Attigny, Mouzon and others
After leaving Verdun we continued along the River Meuse, into the Ardennes region, then soon onto the Canal des Ardennes. These stretches are very sparsely settled with few towns of any size. In fact the Lonely Planet guide for France does not even include the word "Ardennes" in its index! Again forests and fields dominate. This is still frontier country. In Mouzon, now a town of 3000 people but previously much larger, we were able to see how the various waves of history all add to the fabric of the town. There is a Gallo- Roman site nearby, an abbey established in 971 and now in use as an aged care home; twelfth century ramparts and watchtowers, and a group of Spanish houses built during the brief Spanish occupation around 1650. The 12th Century Abbey Church of Notre Dame is most attractive, enhanced by the gold sandstone of the area which gives a warm effect. There is a museum of Felt, a tribute to the type of industry which keeps this town thriving. Soon after our visit to Mouzon we turned onto the Canal des Ardennes then climbed to the peak of the canal, finally going by tunnel under a mountain at St Aignan. Then we dropped rapidly and had one of our busiest days: twenty seven locks which dropped us 80 metres over a distance of 10 kilometres. This sequence of locks was automatic and in a chain, so that in theory as we left one lock, the next would be getting ready. In practice, we met several boats going in the opposite direction, and always seemed to meet them while they were in the lock ahead. Also two locks broke down so that we had to use our VHF radio to summons help from the VNF who have staff on hand for just such events. The response was very fast on both occasions. Still, it took eight and a half hours and we were very happy to tie up at the town of Attigny. This was a pleasant little town with a shady mooring. There was one space left and we were able to squeeze into it with only half a metre to spare at each end of the boat. This was where we organised to meet Liz and Abby who were driving from Guernsey to be with us for Liz's birthday and a few days on the barge.
Photo show:
We are so close to the hay harvest
Mouzon (3)
Mouzon retirement home. What a grand place!
The canal at Mouzon
View from old Roman Fort over Dun sur Meuse
Best Regards, Penny and Dave
