The16LockWalk

Thishikeisanotheroneofourfavorites,thoughithasprobablychangedmorethananyoftheothersoverthepast10orsoyearssincewediscoveredit.Acircularroute,ittakesusfromtheNivernaiscanaluptothelittlefeedercanal(“LaRigole”)thatsupplieswatertotheNivernais,alongthefeedercanaltowhereitjoinstheNivernais,andthenpast16locksinthefinal4kmstretch.ToreachthestartofthehikewegowestthroughCorbigny,aprettylittletownwiththeregion’s2ndbestviennoiserie(puffpastryfilledwithchocolateandalmondpaste,dustedwithpowderedsugar.Thebestwe’vefoundisdowntheblockfromthevigneronfromwhomwebuyPommardenvrac,butthat’s90minutessouthandtoofartogoonawhim.)InCorbigny,weturnsouthtoSardy‐les‐Epiryandparkattheedgeofthecanal,neartherecyclebins,acrosstheroadfromthe16thlock.Headingacrossandthenawayfromthecanal,wetakeashortgrassytrack

totheroadthatclimbsuptothefeedercanal.It’salong,slowclimb–butoncewereachthetopit’salldownhillbacktothecar,some10klater.

ThefeedercanalcomesfromareservoirhighupintheMorvan;gravitybringsthewaterdowntothecanal.It’spossibletowalkalongthewholefeedercanal.We’vehikedasectionclosertothereservoir,aroutethatincludedthescariestpassagewe’veeverencountered.Wedidn’treadthefineprintbeforewesetoutandfoundwehadtowalkacrossanarrowaqueduct100’abovetheroad.Therewererailings–ataboutkneeheight–andtheconcretepathoneachsideofthecanalwasatleast2feetwide,soitwasn’tasifwehadtobalanceonrollinglogs.ButIcanstillrecapturethesensationanddon’tcaretodothatwalkagain.

Here,weturnright,followingthefeedercanaltowardstheNivernais.Whenwefirstdidthishike,thefirst1kmsectionalongtherigoleranthroughactualpastureland.Wehadtoopenandcloseaheavyfarmgateattheroad(orsometimes,climboverit–thefarmeroccasionallywireditshutwithbarbedwire)andwealwaysencounteredherdsofcattleandsheep.Atthefarend,wheretherigoleentersthewoods,wasanotherfarmgatethatsometimesopenedandsometimesneededtobeclimbed.Therewerebenefitstothis,however,whichwediscoveredwhenwebroughtClaudewithus:somereallyspecialfieldmushrooms(columnelles).By2011,though,thegatesweregone,andthecattleandsheeparefencedofffromthetrackalongtherigole.Thetrackiscarpetedwithblueflax,hawksweed,QueenAnne’sLace,thymeandvariousclover‐likeplants.Somenettlesandbramblesarebeginningtomovein.Acoupleofyearsago,twolarge,fluffyandloudlybarkingdogsrantowardsusfromthefarmacrosstheway,findingtheirwaythroughthehedgeandacrosstherigole.Theystayedbehindus,barking,aswemadeourwaytothewoods,andeventhenbarkeduntilwearewelloutofsight.Theytooktheirguardianresponsibilitiesseriously.Thisyearnodogs,justtheusualherdofyoungCharolaissteersand–atthefarend–ahalfdozennewlyshornsheep.Goingfromthefieldintothewoodsusedtobelikeenteringalargegreencathedral:thearchoftrees,mostlypoplarandbeech,metoverheadandproducedthickshade.Thepathwasgrass‐covered,eithermowedornot.Butin2011,theforestersbeganharvestingtreesinthisarea,andsomeofthepathisnowadirttrack,quitemuddyinspots.Wheregrassedpartsremain,somearemowed,butsomearenot,andwalkingthroughthetallgrassesatthisseasonproducescloudsofpollen.

They’vetakendownalotoftreesinthewoodsalongtherigole.Frenchforestsaredividedintomeasuredwoodlotsandarecarefullymanaged;underbrushisclearedawayregularly.Thecoppicedtreesarecutbackforfirewoodeveryfewyears,while

thebiggertreesareallowedtogrowfor30to50years.Thentheforesterscomethroughwiththeirchainsawsandlog‐movingequipment,cutanddebranchthebigtreesandstacktheroughcutlogsinhugepiles,markedwithcodesindicatingwhichwoodlotstheycamefrom.Laterthelogsareliftedontolongtrucktrailersandcarriedoff.It’salmostsurelynotacoincidencethatcanalrepairishappeningatthesametime,sinceit,too,mustrequiretheuseofheavyequipment,whichinturnrequiresthatforestpathsbebroadenedandsmoothed.

