08.06.11

Today we are going through the Pouilly tunnel, but first a quick catch up on the last week or so. We travelled towards Veneray-les-Laumes with a 'bumper boat' (holiday hire-boat!) full of drunken swiss men who were not in control of their boat, at one stage they were lodged across the canal.....

However we arrived safely at Veneray and stayed two nights there. We had lovely moorings (which were free again including electricity and water!) and set off for the staircase of locks on 3rd June.

Our moorings at Veneray

 The views along this part of the canal were fantastic, so beautiful and calm and it seemed we were the only people on the canal!!

 I suppose this horse grazing loose beside the canal was in case our wonderful Czech boat decided to break down again!!!

 These locks have a 'blow hole' to the right of the entrance as you enter, but not sure what it is for?

 We stayed at Buffon the next night, in perfect isolation! Until a hotel barge joined us next day so we moved on.....

 Mummy duck and her little ones.....

 Strange shaped bollards here..... wont say what they remind us of???!!!

 When we finally got to Pouilly there was a canal fete in full swing, and yes it is a goat being taken for a walk on a lead....!!! We had just done 55 locks in 3 days and were really tired and thought we were seeing things.....

 We met up with old friends and met new ones during our stay in Pouilly, sunday deteriorated into a very boozy evening I'm afraid!!!!!

 This gave me the eejie-beejies, really eerie isnt he? But a puppet playing a barrel organ was quite something to see......

The old tug boat which used to take you through the tunnel with a 'tram-like' overhead electric cable!!

 Toitoin and Robinson were really pleased with their lollypops!

 Fishing for 'green shrimps'.... We thought it was gold actually.....

 Some lock cottages are beautiful, although an awful lot are derelict now...

 Views from the top of the world!!

 A cowboy helped us lock through.....

 The 'cut' through from Pont Royal which went on for a Km, taught us to drive straight in preparation for the tunnel....

 Looking back at the 'cut'

 More views from the top of the world.

Another Mummy duck with her babies!!

Now it nearly 13.00hrs and we have booked our slot through the tunnel, we said goodbye to our new friends on Tara, where we had coffee and cakes and once more set off into the unknown to continue our adventure..........!!!!???