If you want to come along for a quick time lapse cruise down the Canal des Ardennes click below:
For boaties:
The canal travels through the beautiful forested highland of the Ardennes, which extend from SE Belgium and Luxembourg to the NE of France.
Look out for kingfishers, eagles, falcons - amazing birdlife!
Warning: there are some shallow stretches, so it is advisable to choose a travel time when there is sufficient water. Bridges are very low (between 3.90m and 3.50m). For us it meant dropping our canapé for almost every bridge.
There are 48 locks, with a stair case of 27 - lots of fun going down with beautiful views over the country side.
Stops:
Pont-á-Bar: quay in front of lock or hire boat mooring above lock if needing electricity, water, fuel or a mechanic. There is also a chandlery.
Chesne: nice mooring after 2 bridges, if full also ex-commercial quay before the bridges. Mooring is free with electricity and water. Restaurant “Charrue d’Or” nice basic dishes. Across bridge a “8áHuit” has basics and gas bottles (open also on Sunday am for a few hours)!
1.2 km after Chesne the staircase starts.
Next stop is Attigny: nice mooring, Carrefour close to canal.
Rethel: long mooring, the only place before Reims with electricity and water, apparently 5 euros per night, but nobody came to collect from us. Picnic tables which are frequented by the towns youth in the evenings. Shops/restaurants close by. Beautiful Hôtel de Ville, bibliothéque, hospital building and Saint Nicolas church.
Asfeld: there are a couple of moorings before Asfeld, but no services. In the middle of the unassuming town you stumble upon a remarkable, displaced looking church. Built in Italian style baroque out of bricks the 17th century Church of Saint Didier has the unusual floor plan of a violin.-
Although there were very few boats travelling down this canal, we were in good company. We met South Africans Lyn and Sean, saw Aussies Peter and Ellen again and had a couple of lovely nights with Vivienne and Neville on the “Tichy". Even the Mozzies were very “friendly". Weren’t they, Vivienne???