Kerr Barging Blogs

Once we had left the Leuven Canal we joined the major commercial routes to head West along major tidal rivers, the Rupel then the Sea Scheldt. We are close to the North Sea and the Rivers have fast flowing currents and tidal variations of about 6 metres. The minimum depth is ample at 2.5 metres but it is at times difficult to be sure how far the main channel extends. Regular ferries cross from one side to the other.

Why is this large aircraft sitting next to the river 20km outside Gent? We don't know!
We have experienced tidal conditions quite often in a sailing boat, but here there are additional restrictions such as tidal locks, bridges and intersecting rivers to say nothing of huge cargo barges moving very quickly where there are no speed limits. There are no locks on these river stretches, so we travelled a record distance of 108 kilometres (over two days) without any locks slowing us down. No wonder there are so many commercial boats using it.

Huge tiday lock gates which need to face two directions rather than the usual one
There is one tidal lock at the sea- end of each waterway. The "tidal" locks need to be two - way, so that they rise or fall dependent on the state of the tide. Some can only operate at certain times during a tidal period, otherwise the drop is too great. We turned up to one lock which seemed to operate at any time, but the keeper told us that he would only open it for us at high tide, an hour later, because that is when he thought it safe for us to continue our journey. These are the experts and they are very helpful (as well as speaking at least three languages) so we don't argue with their wisdom. Our documentation suggested that we wanted to go through the lock before high tide so that we would reach a certain difficult bridge at slack water, instead of which we got there an hour after high tide. Fortunately all was well and we made it through the surging water and angled narrow bridge in safety. the lock keeper was also thinking of our time at the next lock, which may well have been closed if we had turned up too early.  
On a tidal river there are extra difficulties to contend with. First was a bridge which had only 1.4 metres clearance at high tide, 2 metres too low for us. As it was a railway bridge we decided we would plan to pass under it when the level was more suitable rather than ask for it to be opened. We had already put people out enough that day with ten other bridge openings. We made really good time down that river, the Rupel, with the current on the falling tide then we arrived at the junction where the next river,the Sea Scheldt which was running the other way, so that we were fighting the rising tide. At that point we called it a day, to start early the next morning on the falling tide on that river. Finding a suitable place to stop is also a difficulty as they are few and far between on these fast flowing wide rivers.

Low Tide- the rocky bottom
To add to our challenges we have found that the charts and guide books for Belgium are far from perfect. Our Inland Waterways book lacks mileage information so we are left to guess exactly how many kilometres we need to travel between points. The chart we carry is a bit more informative but far from 100% accurate: it showed one distance as 2 kilometres when it was clearly over 20. At times David has had to resort to his phone GPS guidance system to be sure where we are and which way the rivers bend. He was especially pleased to have it when, an hour after we set off, a fog descended, significantly reducing visibility. There was no way of pulling over and stopping, so we had to hope that any of the large craft using the tide as we were would see us on their radar. Fortunately the fog lifted quite quickly.

4,000 tonne pusher and barge just overtook us
The tidal information is also poor: we have good programmes to show what time tides are at the major points on the coast but our guide book is quite inaccurate in giving the adjustments for places further inland. This makes it hard to know when the tide will turn so for planning on our final tidal stretch we resorted to eye- balls and twigs to judge when to leave the next morning. We cast off just after the turn of the tide and as hoped travelled with the tide for the next 50 kilometres to reach the last tidal lock. We were reassured about our calculations when two large commercials passed us just as we were leaving.

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

A note: You can now see our total progress, on a map, at http://www.kerr.net.au Just hover over the first small map and the orange line shows where we have been so far.

Heading west, we rejoined the very busy Albert Canal briefly beofre turning onto the relatively new (1950s) Nete Canal and River, finally heading south for a detour via the Leuven Canal to the University (founded 1425) city of Leuven. The canal system is quite intricate and just before each intersection we find a large green direction sign, like those we are used to on the roads. It's very helpful and often necessary to avoid going miles in the wrong direction. We've had good visits to Lier and Leuven and also caught the train from Leuven to Brussels, as the latter is not very boat friendly.

Main square and very impressive town hall, Leuven
We have explored museums (especially enjoying the Musee des Beaux Arts in Brussels), churches and in all three, beautiful town squares. We have also been intrigued by the "Beguinage", a feature of Flanders which we have not seen elsewhere. In the city of Leuven, for example, the Grand Beguinage was established in 1205 when unmarried and widowed women formed themselves into communities probably for mutual support and safety, to escape the suspicions attached to unattached women. These were not convents although the women in them often devoted themselves to work associated with churches. Accounts vary about to the extent that they were religiously based. Probably at that time paid work for a woman was most likely to be available from the Church rather than from private individuals. The women kept their own possessions and earned their livelihood. The wealthier women had their own houses, others lived in communal houses.

