The Journey -
Deeper into France on Rosy

The unseasonal, cold wet weather continued, so that we spent five days marooned in Douai.  The town centre is quite pretty - a big open square, with some eye-catching buildings facing it.  The all important shops were quite handy, and access to the internet was but a 15 minute bike ride away.  The time went by pleasantly enough, but we need lots of fine weather to get the painting done.  I had hoped to get it all finished by the time we get to the Somme at the end of June, but that hope is now somewhat forlorn.

Eventually, the forecast promised better things, so we set off - ten minutes later it was raining again!!  We motored up the big canal that skirts round Douai, and through the two locks.  Immediately after the second lock there is a crossroads.  The left turn (through a boat yard) leads to a very pleasant mooring, which is just above the first lock (which is now permanently closed).  A couple of years ago, I spent a very pleasant few days there.  No good for keen TV watchers, as no Sky signal is available there.

We, however, turned left, up the Scarpe Superior ('superior' as in 'upper' rather than 'better').  The first few hundred metres are a pain.  There are working barges using the narrow, twisty channel, and they find entering and exiting the first lock a bit tricky.  The pounds below and above the first lock are bordered by various industrial enterprises in a variety of states, ranging from the 'nearly new' to 'wrecked, awaiting demolition'.  However, after this unpromising start, things improve, and the rest of the navigation is quite pretty.

We made our first stop on an overgrown quay, just above the last bridge in Vitry-en-Artois.  The sickle was brought into play to clear a path from the quay-side to the cobbled quay roadway.  The village centre has all the basic amenities - post office, mini-market, bread shop etc.

The next day we motored up to St Laurent Blangy, the effective head of navigation.  In fact, the canal continues through two locks up to Arras, where it broadens out into a lake complete with some finger moorings BUT … the approach to the last lock has not been dredged for ages.  The water is quite clear, so we could see what appeared to be a rather windy channel, and following it could be extremely tricky.  The lock requires help from the waterways staff (it is an automatic lock, but the power is turned off) who say that the lock is unusable.  So we winded at St Laurent Blagny, filled with water, and admired the canoeing 'white water' slalom course that they have laid out in the weir stream that bypasses the lock.  We didn't stay there, but cruised back downstream, in rain, to Athies, where we moored above the lock.  The wind then stole my umbrella and pitched it into the water.  Fanny-the-Woof was the only one who saw it go, and she woofed and WOOFED to attract our attention; so she got an extra helping of dinner for that.

The next day was showery, so we stayed put.  There are, apparently, no supply shops in Athies - even the nearest bread shop is back at St Laurent Blagny.  I took Fanny out for a walk between showers.  I left the village, and followed a cart track called, I guess Houdain Lane (or words to that effect) as it lead to the Houdain Lane Commonwealth War Graves cemetery.

This cemetery lies in a gentle valley, in open, rolling, agricultural country side - hardly a tree to be seen, and certainly no houses.  Some fields are cultivated, but many are left as rough pasture.  The countryside looks natural, and this contrasts with the angular worked stone of the cemetery walls, the manicured grass, the weedless gardens, the towering white cross and the 100+ white grave-stones.

The cemetery is about a quarter of the way down the gently sloping valley side.  Behind it, the ground rises to a ridge line.  In front of it, the ground drops slowly away to the river at the bottom, and from there it rises gently up again to the far ridge line, maybe two or three kilometres away.

It this quiet lonely spot, out in the countryside.  A bit windswept at times perhaps, but a peaceful place to be laid to rest.  The graves are mostly British, but at least one is Canadian.  For those who have never been to a Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, I offer the following.

The gravestones are all to the same design, and are laid out in neat rows.  Most stones are engraved with the name of the regiment, and the regimental badge.  Below that is the number, rank, initials and surname of the inmate of the grave.  Relatives of the inmate could pay to have an inscription written at the bottom of the stone.  These brief words from a wife or parents are, perhaps, the most moving, as they show the soldier to be more than just a fighting man, but a son, husband or father, with folks back home grieving for him.

A number of grave stones have no name, but are simply inscribed with 'A Soldier of the Great War', perhaps with the regimental name and crest if that is known.  At the base of these stones is usually carved 'Known unto God'.

Most cemeteries have a cemetery safe, built into one of the surrounding walls.  This may describe the reasons why the cemetery is there - an outline, perhaps, of the actions that took place there, or a note that it was near the site of a field dressing station, or what have you.  There is an alphabetical list of the inmates, showing where each one lies.  There is also a visitors book.  Houdain Lane appeared not to have a cemetery safe.

