We were about to sample the third of the five main North/ South routes through Belgium: we have twice travelled North on the Meuse River in the East; last year we came south on the Leie River (the Lys in France); this year we planned to travel south on the Bovenschelde, which becomes the Escaut River in France. Two routes remain, the Canal from Brussels to Charleroi, and the River Dendre (Dender in Belgium). We had thought of travelling on the Dendre this year but others reported that it has some problems with depth, weeds and with locks. Maybe it will be better next year, if we come this way, and we can try it out then.
Oudenaarde Tapestry
The Bovenschelde has two main towns and cities on its banks: Tournai, which we visited by train from Antoign earlier this year, and Oudenaarde. We had been inclined to discount the latter, perhaps because its name is not well known to us, but it turned out to be a delightful city with an interesting and well- narrated history. Everywhere we saw recently erected photos of the city as it was during World War 1; the centenary remembrance is very important in Belgian towns such as this, so affected by that event. It was sad to see the badly damaged Church and streets of houses just rubble. The town was occupied by the Germans throughout the war and they destroyed the bridges and roads as they left. At least there were not many civilian casualties.
Exquisite silver and nautilus shell
Oudenaarde is noted for tapestries and silver and its museum had many beautiful examples of both. It is also the home of Liefmann's Beer. It also has a bustling market where we enjoyed stocking up on very fresh food.
The next unexpected pleasure was the Roubaix Canal (Canal l'Espierres in Belgium).
Grand Town Hall for a small town
Market day in the town square Oudenaarde
This Canal route joins the Escaut in Belgium to the Deule River just north of Lille, in France. It dates back to the 19th century when it was a major coal route but was closed in the mid- 80s. For over twenty years it was neglected but then a group of about 40 organisations banded together to have it restored and re- opened. Since 2011 it has operated as a tourist canal, run by the local authorities though supported by the official waterways organisations.
Historic Lifting Bridge on the Roubaix
We entered from the Belgian end so had about 8 kilometres of the canal to travel to get to the French border, marked by a very old Customs hut and a busy cafe whose proprietor delivered free croissants and a baguette to us next morning.
There were many people walking and cycling along the waterway and visiting the cafe. A good proportion stopped to ask us about ourselves and the boat, or later on stopped at the locks to watch us go through. Fortunately we were back in French- speaking Wallonia and then in France so we could manage these conversations fine. The most unexpected request came on Saturday afternoon when we were asked if Anja could be the backdrop for some wedding photos. So we snipped off the dead geranium heads and took the washing off the line then disappeared below so that we would not get in the way while the bride, flower girl and groom (complete with with a trumpet) were photographed.
The Roubaix Canal
When we started off again on the French section of the Canal we were accompanied by two men who seemed to be a combination of lock keepers and travel guides. There were many lifting bridges which they operated as we approached, and they also helped with the lines (ie ropes) in the locks, a really luxury but helpful as we were sharing the locks with another boat and the bollards were not well- placed for us. We were given a huge amount of information about the area and the canal, including brochures of birds we might see and maps of cycle routes. They decided when we would stop for the night which, definitely the right place to stop before we entered a staircase of locks, unfortunately was not in a spot handy for any of the towns along the way. We realised that anyone wanting to make full use of the Roubaix would be best to travel from France towards Belgium rather than the way we came. Then one would have the full information at the beginning and the sensible overnight stopping spot would give better access to some of the attractions. It felt good to support this effort by using the canal. For us it was a very useful short cut to our next destination. We were not fully prepared for the enthusiasm of the local people and hope that the venture continues to be successful. Several canals have been closed in recent years but few are re- opened.
So we are back in France, looking forward to more travelling and learning over the next few weeks.
Best Regards,
Penny and Dave