The communities were quite large: in Leuven the Grand Beguinage reached its peak in the 17th century with 360 members in a community that occupied about 3 hectares. UNESCO has recognised the importance of 13 beguinages throughout Flanders and we have enjoyed walking through several, in Leuven and in Lier, to see the old beautifully preserved houses, cobbled streets, gardens and water pumps, a town within a town.  We later found that Brussels and Ghent each have at least two beguinages, so they have been an important feature of Flemish life. They are no longer used in this way (the last resident in Ghent died in 2006) but the buildings are generally preserved. In Leuven the Grand Beguinage is used for accommodation at the university, mainly for senior visiting teaching staff. As 40,000 extra people are added to the usual Leuven population of 88,000 during the University year the need for accommodation for staff and students is always pressing.

Beguinage in Lier
Bridges have been a big feature of our travel in the North of Belgium. There are many bridges across the canals and rivers which need to be lifted to allow our passage. This is quite embarrassing as all traffic halts for us to go through, especially on the Canal to Leuven where it seems as if Canal traffic has absolute priority. Each bridge was opened remotely from a control tower as we approached it. Cars, buses, trucks and cyclists all had to wait while we carefully passed underneath the lifted span. On an earlier canal, we created maximum havoc with hundreds of cyclists waiting while we passed through. Not for us the inconvenience of waiting for a scheduled bridge opening time!

Cyclists held up by our 3 minute bridge opening!
With the weather fine, sunny and warm, cyclists continue to be seen in large numbers. One spot seemed to be very popular with cycle clubs and we saw dozens of groups with different uniforms, each 20 or 30 strong. There are huge groups of young people, of the middle aged, people riding with big saddle bags and camping gear, and for us the most impressive of all, the mothers riding with two children, sometimes one on the seat and one in a trailer, or else a "twin trailer" towed behind.

We ended up in Leuven near the Stella Artois brewery and Penny was taken back in time by the smell, so like that from the breweries she passed every day on her way to school, travelling along on Parramatta Road, Sydney. Perhaps that is why she does not like beer, but she enjoyed a "fruit beer", rather like a cider, she sampled in Leuven. David, also not a noted beer drinker, enjoyed sampling one or two local beers. We have not yet let our heads go with Belgium's other notable product, chocolate. We are keeping that for cooler days.

We were stopped near the brewery. Strong beer smell!
Bread continues to be an issue. There are very few bakeries and they don't open early so there have been many breadless days or days of eating days- old bread. Also, one has to be very quick to stop the bread being sliced. We find it keeps fresher if left whole but in Belgium, it's off the shelf and into the slicer without a second in between.

(Part of) the Royal Palace, Brussels
After  two days off in Leuven we will be back on the main system, heading towards the West.

We continue to be puzzled by the complete separation of Belgium into two language areas. Most people in Flanders profess to speak no French and presumably the same is true in the French- speaking areas. It must feel strange for a Belgian travelling in his own country not to be able to read signs or to be understood in shops.

Best Regards,

Penelope and David

We are in Flanders and our first impressions are of pretty villages, lots of brick houses and hundreds of cyclists. We left the Meuse River just at the point where it becomes the Maas and flows towards Maastricht in the Netherlands. We instead travelled North along the Albert Canal then the Zuidwillemsvaart. The Albert Canal was begun after World War 1 to speed the passage of commercial traffic. It was finished just as World War II began and continues to be a busy commercial waterway carrying the largest barges. The Zuidwillemsvaart is a much older Canal, built in the 1820s.

Barges to 185metres and 5,000tonnes!

