Route Ghent-Reims?

Here attached is the "Follow up of the 2023 stoppages programme":

As Ian has said there was much discussion about this earlier, in March.  Here is the reply to my question to Lille at the time and which I posted in the topic Canal de St Quentin on 14th March 2023:

Bonjour Monsieur Marsland,  

Je vous prie de trouver en pièce-jointe, une décision du Directeur général de VNF en date du 18 janvier 2023 concernant la modification des jours de chômages programmés pour la période du 1er janvier 2023 au 31 décembre 2023  

Certains chômages du canal de Saint Quentin sont reportés aux dates suivantes :
- Ponts canaux de Noyelles et Saint-Waast du 1er avril (*) au 15 août 2023
- Ecluse de Proville : du 05 juin au 16 juin 2023
- Ecluse de Honnecourt : du 26 juin au 03 juillet 2023  

(*) A noter que nous avons été informé aujourd’hui que le démarrage du chômage des Ponts canaux de Noyelles et Saint-Waast serait au 15/04/2023 plutôt que comme indiqué au 01/04/2023  

Je reste à votre disposition pour tout renseignement complémentaire  

Bien à vous,

Claire Sénécaut Cheffe de la cellule aménagement-tourisme

In English:

Hello Mr Marsland, 

Please find attached a decision of the Director General of VNF dated 18 January 2023 concerning the modification of the days of scheduled non-working for the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. 

Certain non-working days of the Saint Quentin canal are postponed to the following dates:

- Noyelles and Saint-Waast canal bridges from 1 April (*) to 15 August 2023.
- Proville lock: from 5 June to 16 June 2023.
- Honnecourt lock: from 26 June to 03 July 2023 (*). 

Please note that we have been informed today that the start of the stoppage of the Noyelles and Saint-Waast canal bridges would be on 15/04/2023 rather than on 01/04/2023 as indicated. 

I remain at your disposal for any further information. 

Yours sincerely, 

Claire Sénécaut Head of the Development and Tourism Unit

OK, I went hunting on the AVIS search function and there are 4 announcements there: FR/2023/01886, 01890, 01891 and 01892. They are for a halt to navigation from PK4.3 upstream of the canal bridge Noyelles to PK 2.7, downstream of canal bridge St Waast from July 17 to August 14, plus a halt at lock Proville Pk 2.17 june 5 to 16 and at lock Honnecourt PK 23.17 June 26 to July 3. 

I wasn't originally set up for this area so I missed this.  Don't know why they haven't updated the overall chomage chart but I will see if Bob Marsland can jog their arm on this.  It is quite mis-leading as it is. 

This is the latest one I can find on the vnf site  -still shut until mid August
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Suivi_VNF_programmation_ch%C3%B4mages_2023_MAJ7.pdf

Interesting. The VNF chomage 2 eme edition doesn't show that. But the local Capitaine here in Dousi reckons it is happening. 

Canal de Saint-Quentin
Tunnel / Souterrain de Riqueval
1er janvier 2023 7 décembre 2023 Risque de perturbations
Du pont-canal de Saint-Waast amont au pont-canal de
Saint-Waast aval 9 janvier 2023 9 mai 2023 Navigation interrompue Du pont-canal de Noyelles-sur-Escaut amont au pont canal
de Noyelles-sur-Escaut aval
Écluse n°15 d’Honnecourt (sas auto) 6 mars 2023 17 mars 2023 Navigation interrompue
Écluse n°1 de Proville (sas auto) 20 mars 2023 31 mars 2023 Navigation interrompue
Écluse n°3 de Noyelles (sas auto) 3 avril 2023 14 avril 2023 Navigation interrompue
Écluse n°8 de Saint-Waast (sas auto) 17 avril 2023 28 avril 2023 Navigation interrompue
Écluse n°25 de Pont-Tugny (39m x 5,2m - RG) 18 septembre 2023 15 octobre 2023 Risque de perturbations
Écluse n°21 de Moulin-Brûlé (39m x 5,2m - RG) 2 octobre 2023 9 octobre 2023 Risque de perturbations

Sharon,
My information comes from a forum discussion earlier in the season about the St Quentin closures. You can start with THIS post and follow on.
If things have changed, no one has reported it.
Ian

Lisette & Ian
Catharina Elisabeth

Ian,

Where did you find the info on St Quentin closure?  The 2023 programmed closure charts on VNF (which have been updated) show a series of closures across a few locks between April 6 to April 28, and nothing else until "risk of disturbances" Sept. 18 to 15 October.  The on-going work on the Riqueval Tunnel doesn't stop traffic, they do it out of traffic hours.  

Is there some emergency something that I have missed? 

>  We then went on to the Marne, then on the Seine down to the Canal du Loing, now sitting at the end of the Briare before heading across on the Lateral a la Loire.  If you have the time try this route as it has been exceptional. 

Isn't this interesting as my impressions and memories of this route are rather different.  I found the Marne rather frustrating as the banks and beyond were often so heavily wooded, there was no view - apart from trees - and the waterway ahead seemed to have no exit as it appeared to end with trees left, right and centre.

Although the Loing, Briare and Loire Lateral offered good views (though very rarely of the Loire itseld) it just seemed to be an endless trip, mainly through very pleaent countryside but with villages that seemed so "poor" and almost abandonned with no shops (apart of course from a coiffeur), not even a barker.  What should have been a lovely village with quaint old houses,  sadly most had stones falling from walls and tarps over areas of roof where tiles had been lost.  Often no sign f life apart from many cats scurrying around or seeking sharde from the old vollage pumps that still feature in most villages.  Thankfully, there were other gems along the way, so we enjoyed much of this trip, though it seemed endless!  

It just shows we all have such different expectations.

Peter

We have completed a similar route this year, and it has been absolutely fantastic.

Kortrijk to Ghent via the old Leie, and around the Ringvaart to the Escaut (as the Kortrijk Bossoiut canal was closed at Sluice 11, you may have to look out for your head room as the new bridge may be lower than 3.4
Then across from Peronne, up the Strepy to the Brussels Charleroi canal and then to the Sambre
Haut Sambre into France and then down into France.  The Sambre is fantastic all the way towards Chauny.  Helpful VNF staff wth lots of smiles.  Watch out for silt at some of the turns.  Think that we may have removed all the overhanging tree branches by accident on the way.
Oise Aisne's all the way to Sillery, and then to Reims which to be honest was the least attractive part of the trip.  

We then went on to the Marne, then on the Seine down to the Canal du Loing, now sitting at the end of the Briare before heading across on the Lateral a la Loire.  If you have the time try this route as it has been exceptional.

I think that part of our enjoyment has been that we left Kortrijk in March so we have not seen too many other travellers on the route apart from Commercials. Water levels have been grand which reinforces an earlier post about travelling off season.

We are a similar size to you 21 X 4.1 X 1.1, 3.1 airdraft

best of luck
mpn

Sharon Hammond wrote: As an alternative some would propose the St Quentin … 

But not this season, it is currently closed and not scheduled to reopen until the 15th of August.
Ian

Lisette & Ian
Catharina Elisabeth