4th - 10th August 2015. Map of France. An exciting week for Shannon, as we sail on to Baume-les-Dames. Next stop Laissey.

As we are only a few kilometres from Switzerland here, it seems the right time to locate us on the map of France. Access to the internet is poor here, so apologies for the delay with this post.

Since turning round, we have been making our way slowly back down the Doubs navigation. We had one very wet day, moored at Colombier-Chatalot, before shopping and refuelling at Isle-sur-le-Doubs. Then it was on to moor below La Goulisse lock, where we originally moored the other way round. In the evening we walked about half a mile further on, when Shannon decided it was time for her evening dip in the river. Ignoring the fact that there was no way down, she launched herself over the edge, to land in a heap in the shallow water below. That was fine, until she tried to climb back up to us, and failed! If either of us had gone down to her, then we too would have been stuck, so eventually Andy went back to get The Puzzler, as it was getting dark. Shannon was even more upset at this point, feeling abandoned, so cried loudly, until she realised that I was still there, above her. Andy returned in about twenty minutes, and beached the bows of The Puzzler, just downstream of Shannon. She refused to swim to the boat, so he climbed into the water to retrieve her. By now it was pitch dark, which is why we moored the other way round, on our return to the jetty!

Next day we located the bank where all of this happened. It was a brick wall, supporting the bank, which had created the problem. Twenty yards either way would have been OK, but it was too dark to see that last night.

She spent Friday afternoon relaxing on the front of the boat, with Andy. Later on that evening we were treated to the best display of sheet lightning we had ever seen, with thunder rolling all around us. Saturday brought more thunder too, so we stayed put. The cyclists keep on coming past on this long distance cycleway from Nantes, on the Atlantic coast, to Budapest. Today a couple went past on a tandem, with a trailer containing two sleeping children.

In each herd of cows, there are a couple with bells on. These bells are not very big, but can be heard for a long way.

Another picturesque village, which spreads up the side of the valley, is Hyèvre-Paroisse.

This is Grand Crucifix lock, with the weir behind it. Shannon dropped the apple she was carrying over the edge of the concrete slope, at the near side of the lock, and reached too far for it, with the predictable result! She went head first down the slope to the reeds below .

Here are her skid marks, outlined in black! It has been an eventful week for her.

Monday was a misty morning, giving the forests an eerie look.

In Baume-les Dames we visited the old part of the town.

In the old Abbey there was great anticipation, as the World Cup of Draughts, Round 5, takes place here this week. There are 16 competitors, of whom 12 are French and two are Russian, with one each from Poland and Germany. The afternoon competition was a friendly speed draughts contest, with 24 draughts and twelve minutes each, in which to beat your opponent.

After passing the village of Ougney-les Champs, the forest continues ahead of us, along the valley of the river Doubs.

We had a very enjoyable evening at Laissey, drinking champagne on our new friends boat. I even received my first kiss from a Frenchman, who was seven today!

25th - 28th July. On along the Doubs to Novillars, Laissey, Fourbanne and Baume-le-Dames.

Mooring at Novillars, we were treated to the “Dutch light” on the far side of the Doubs river.

Going up the double lock at Deluz, it still seems very strange when even this lock is fully automated. We do have to push the blue pole to continue, but the dark mark on the wall tells us how high we have to rise, before continuing into the next chamber.

Our next stop is at Laissey, where the old part of the village, by the well, is very attractive. In the rest of the village the roads have been dug up, ready for resurfacing. At the cafe several people are having their Sunday lunch, and the epicerie is part of the same building, so we went in, to be told that it was closed. It would be open later on, but as to what time, well, that was answered by a Gallic shrug!

Carrying on upstream, the cliffs are even higher, and it is rather like the river Meuse in the Ardennes.

The village of Fourbanne climbs up the valley side, with individual houses, each with a fantastic view of the hills beyond. We followed some brown signs to Fourbanne Grotte, across a field and into a wood, but did not manage to find a single cave!

There are pastures here, to our right, as the valley opens out, and cows, with cow bells, which sound lovely.

Every so often we pass small villages, nestled below the wooded sides of the Doubs valley.

We stopped briefly at Baume-le-Dames, where the supermarket, for once, is not too far away. As it is a paying mooring though, we move on out into the country.

Above Baume-le-Dames the canal goes through a narrow wooded section.

Rejoining the river Doubs though, it is really wide again. It flows to the left, below the hill ahead.

There are very few moorings generally on this river, so we are on a lock mooring, above La Raie aux Chèvres lock. Literally translated, this is “the stripe on the goats”.