At the first lock in Flanders we duly presented our ships papers and paid 80 euros for our Vignette which allows us to navigate the waterways of Flanders for three months. We need it for less than one month but there is no provision for a monthly permit. The lock-keeper was friendly and helpful. As advised, David spoke to him in English. We proceeded along much flatter countryside with the canals lined with trees. Because the countryside is so level there are very few locks. There are several loading areas for barges but most of the countryside is rural. The canals skirt the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. Belgium was occupied by Germany during World War II and there are German bunkers all along the canals. In the hillier area to the South, caves were cut into the rocks to store munitions. Now they are used to grow mushrooms.Caves from the war now used to grow mushrooms

Our first Flemish town was Rekem, clearly a town geared towards tourists, with beautiful gardens and window boxes, many coffee shops and clear explanatory signs in Flemish, French and English.  The houses were built in the early 1600s in a uniform style as laid down by the town's baron, all two stories and built of small red bricks in uniform style. Some of the town gates from 1590 are still standing and there are remnants of the earlier gates built in the fifth century. Much of the area now settled was swamp land so a system of canals was built to drain the water and open it up for farming. An ice  cellar was described: in the winter ice was collected and placed in the cellar, where it stayed frozen right though the summer. Perhaps such cellars were common before refrigeration but this is the first we have seen described.

Main street of Rekem. Houses from 1630.

As we travelled along the canal enjoying the warm sunny weather we became aware of the hordes of cyclists passing on a huge variety of bikes. Some riders are lying flat, one with a windscreen; an aerodynamic white  capsule, one man was towing his wife in a wheelchair, some are on motorised scooters like those seen in shopping centres. Many cyclists are at least as old as we are, some look like serious cyclists and of course you have the family groups where mum has the littlest one in a baby seat, Dad is towing the next in a trailer and the older children are riding their little bikes. Altogether we saw several hundred cyclists on our first day in this area, a Monday, and they were still coming past at 10 o'clock at night, still light here at this time of year. The next day we took to our bikes too and enjoyed the wide, smooth concrete bike paths in this flat countryside.

Early morning on the tree-lined canal

Our main disappointment so far has been the lack of bread. although we had not noticed a bakery yesterday in our stroll through town, David went out confidently this morning to buy our daily loaf. He came home empty handed. He had the same experience in the second town we stopped at and had to wait until the local Lidl (a store like Aldi) opened to get bread . Great disappointment!

Eventually our canal path turns more westward and we travel by the Canal from Harentals to Bocholt, interesting as it began as a project by Napoleon in he early 1800s, to link the Rhine to the rivers of what are now France, Belgium and the Netherlands. After his fall the work stopped but this section of the project was completed in the mid- 1800s and continues to be a much used waterway. Towards the end of this section we came to a series of locks and lifting bridges, semi automatic in that a lock-keeper had to press the buttons to make everything work. Our progress  on this series of locks has been the slowest of our trip. There didn't seem to be any advance planning or co- ordination of the effort. We were pleased to stop for the night at a peaceful rural stopping spot.

Best Regards,

Penny and David

We entered Belgium from France without seeing the actual border, though there were boat formalities to carry out because this part of Belgium, Wallonia, requires a certificate of permission for boats to travel its waters. This costs nothing but we did need to present our ships papers at the first lock we passed through once we entered Belgium. This was a friendly transaction and there was  not a great deal of scrutiny of the documents we had so carefully assembled, but we were duly issued with our free "Permis de Circulation". We were especially welcomed as the first Australian boat that lock- keeper had even seen there.

Cliffs of the Meuse
The separation within Belgium between Wallonia and Flanders is significant with separate official languages in the two areas:  French in Wallonia in the South and Flemish (very like Dutch) in Flanders in the North. In Brussels both languages are officially used. This language separation is complete- the language on all signs changes as one crosses from Wallonia into Flanders and we were advised to speak English, not French, at Flemish locks. There is a long an uneasy history of dissension and accommodation between the two areas, which is relevant also for the balance of power politically as each area has different parties and different outlooks. After the last election in 2010 it took 541 days for the government to be sworn in. Our friends told us this was a comfortable period and life went on as usual.

Dinant. First spot in Belgium for us- also where David was pickpocketed of 400euros
We have commented on the beauty of the Ardennes area through which the Meuse flows, and this continues into the Belgian Ardennes area which is a major holiday destination. School holidays have just begun so there is a festival atmosphere in the towns along the river. We see climbers abseiling up the chalk cliffs, people in small boats having fun, children learning to sail and kayak and lots of hikers and cyclists along the tow paths.

Dinant's Bridge of Giant Saxophones
Last year we had met a Belgian couple at a Chambre d'Hotes near St Emilion. They were interested in our adventures and invited us to call on them if we ventured along their part of the Meuse in Belgium, Profondeville, assuring us that there is a  suitable quay at the bottom of their garden. This we did and had a most pleasant day in their company.

