Exploring Europe by Canal Boat: August 15, 2025– Just above Lock 34 to La Bussiere-sur-Ouche

Joan waiting for our éclusiers to arrive

August 15: Ecluse 34 to Moulin Banet

Long hot day! Temp in the 90s. We meet our éclusiers at écluse 49 at 9:15am. They take us through écluse 44 then break for lunch at 11:30 per our request, as it gives us access to a Colruyt Super Market right next to the canal. Score!! It’s large enough to have all of what we need. We even picked up a 10 pack of ice cream bars in preparation for hot afternoons. Provisioning places along Le Canal de Bourgogne is limited, best to stock up when you can.

Passing a hotel barge, in a relatively wide spot

At 1:30pm we meet the éclusiers and continue on to écluse 34, Moline Benet. We did 15 écluses and passed four Hotel Barges. These are péniche size boats, designed to fill an écluse with inches to spare. They require deeper water than us, so they have to come down the middle of an already narrow channel and we need to get out of their way, often very challenging. Was it me that said there weren’t many of them out this year?! Turns out with the Canals Nivernais and Centre closed, some of them have moved to this canal.

After lunch we are running through lovely farm country and mostly away from the freeway. Horses have now become cattle. Many fields of sunflowers, unfortunately no longer in bloom. They would have been amazing to see!

Moulin Banet moorage, a small quai with power and water, is run by a Swiss man. He refurbished the éclusier's house, added a small boutique with gifts and cards. Used to have a restaurant that our former partners Gary and Tosca noted as good in the chart book from way back. Unfortunately, his partner passed away and the restaurant is closed. He has a stable converted to a Gite and a floating cabin he rents out. Mostly to bicyclist. Traffic is lower than prior years, like everywhere, and especially now with the heat wave. He’s 81 and without his partner is working to pass the business on. Sure hope it all works out for him as this is a lovely, quiet place to stop.

August 16: – Moulin Banet to at La Bussiere-sur-Ouche

Sunflower fields - must have been beautiful in bloom

Friday 9:15 am we hit Lock 33 heading to La Bussiere-sur-Ouche. Hot day, again, eight écluses traveling PK 188 to 179. Arrived before the lock keepers closed for lunch. We had to call (I send SMS) to get connected to power and since it was just noon they didn’t make it down until 3pm. Connect to power and assume we’ll be the only boat there. Lunch, a bit of relaxing through the heat. At 5pm we walk to see if we can view the grounds of the Abbaye de la Bussiere, created in the early 12th century. It was known as the “Daughters of the Citeaux.: We walk by two entrances that are closed off. So we continue around to the center of town, stop at an Exposition on WWII. Small but some interesting artifacts. We continue walking the road, in the shade(!) around to see if we can get a glimpse of the Abbaye. Nope. It’s well concealed by walls, trees and shrubs. It’s now a hotel and high-end restaurant. I guess if you’re paying 400 euro a night or more you don’t want commoners looking at you. :-)

When we return to the boat we find we have company! Two private boats heading the same direction as us. Have seen so few so far on this trip! Nice couples, two of them speak a bit of English, which of course is still better than our French. They are buddy boating all the way through with one going to Paris and the other home someplace near the Champagne Canal.