway for a few years and had a lot of fun exploring the south and east coasts of the UK, even getting as far as Holland.
On my retirement, we moved La Strega to Holland and spent four happy summers exploring the Low Countries from Antwerp to Friesland before moving on to France and its 8,000km of inland waterways. Over the next couple of years, we made our way via Honfleur, Paris and the Loire to St Jean de Losne in Burgundy.
We chose St Jean as a base because it is at the heart of France’s inland waterway network, where five routes from the North converge on the river Saone. From here, Lyon and the Rhone are just a few days away. It has a certain charm and a long and interesting history as the gateway to Burgundy, which has seen it become one of France’s main inland boating centres.
Of the canals heading to the north, perhaps the least known but most interesting is the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. Confusingly named because it is actually a river navigation and doesn’t connect directly with either the Rhone or the Rhine, this waterway carves through the spectacular scenery of the Jura reaching 1,120ft above sea level before descending towards the upper Rhine and the Swiss/german border. This, we decided, would be our route for the 2019 season.
Our first outing after reaching St Jean was a short trip up the Doubs to Dole, a lovely town with beautiful riverside restaurants and the birthplace of Louis Pasteur. This whetted our appetite but also made us realise that, to explore the full length of the Doubs, we needed time. I calculated that it would take at least a week to cover the 237km and 114 locks between St Jean and Mulhouse at the other end of the navigation. From Mulhouse we could connect with the Upper Rhine and cruise downstream to Strasbourg and on to the Canal de la Marne au Rhin to Nancy before returning south via the Vosges canal and the Petite Saone.
The more I read about the route through the Jura to Alsace and Lorraine, then back over the Vosges, the more enthusiastic I became. This long disputed border country between France and Germany has a fascinating history, combining scenic beauty with historic towns. I estimated that we could do it in about six weeks, allowing time to explore along the way.
THE JOURNEY STARTS
We set off for St Jean on Friday 14 June but resisted the urge to rush off as soon as we got there. We spent Saturday checking the boat and stocking up with supplies from the excellent local supermarkets. We knew from experience that we might be lucky to find as much as a bakery in the smaller French villages!
We had arrived to find St Jean en fete, celebrating the Grand Pardon des Mariniers, a traditional gathering of commercial barges. Although there are now very few original peniches still carrying cargoes, many have been converted to other uses.
Joining the cheerful crowds along the river bank, we treated ourselves to a farewell dinner at our favourite restaurant, the Auberge de la Marine. Run by a widow who does all the cooking herself, she offers a menu of regional specialities like Cuisse de Grenouille (frogs’ legs) and Pocheuse (river fish poached in
La Strega