We actually did not need to dismantle the wheelhouse today but chose to do so anyway. We have got quite used to open air driving and in this fantastic weather it seems wrong to be tucked away inside.
Not many locks on this stretch of waterway – but they are bigger. Lobelia looked a little lost in the 125m x 12m lock at Bellerive.
Moored up in Longueil-Annel which is a village dedicated to life on the canal. The towpath is lined with quaint houses which are adorned with barge paraphernalia and seem to house the retired barge captains of the canal’s golden years. Their houses, like the barges they once drove, are kept clean, tidy and polished to perfection. Better still, the barge fuel stop is a bar. The lock used to be the post office. And now there is a museum and show-barge dedicated to the history and working life of the barges and their owners. Plenty of interesting short films and reminiscences of life onboard. The boys particularly enjoyed the photo of “Grannie” around 1900, in an oppressively heavy-looking dress and in a hat and a harness, pulling the laden barge along the length of the canal. The museum was excellent, though we were sorry to have just missed the annual barge festival with its boat jousting contests and fireworks
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