Meeting up at Trebes

We said goodbye to Linda and continued “upstream” along the towpath towards Trebes. 

White Patch Repair under the Starboard Bow of this Charter Boat

Not far from the St. Martin locks, we saw a charter boat (LocaBoat Co.) up on the hard, with its bottom being patched; we could smell the fresh resin as we went by. Perhaps they got too close to the front of a lock and hit the sill plate; or perhaps they hit a bulkhead near the entrance to a lock; or possibly hit some sunken debris.

By now, we were in the worst heat of the day; trees along the canal provided pleasant shade, but we were without shade for short periods at a time in other areas.

The open areas provided views of the countryside and mountains in the distance. I thought of Riquet and the hard work his crews must have endured to accomplish the goal of a navigable canal.

Riquet’s workers consisted of both men and women of different trades; blacksmiths, masons, and stone cutters. Baskets and stretchers were used to hall away the dirt dug out with shovels and pickaxes, and rock blasted by powder. Women workers came from former Roman bath colonies in the Pyrenees and were skilled in the elements of classical hydraulics. These peasant women actually built the eight-lock staircase at Fonserannes.

As we continued along the towpath, we came to a group of horseback riders, some young people that appeared to be on a special outing. A lead horse and a dog were guiding the group, we stopped to let them pass so as not to startle the horses. 

Farther down the towpath we saw an estate on the other side of the canal, it turned out to be a working farm. 

A small foot bridge crossed the canal to the estate. 

The gated home looked beautiful and other buildings appeared to be living quarters for farm workers or for storage.

Work Crew Quarters and Storage

At the end of the day, we had bicycled nearly 20 miles, reaching the destination of Trebes. 

Meeting our boats at the Trebes Locks (front two boats)

The Le Moulin Restaurant overlooking the locks at Trebes

We scouted the town and made dinner reservations for our group of 14, from our flotilla of two boats. After Med-mooring (stern-tied) at the town mooring facilities, it was time to relax over dinner. The restaurant Moulin overlooking the locks, with a grape arbor shaded courtyard, was a nice finish to the day.