White clouds, turning grey later and sunny spells. Heavy rain showers in the evening. M and D took a walk into Dompierre and brought us a loaf back. We set off just after ten following The Big Boat back down the branch back to the main line. I made some tea and toast. Besbre lock was emptying as we turned left at the junction heading downhill.
Mike took photos of the working foundry on our left; on the right the Abbaye de Sept Fonts was hidden from view by trees and high walls. Round a couple of bends and there was a long straight section leading to lock 7 Bessais. The resident keeper was a middle aged man who spent all the time we were in the lock on the phone. We emerged 2.5m lower than we started. 4.9 kms to the next. A lovely quiet and peaceful spot with cows grazing in the fields and oak trees lining both banks beyond the towpaths. I read in my French Canals book of 1963 that commercial boats were towed by diesel tractors on the towpath which would account for wide towpaths on both sides. A hireboat was coming up in the lock so we stooged around to wait until it cleared then we dropped down another 2.4m in Beaulon lock, no 8. Below the lock on the left there was a layby where a British cruiser, British replica DB and two Dutch DBs were moored. The crew of British DB came out to wave as we went past (They were last seen down at Meilhan we hadn’t expected to see them here, they were supposed to be wintering on the Midi) We carried on 2 kms to lock 9, Clos du May. It was lunchtime, so we threw a rope around a bollard on the left and had our lunch. At 1.15 p.m. we were on our way again. The keeper was a thin faced man in his thirties with sandy hair. He was ably assisted by his young son, aged about ten, who raced along the lock sides to open and close gates for Papa. Down another 2.5m. Yet another keeper who was on the phone. Fifteen minutes later we tied up at Garnat on a floating pontoon.
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