Doing the Strasbourg Loop
Once again we are going to go to Strasbourg, made easier by the Alsace Canal now being open to boats under 20m without the need for a pilot, and then the plan is to go to Nancy and around the little loop through Toul, and then back down the Vosges to Epinal and then onto the Saone for the trip back to Corre and thence Auxonne.
The map at right was produced using the CanalPlan online software, which I have found very useful. I first had to supply some details of the Halte Nautiques and other features along the route, and could then plan a trip with various timings and expected lengths of stay in each port. If we stick to this plan, we could leave Auxonne on July 22 and get back around September 20, well within the 3 months that I currently plan to spend in France.
But as with all things barging, we know these plans will change, and we already have trips (by car) lined up for Bern (to see Rita's mum), Munich (for a course that Rita is taking) and Moissac (to see old friends). So I expect that my 3 months will very easily be fully consumed.
UPDATE: for the third year running, our plans to do the Strasbourg Loop came to nothing, for reasons beyond our control. Maybe we'll manage to do it in 2022! Maybe.