Leaving Vincelles June 21st, my goal was Cravant, a short distance away. We had stopped here for lunch, not knowing what to expect (there was no information in the guide provided by Le Boat). To our surprise, we had an excellent 4 course lunch and then walked about this walled city. The mooring is really just a grass banked indentation off the canal, but I was able to shoehorn Desormais into one of the few places where power was accessible. The small cobblestone streets wind through the village, with its small fountains in squares, an old washhouse (laverie), even a prison tower!
I made for a free mooring in the pretty little town of Mailly-la-Ville, but with a lunchtime stop in Pregilbert.
Pregilbert is a small town, with really no services available. My reason for stopping had nothing to do with the town, but the area across the river from the town. There lay the remaining vestiges of what was once one of the more powerful Abbeys in France. It was where knights headed to the Crusades dropped off their wives for safe-keeping, and so became well connected over time with many of the leading families in France.
The Abbey raised various crops to make money for upkeep, and one enterprising Abbess decided they would raise trout, taking advantage of the cold, clear water running in the Yonne.
Little remains of the Abbey. On private land, out of sight, there is evidently a remnant of the original building, and along the roadside, a remarkable entranceway. Surprisingly, though, there is also a fish farm (Pisciculture de Crisenon) that continues the tradition of raising trout.
I arrived before noon, wandered in, marveling at the many pools of various types of trout and other fish. I ultimately noticed the sign and bell, instructing me to ring for service. In response, a pleasant woman emerged from a nearby home and, after some brief conversation, scooped a trout from a pool, bopped it on the head, then cleaned it. I was off to the boat, with my exceptionally fresh trout dinner in hand!
Mainly-la-Ville is a lovely village, sitting on both sides of the canal. I has floating pontoons for mooring, with free power and water available. Initially, I was confused about the mooring options (still learning to read the DBA guide!), and initially moored to a bankside bollard, a move that proved quite tricky single handed, given a breeze that was blowing the boat away from shore. When operating alone, I had already learned I would have to step off the boat at times to moor, but this proved a bit daunting, and gave me some valuable insights. I finally realized I could move upstream a bit and take full advantage of the floating docks, and promptly did so.
I relaxed in Mailly-la-Ville for two nights, both to do some work on the boat and to travel back down the canal one day for lunch.
At virtually every lock, a lockkeepers house was built. These are numbered and carry the name of the lock. On the way to Mailly-la-Ville, just above Pregilbert, I had passed through a lock called Ecluse des Damas, There, the house had been turned into a small restaurant, catering to locals, canal boaters, and those bicycling along the canal.
I decided a bike ride down the canal was in order, and arrived just before lunch. The restaurant had taken the time (presumably with VNF permission) to paint the lock fences and gear in their colors. They didn’t serve lunch until noon, so I had a cold beverage, wandered around, and sat in the shade. Lunch ended up being a delightful meal of escargot and other area goodies! Well worth the bike trip….
