A Wonder of the Waterways

We spent a couple of nights at Mons where we were moored right on the front line of the battle of Mons in 1914.  It's a lovely town with an impressive and moving memorial museum that evokes not just the trenches but also the suffering of the civilian population.  Sadly the weather was wet but that made us linger in the museum a little longer.  By chance, our route crossed with other Brit boat owners who were with us in Bruges over winter.  They have travelled a different route and are heading elsewhere from us too.

Four boats then made a convoy heading east on the Canal du Centre.  This is an important trade route linking France to Germany and was upgraded for 1350 tonne boats about 20 years ago.  Up 2 locks and quickly on to the amazing Strepy Thieu boat lift.  This lifts boats (including those 1350 tonners) up 73m (240 feet).  For Kennet & Avon Canal fans, that's a metre more than the Caen Hill flight.

We waited just 15 minutes or so and were allowed in to the lifting basin where we were joined by a large commercial boat.  The guillotine gate closed behind us and we climbed steadily reaching the top in just 7 minutes.  We took some video with the GoPro but that will take some editing to capture the scale of it all.

We waved our friends off and moored above the lift.  There's a great visitor centre and you can go to the tops and see the winding machinery. Like the Caen Hill flight, Strepy is quite a tourist attraction,

Tomorrow we continue our journey to Brussels and this time we'll be trying another waterways curiosity - the inclined plane at Ronquieres.

But before then, it's Red Wine Wednesday!

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