Sunday May 20th Braye sur Somme to Cappy

Trip 5kms Departure 11am Locks 2 of 15

Weather tricky clothes day, warm in the sun chilly in the clouds.

Tried a bulot coupe (sliced bloomer) from the boulangerie, I wanted to do some fishing and try out my new gear as we were in the Mecca of fishing on this river but already there were a scattering of pecheurs lining the bank alongside us and every shop in the village advertised the sale of 1 day to annual fishing license's. The maggots would have to survive another day in the anchor locker as I was too scared to a) get caught and b) look a prat who did not know the first thing about river fishing.

Yes yes I know what you are thinking.


We slipped effortlessly through 2 locks and soon reached Cappy.

The centre for the Locaboat hire fleet. Fleet being about 10 boats as far as I could tell. The facilities include a few finger pontoons which made great designed by a trampoline producer for boats about 25 feet and 8 feet beam, still we accomplished a safe berthing. Paid my 15€ and went for a stroll, first a swift tour of the unremarkable Cappy where the only thing i found of note was a particularly ghastly blue war memorial and a new boat project for Bri and jezzer, ex idle beavers.

Then it was off to the narrow gauge railway museum 2kms back down river at Frise. The railway was used to transport as much as 15000 tons of ammunitions to the front, per day in ww1. The museum was actually rather good with many examples of engines and rolling stock,

but it was the train ride that was so much better than anticipated. It lasted an hour and involved an electric and steam engine. We took the route alongside the canal then up through a woods and tunnel onto the green and yellow rolling plains we had come to love on this trip. We crossed a busy road and ended up at an old sugar mill. This had been the original reason for the track being here. I am by no means a train anorak despite collettes constant crowing that we had seemed to become a bit obsessed with trains thus far, but even she had to admit to thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.

I

We returned to the boat spotting two lads having great fun on one of those seesaw type wagons running down the track, the trains having finished there puffing for another day. Back aboard we made full use of electric. The washing machine took a hammering and once again Doucette was a laundry barge with the fan heater full on to aid drying as the weather had clouded and "it's the only way I will get them dry Andrew"

I decided to have a couple of beers and read before a late supper of fish soup followed by steak hache burgers with onions and of course some new potatoes and salad.