They drove us to two places high above the river so that we could have a marvellous view of the Meuse and its territory. It was also very interesting to hear about the history of the area- Genevieve was born in the very old house where they now live. We saw where the significant flood of 1995 had reached half way up the walls of their ground floor, and were shown the pathway that has been preserved for centuries behind the water- front houses which are prone to flooding, so that their occupants can escape in an emergency.  While we were with them, the King of Belgium announced his abdication, so we were right on the spot to find out more about this aspect of Belgian life as well.

Profunderville (Anja is centre-right)
The towns and cities of Wallonia are quite varied. Dinant celebrates Adolph Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. It was full of holiday makers. Namur, the administrative centre of Wallonia, has preserved much of its history. There is little industry there. The university is central to its life. Liege is a larger and more industrial city. It has a beautiful and historic cathedral and a Church and town walls dating back to the 10th century, but the river is lined with rather unattractive twelve story apartment buildings. In both these towns there are excellent museums which helped us to become more informed about Belgium and its history.

Chateau Dave (named after me of course!)
While wandering around Namur our attention was drawn to a very popular ice cream shop, with queues coming out the door. Then we noticed that the awning was green and gold with a small kangaroo emblem. Closer inspection revealed "Home Made Australian Ice Cream"- what a winner!

Chateau/Citadel at Namur
The River Meuse is very busy with many large commercial boats, in contrast to the French part of the Meuse where there were very few. Liege is the third largest port in Belgium and some of the locks, all of them very large, operate twenty four hours a day during the week. There are are also many Dutch and increasingly numerous Belgian pleasure boats now the official holiday season has begun.

 Liege waterfront

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

We turned onto the Meuse River at Pont a Bar (in France) with thoughts mainly of our progress to Belgium so we were unprepared for its beauty. Flowing through the Ardennes region, it is a river of sheer cliffs and green forests, quite breathtaking. Several of the towns have been based on industry, sometimes on mining, but they have not influenced the predominantly rural nature of the countryside. Slate has been extensively quarried here and is reflected in the slate roofs and even walls of most buildings.

View of the Meuse Valley from the Aymon Monument
The largest town in the area is Charleville- Meziers; Charleville has a beautiful Ducal square and an interesting museum which covers the Ardennes area and also an interesting exhibition of marionettes. The World Festival of Marionette theatres is held here every three years. The biggest marionette of all performs on every hour between 10am and 9pm when a giant brass puppet figure tells a chapter in the legend of Aymon and his four sons, who were chased by Charlemagne and escaped by riding a magical horse, Halberd, to a spot where they established the Castle Regnault. Further along the river we found the exact spot where the Château had been and walked up to the statue of Aymon and his sons there. The play area at its base has a magnificent wooden horse mounted on springs on which children can ride.

Aymon and his four sons
The beauty of this area is offset by the sadness of its history. This border country has been fought over for centuries. Charleville- Meziers alone was bombarded in 1815, 1870, 1914, 1918, 1940 and 1944. We found a delightful stop at Haybes. It is a "3 flower" town but looked different from most small French towns. There were no really old buildings and the Hotel de Ville was of a newer style, though not modern.

Then in our regular "walk around town" we came upon the War Memorial and discovered that the whole town had been destroyed by the German army over three days in August 1914, first by a bombardment and then by fire. Seventy civilians were killed and the names on the memorial made sad reading, with whole families named in the list, men, women and children.

Almost a hundred years later it was a very popular spot for people enjoying the first really summery Sunday, taking advantage of the excellent "Green Way" which provides a great cycle and pedestrian path along the winding river.

 Halberd the Magic Horse

Nearby is the most exciting flying fox we have seen. A person is strapped facxing downwards into some sort of sling and then propelled across the River Valley on a wire, hundreds of metres in the air. The speed of travel is amazing.  The people "flying" went right over Anja as we descended in the lock!

The river itself is quite busy here with many white cruisers travelling between the Netherlands and this part of France. As well as the many Dutch there are some from Belgium and a few from Germany but it is rare to see a flag from an English speaking country. There is not much commercial traffic at this point of the river, at this time of year. It might be quite different when the harvest comes in.  

And so to Givet, on the border between France and Belgium, previously an important customs port. Its historical importance is reflected by the huge fort which dominates the town, built by Charles V in the 16th century and later remodelled by that master military engineer, Vauban.

 The Extreme Flying Fox

About to leave France and enter Belgium, we sorted out our ship's papers, had our passports to hand and made sure that our Belgian courtesy flag was ready.

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

The Meuse

Haybes

 Fortress at GivetDucal Square at CharlevilleAncient artefacts from the regionMarionettesBehind the giant puppet. 24 full scenes move around on railsThe Giant Puppet with marionettes