The day promises to be warmer than recent days, approaching 80, so no 10 mile hikes on the agenda. But a hike going the opposite direction along the canal seems a good idea. Clark drove the hikers (Janis, Dave, Ron, and Chris) to the same spot where we started the other day - La Lochère.
This walk heads toward Pouilly-en-Auxois. The interesting part here is that there is a 2 mile tunnel through which the canal boats must travel. This is the highest point on the canal. Originally, barges were towed by horses or mules who walked on the tow path beside the canal. But the tunnel was only wide enough for the water channel. How did the boats get through the tunnel? (Answer below.)
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| tunnel exit at La Lochère |
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| tunnel exit at La Lochère |
So for 3.33 km, the canal isn't visible to the hikers. The shade of the path helps keep the hikers a comfortable temperature.
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| a beautiful day for a hike |
The tunnel ends at Pouilly-en-Auxois where Clark picked them up 2.5 hours after they started. The tunnel is obviously one-way. There's a lock keeper at each end who control the traffic. Today's boats are self-powered, but in 1832, when the tunnel was finished, barges had to pull themselves through by pulling on a cable which took 10 hours to travel the 3.33 km (2 miles) tunnel. In the 1860s, tow barges were used to pull the barges through the tunnel. In the late 1800s, electric tow boats did the towing. This was an important improvement as the canal system was the major route for moving goods across France, connecting the Loire, the Seine, the Yonne, the Saône, and the Rhone, thereby connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. (the Burgundy Canal connects the Yonne to the Saône)
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| the entrance to the tunnel at Pouilly |
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| Pouilly entrance to canal tunnel |
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| Pouilly entrance to canal tunnel |
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| Pouilly-en-Auxois |
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