On the ground outside the cemetery there were what appeared to me, at first sight, to be two mortar bombs - cylindrical tubes, flat ended, about 8cm in diameter and finless.  But they each had a couple of driving rings at one end, so I don't know what they were.  There was also a bit of shrapnel, and this is now on 'Rosy'.

The following day we headed back down stream to Vitry-en-Artois and moored on the same spot that we had used a few days previously.  In the evening, after Mike had been off on his moped to collect his car, we had a shopping expedition to a big supermarket.

The next day was a Saturday, and the weather was not too bad, though deterioration was promised for the Sunday and Monday.  So we headed back to Douai, intending to hole up there during the rain before cruising down the pretty Scarpe Inferiore ('inferiore' as in 'lower').  This plan was largely scuppered by a cheery lock keeper, who told us that the Scarpe Inferiore closed two years ago and was unlikely to open again!!  By this time we were near the Scarpe, so we continued up to the top of the first lock and, sure enough, it was closed.  The mooring by the lock was quite pleasant, so we stayed there four nights, waiting for a break in the rainy weather.

The story on the Scarpe Inferiore seems to be that a boat crashed into one of the moveable bridges, causing extensive damage.  There are several moveable bridges on the Scarpe (that is, bridges that cross the water at low level, and have to be moved (swung aside or lifted up) to allow a boat to pass).  The costs of the repairs highlighted the costs of passing boats along the navigation - a lock/bridge person has to travel by car along the navigation, opening and closing bridges and locks for each boat.  The authorities are now reviewing their options, and whilst this review is in progress, the navigation is closed.

As far as we were concerned, its closure turns a one day journey into a three day one.

We spent several days waiting for the weather.  It cleared a bit on the Wednesday, so we left Douai, and headed off on a southerly curve round to a quiet mooring in Le Basin Rond.

The following day, we moved to Valenciens, where there is a secret mooring - secret in that it isn't shown on the maps we have.  Just above the lock (Ecluse Folien) one takes the left fork, down the weir cut.  A few yards down there are some convenient bollards to moor to.  There is a black barge moored on the right hand side, and it is advisable to moor as far from it as possible - it is called D3, and is a 'night bar' serving 'spicy cocktails' with 'music.  This latter starts at about 9pm, and on a Saturday night goes on until 8 or 9 am on Sunday morning.  Such things don't bother me - I've slept through all sorts of crises - but lighter sleepers could find it a bit annoying.

Anyway, we set of the following morning, and later in the day passed the entrance to the Scarpe Inferiore, before crossing the border from France into Belgium, and on up to our destination - the fuel barge at Antoing - where we squeezed in as much red diesel as we could (for taxual reasons, the red stuff is only available for pleasure boats in Britain and Belgium.  It carries a very much lower burden of tax.  Between us, we only took 350 or so litres, but this was at 70 cents a litre, as opposed to 1.05 Euros a litre for ordinary diesel).

We spent the night in the little basin immediately below the bunker boat.  The bunker boat is surrounded by moored, commercial craft, so the passing traffic tends to slow down a bit.  Even so, the mooring is a bit bouncy, so mooring lines should take account of this.  The village has the necessary shops (post office, pharmacy, bread shops etc etc and there is an Aldi next to the bunker boat.  There is also a very unusual chateau - it has towers that are part clad in brick and part with slate.  There are also some disused lime kilns.

Also in the basin was the recently arrived 'Iron Lady'.  Mave and Malcolm from Ireland have recently bought her in Holland, having had several previous 'Iron Lady's' in Ireland.  The are keen boaters, and had news of Brian Goggin who used to be a regular contributor to uk.rec.waterways, the internet newsgroup that discusses canals and waterways.  Brian was devoting too much of his life to waterways, and a few years ago had to cut back on such activities.

The following day, a Saturday, we went back to Valenciens - which is how I know about the D3 barge in the moorings!

On Sunday 4 June we motored back to Le Basin Rond, where we still are (today, for me, is Tuesday 7 Jun).  The weather has ceased being so beastly to us, and we have finally started painting - or, at least, started the first stages, the 'rubbing down' phase.  I have also cleaned out the engine room bilges, another ghastly job

I do these tasks, not because I enjoy them, but because I have to!!

Thank goodness for Fanny the Woof, who gives me a legitimate excuse to get away from such tasks and pander to her need for 'walkies'.

Toodle pip!!

Bill