31/08/2025
What a wonderful feeling to be on the move again, knowing we are not dependent on plugging into mains electricity and can choose to tuck ourselves away in secluded spots away from the confines of the crowded ports.
Our extended stay in Chalon has had a knock-on effect on our original itinerary, so we decided to prioritise a diversion off the Saône onto the River Seille, as there were places we didn't have time to visit last year and it's unlikely that we'll ever come this far back up the Saône in the future. The Seille is a narrow river which winds its way through the Bresse region, famous for its prized white-feathered chickens and its dairy produce. The chickens and cows populate the fields which line the river banks and the pace of life is slow.
On our first night, we wild moored near La Truchère where Richard caught a small common and lost another. We then cruised the beautiful river to Louhans. This would be the only night moored in a port, but there were two good reasons for this - first, we wanted to be in situ ahead of the weekly market and second, we needed enough Internet signal to be able to tune into Everton's first game of the season in their brand new stadium at Bramley Dock. It was fabulous to feel the atmosphere of this momentous occasion, made even more special by a 2-0 win.
The following morning, we visited the market. As is the case in much of France, market day breathes life into the town - the streets are bustling with people and there is a real sense of occasion in the air. The market at Louhans is huge, lining the principal thoroughfares and spilling into all the surrounding squares. Whilst it has its fair share of stalls selling the usual fruit and vegetables, olives, clothes, baskets and leather goods, there is an entire square dedicated to livestock. The dominant species are hens, cockerels and other birds, but who would have thought there would be so many different breeds? Hens for laying eggs, hens for breeding, turkeys, ducks, quails, doves and exotic birds, not to mention rabbits, guinea pigs and pedigree puppies as pets. It was quite a scene and we were amazed at how much trading was taking place.
By the time we had covered the entire market, we had worked up a bit of an appetite and managed to squeeze into a typical traditional bistrot for lunch. We were seated next to two ladies of a certain age who catch up for lunch every week after they have done their shopping on the market. They had known each other since childhood and, after a couple of glasses of wine, they began pulling out and trying on their latest purchases of clothes and hats, giggling like the schoolgirls they once were! It was an infectious situation and we ended up sharing our chips with them and talking about how important it is to live for the moment!!! After so much excitement, we fancied a night in peaceful surroundings, just past a house sporting some quite unusual garden ornaments - metal cut-outs of naked Bond-girls and a fake grazing cow. There's no accounting for taste!
The weather has changed quite dramatically. Spells of sunshine are now punctuated with violent thunderstorms, not ideal for navigation, but more promising for fishing. With this in mind, we found a new wild mooring which Richard felt was "carpy", but from where I could also explore the little town of Cuisery, nestled high on a hill above the river. Back in the 1990s, Cuisery acknowledged it was suffering the curse of many rural villages when its industry and commerce began to take a back seat to the out-of-town retail parks and the increase in online retail, combined with the younger generation moving to the big cities. To regenerate itself, Cuisery became one of the four book towns in France. The cobbled high street is home to some ten bookshops offering all sorts of books ranging from everyday paperbacks to rare editions. There is a traditional book binder and a centre dedicated to old printing methods . Each month a book market attracts book-lovers from across the region. It was a real pleasure to browse in these book shops, the small shop fronts belying the scale of the interiors, where the volumes are housed in a warren of interconnecting rooms in stunning architectural surroundings, bathed in the musky scent of old leather and canvas mingled with newspaper.
I retreated to the boat with my haul of literature whilst Richard mapped the river bed for choice spots. After three nights and several storms, he had coaxed out several nice fish, the finest being a sleek, strong common at just over 30lb. For the last few days of this tour we will be returning to the Saône as we work our way towards our winter port and, hopefully, a last-ditch Saône Supercarp on the way!
