Wednesday16th May 2018 Nr Digoin KP0 to Molinet 8.1kms 1 lock

Liftbridge at the feeder from the river Arroux

8.8ºC Grey overcast, cold wind. We set off at 9.45am after fetching in all the pins and ropes. Through the first bridge and we were on a new canal, the Latéral à la Loire. Mike took photos of the Arroux, a feed canal that was once navigable. Factories encroached on the canal once more, smells of cut wood identified the purpose of one building plus stacked wooden pallets and further on there was a yard with piles of ceramic toilets wrapped in plastic, Digoin is famous for its ceramic

New toilets in Digoin

industry. Houses on both banks as we entered the town. The former Recla boat builders’ yard had lots of old Canalous hireboats moored among the old cruisers and barges. Boats were moored both sides of the canal and the Canalous hire base with its newer boats moored on the right, then on the left beyond the road bridge more moored boats, most looked like “dead” boats and a few were inhabited. Over the river Loire, which was flowing fast after all the recent rain, on an aqueduct 241m long. The

Moored boats in Digoin

keeper at lock 1 Digoin was filling the lock for us – it was the same guy as yesterday, still smoking like a chimney. A lady pushing a pushchair stopped to chat. She woke her sleeping grandson to look at the boat, he was completely under impressed – think he just wanted to finish his nap in peace without Grandma telling him about a boat which soon disappeared from sight – the lock was nearly 5m deep. The keeper had given Mike the phone number for the keeper at lock 2 (which he reminded him

Aqueduct over the river Loire

was manually operated) so we could ring him when we wanted to continue as we were stopping at Molinet next day. Below the lock the canal opened out to the size of a small lake for the next 500m or so. Past the turning to the Canal de Roanne à Digoin and on into Molinet. Just past the road bridge there was a working boatyard with lots of old boats moored that had seen better days. A little further was a new quay with a “dead” boat at one end and a couple fishing at the far end. The fisherman asked

Below lock 1 Digoin

if we wanted to moor where he was fishing, no, you’re OK there – we pulled back so we were stern to stern with the dead boat. It was 11.30am. Gave Mike a hand to unload the moped and he went to collect the car from Genelard.