Chateaus, Aqueducts & low bridges

Things have become much smoother with our at-sea operations. Jiggs is looking more relaxed, Mac has taken on much of the longer stretches to give our Captain a break. The rest of us are adept at ropes, locks and generally being more useful than in the way- but it has been a relatively active holiday.

I've taken a break from drafting the news and following are Mac's notes which provide a good description of Thursday's activities.

We started Thursday in Homps. We set out promptly to clear the first locks early. No such luck as there was a small line up but it was a pretty spot for the wait, including an old aqueduct (here, as has often been the case, just a small structure where the canal crosses a stream). Heather and Helen thought we would walk to the next, nearby lock but discovered that the next lock was not in use so we had to pull-over to shore to rescue them!

Steph and I then got off to go for a run along the canal. As we were moving much more quickly than the boat we took the time to go up to the top of a local promontory to look over the valley. When we met up with the boat, Helen joined us and we continued on foot to meet the boat at Argent Minervois, a charming little town with a welcoming cafe on the waterfront. Helen walked around town, to see what there was to see - a derelict castle mostly - then we met up with the boat and continued on our way.

Le Somail was our early afternoon stop. Another charming waterside village- a little larger than most. Many boaters had stopped to lunch there, so it was quite busy. We explored what we could, including a giant second hand book store in a local cave - then persuaded a somewhat reluctant waiter to serve us a late lunch.
After lunch, we passed a key point in the canal where a branch heads south to Narbonne. We continued east direction Beziers. Mike and Helen decided to bike into Capestang, our destination for the evening. The canal really meanders on this section with many twists and turns and remains on a surprisingly high elevation compared to the Aude river offering many views over the Aude valley.

Capestang is one of the larger towns along the canal, with a very grand church on a small rise, soaring over the other buildings. It is also a very busy port. Many boats had stopped there for the night and as a result we were not able to get a serviced berth for the night so tied up on a grassy canal side.
Capestang also boasts the lowest bridge on the entire canal. We inched through with only millimetres to spare all round. No surprise, mike and Helen were sitting nursing a beer at the first riverside bar in town.

After tying up and tidying up, we headed into town for dinner, enjoying a stroll through town en-route. Capestang is prosperous with many handsome stone town houses and a marble paved town square beside church. We also checked out the location and opening times of the Boulanger in in anticipation of an early morning croissant run.
Dinner was at a little family run restaurant that gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. Well deserved, we discovered. Our host was very attentive, the food was excellent and we tried out the wine that the restauranteur had been making with a friend -also successful. Three hours later, we waddled back to the boat after another convivial evening dining in France.
That's all for now. I'll send the pictures in 2 batches
Heather ( and Mac my ghost-writer)Read more