Inanyevent,there’slotsmoredaylightalongtherigole.It’snowpossibletoseeoutintothefields,and(eventually)toseedowntotheNivernaisastherigolecomesclosertoit.Previously,wecouldsometimeshearconversationsbetweenthelockkeepersandboatersbutcouldseenothing.Aslightdownsideisthatit’snowobviousthatthedroptotherightofthecanalpathisverysteep.Atonepointwecanseepracticallystraightdowntheslopeandintoanoldquarry.Iwouldn’twanttotakeatumblethere.

Thewildflowers,especiallythefoxgloves,havetakenadvantageoftheincreasedlight.They’rejustbeginningtobloom(mid‐June).Theprimrosesarelonggone,but

thecolumbine–alwaysdarkblue–thecowparsley,nettles,pimpernel,wildstrawberriesandmanyothersareflourishing.It’snicetobeabletowalkallthewayontherightsideoftherigole,asweusedtodo.Theloggingroadontheleftsidewasoftenruttedandmuddy,butwhiletheyweretakingdownbigtreesontherightbanktheyclosedthepath,andwehadnoalternative.

Therigolecurvesaroundthesideofthehill,approachingandretreatingfromthecanalitselfasitgentlydescends.It’sperhaps8’wideatitswidest,andtheonlyimpedimenttofloatingdownitonarubberraftistheoccasionalstonebridgeonlyafootortwoabovethewater.You’dhavetosubmerge,orportage.Thisyearthewaterlevelisquitelow,possiblybecauseit’sbeensuchawetspringthattheYonneisveryhighandwaterisbeingdivertedfromitintothecanal(alsoashighaswe’veeverseenit.)Asignlateralongthecanalalsomentionedamajorrebuildingofthereservoirdam.

Therigolejoinsthecanalthroughalargeintakepipe,nowsurroundedbyafairlyseriousfence.(Untilacoupleofyearsagoitwastotallyaccessible.)Wecrossabridgeoverthecanal,lookingsouthtowardsthecoulancellestoseeifanyboatsareemergingfromorheadingintothemile‐longtunnelthatconnectsthecanaltothelake.Thenwestartdownthechain(orladder–lesechellesinFrench)of16locks.Ialwaystrytocountthembutusuallylosetrackaroundnumber8orso.

That’salotoflockstopassthrough,ifyou’reonaboat.Theusualestimateis3hoursineitherdirection,andwhenyouconsiderthatyou’reeithercomingthroughorgoingtowardsatunnel,andthatthelocksonlyoperatefrom9amtonoonand1pmto6pm,timingbecomesanissue.We’veseenboats“parked”inlocksforlunchanynumberoftimes.Theotherfactor,ofcourse,iswhetherthelockisattherightleveltoletyourboatenter,orwhetheryouhavetowaituntilsomeonecomesthroughfromtheotherside.Thelockkeepersallcommunicatebycellphone,andknowexactlyhowmanyboatsarecomingfromeachdirection,sotheyreallycontroltheflowofboattraffic.Andonastretchlikethisone,asinglelockkeepermaycovertwoormorelocks,roaringbackandforthonabike,amotorcycle,orinoneoftheubiquitouslittlewhitevans.Eachlockhasitsownlockkeeper’shouse,thoughmanyaren’tinuse.Butonehousesapottery;anotherisateashop,whilea3rdsellsroughwoodcarvingsandbric‐a‐brac.Itallfeelsveryhippie.

Thereareseveralboatbasinsonthisstretchofcanal,andifyouhadallyourfoodsupplieswithyouandweren’tlookingfornightlifeitcouldbegreattomoorinoneofthemforthenight.It’sprobablyabout10milestothenearestgrocerystoreineitherdirection.

Ah,thefinalstretch.Cowsontheoppositebank,thewhiteCharolais.Somepicnictablesandbenchesbehindlockkeeperhouse#16;whyaretheyinfullsun,nowherenearthefewshadetrees?There’sthecar,rightwhereweleftit.Adrinkofwater,andoffwego.