French Canal Holiday: Hesse to Strasbourg

5-7 June 2011

On Saturday evening we took the boat (with a little difficulty as it took some practice to get it to go reliably in a straight line) about an hour along the canal to Niderviller, where we found an auberge serving good food and booked again for Friday night.

Sunday

Sunday dawned warm and sunny, and we had breakfast outside on the sundeck of the boat, then set off towards what, early on, was likely to be one of the highlights of the holiday...


But first we had two tunnels. We've been through the 475m-long Niderviller tunnel, and here are waiting at the red light for permission to go through the 2306m Arzviller tunnel. A TGV goes past - running on the right showing the German history of the railways in this part of France.


Safely through the tunnel, we are now on a section of the canal dating from the 1960s, running high above the valley as the disused locks descend nearby. Lucy steers the boat from the sundeck - you can see the table at the back which could be moved forwards when we wanted to eat out.


Alan watches the world go by


And so we reach the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane. The inclined plane replaced a flight of 17 locks crowded into only 3.8 km with some very short pounds between locks which led to long delays as well as drawing a lot of water off the summit level of the canal.


Moored up waiting for our turn


The mechanism consists of a water tank or caisson in which boats float normally, and which moves on the inclined plane at right angles to its length, on pulleys. Here the caisson is arriving from below with three boats.


The gate has lifted and the three boats are ready to come out.


We are now in the caisson ready to descend - the view down the 41% slope to the canal at the bottom.


We have just started to descend


Looking back you can see the gate sealing the water into the upper canal


We are more than half-way down, as the 950-tonne counterweights have passed us going up. Since the boats displace their own weight of water, the caisson is always the same weight, and by releasing a little water at the bottom or adding a little at the top so as to alter the relative weights, the whole movement works with very little energy input.


So, after our descent (more pictures on the way back up!) we pass the bottom lock of the 17 that the inclined plane replaced. The main line railway from Paris to Strasbourg is hidden in those trees, half-way up the cliff.


After the earlier sunshine, it rained quite hard for a while, so we stopped for a prolonged lunch break. Unknown to us at this stage, since we hadn't yet grasped how the automated locks work, we were probably causing delays for any boats coming up as the first lock would have been set and waiting for us. Fortunately it wasn't too long before we were passed by boats going down, so if we did cause problems they wouldn't have been too lengthy.


The rain stopped, and we made our way through four locks to Lutzelbourg. You can see here the red traffic light telling us to wait.


The delightful village of Lutzelbourg where we found a creperie, and a pleasant restaurant for the evening.

Monday

Monday morning dawned warm and sunny, and after an early morning visit to the boulangerie it was another breakfast outside on the sun deck.


Eight locks took us from Lutzelbourg down to Saverne, where Sarah is watching proceedings as we come into the combined lock 30-31, which is twice as deep as normal at 5.43 metres.


Safely through the deep lock at Saverne


And round the corner a view of the Rohan chateau.


Once into the automated locks, the job asked of the boater is to lift the blue metal rod a few centimetres, as Jane demonstrates. This closes the gates behind the boat, empties or fills the lock as appropriate and opens the other gates to let us out.


The automated locks are divided into "chains" - you let the lock system know you are approaching the first of the chain of locks by pulling on these ropes or tubes hanging from a wire over the canal, with the command "Tirez" (or, oddly, often "Tirer"), which rapidly became a noun on our boat with the whole mechanism being referred to as a tirez.


We moored near Hochfelden for the night, passing this RAF memorial on the way to dinner in the village. There were good views of the many trains passing on the main line railway on the way to and from dinner, the way back in particular being amusing when two trains passed, startling those of the party who were looking in one direction and didn't notice the train coming the other way at high speed.

Tuesday


Sarah with the tirez for locks 42 to 46


Lucy at the controls on the sundeck


Piling work narrows the canal, but it is a wide canal and there is room for us to get by.


Alan on the stern rope


The automated swing bridge at Vendenheim


Some of the traffic we have held up


Tirez!


And so to Strasbourg where we pass the European Parliament building


We have turned right off the Canal de la Marne au Rhin just before its final lock into the Rhine (which is prohibited to hire craft), and make our way through the docks area, here in the Bassin des Remparts.


To the left is the Bassin Vauban; our way is to the right


Stephen on the stern rope


After all those locks going down, we have one to go up, lock 86 on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, which takes us into the Bassin de l'Hôpital where we moor at a boat club for a very modest donation.


Later, we make our way into Strasbourg for a little look around before dinner.


Our brief exploration suggested it is a lovely city, especially here in La Petite France which has been lovingly restored.


The river Ill, closed to hire craft but plied by tour boats.


The cathedral is impressively tall at 142 metres

After a number of villages where we have almost no choice for a place to eat, in Strasbourg we were spoilt for choice - a key factor was somewhere well sheltered from the rain which looked as though it was on the way, and the rain fell heavily for a long time.

 

 

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Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright (c) Stephen and Lucy Dawson