Nevers to Briare: July 7th
Briare
to Montereau: July 14th
Transfers
between Paris and the Barge
NEVERS to BRIARE
Before
setting off on our cruise along the Canal
Latéral à la Loire there is time to
visit Nevers, capital of the
Nivernais, with its great Cathedral soaring up majestically over the
old town. Leaving Nevers, we reach the River Allier,
sailing across it on a splendid stone aqueduct, the river Loire itself
close by
on our right hand. A deep double lock brings down from the aqueduct
and, passing Marseilles les Aubigny where we swing
close to the wide river, we approach La
Charité sur Loire, an ancient town dominated by
the Basilique Nôtre Dame, one of the most
remarkable examples of Romanesque
architecture in Burgundy. Mooring in a small village close by we visit
La
Charité before continuing our journey. We now pass through
lightly wooded
country offering wide views of this beautiful river valley, each small
village
we pass showing us old churches and sleepy red tiled houses. Reaching Sancerre, we tour this town with its
narrow winding
streets and visit the interesting wine museum. After crossing the
spectacular
Briare aqueduct over the River
Loire we arrive in Briare itself,
mooring in the basin where in former times barges gathered
before
attempting the difficult crossing of the River Loire.
Basilique Nôtre Dame, Sancerre
La Charité sur Loire
BRIARE to MONTEREAU
Our mooring in Briare is in the basin where in
former times barges gathered before attempting the difficult crossing
of the
River Loire and after settling in there is time to stroll round this
pretty
town before dinner on board Merganser. Our cruise first takes us up the
old Briare
Canal to Rogny les Sept Ecluses where we
can see the original
staircase of seven locks built to the order of King Henry IV and
completed in
1642. Replaced by a flight of six locks in 1887, they remain witness to
a
considerable engineering achievement of their time. Cruising
past Châtillon-Coligny we reach Montargis, capital
of
the Gatinais,
a region of pine forests
and small streams famous for hunting and
fishing, and a town noted for
pretty flower-bedecked small canals.We now head towards Nemours,
beautifully situated in the rocky and wooded valley of the River
Loing.
After visiting Nemours we continue along the canal to Moret
sur Loing. We
visit this charming little town with its 12th
Century dungeon and
old winding streets, before cruising to
our final destination, Montereau.
Moret sur Loing
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