Tuesday 21rd August
To-day we moved from Chalons-en-Champagne to Tours-sur-Marne and moored up just above the lock. There was a lot of debris in the water were the canal bank vegetation had recently been cut back. An English barge passed by shortly after we had moored and became stuck in the lock as it failed to empty completely; the sluices were blocked with vegetation. A VNF girl came to clear the debris but boat was stuck for over an hour so we were glad we had moored up early. David did his bit and cleared several branches from the canal. Next a Job with the VNF perhaps?

Tours-sur-Marne

Clearing branches from the canal

Wednesday 22nd August. 
We are now on the River Marne with a gentle current pushing us along towards Paris. It is pleasant to be back on a big river and the scenery is very different with champagne vineyards stretching up the hillside on either bank. We moored at Cumieres, near Epernay. The streets of this small village are lined with champagne houses, we did not sample any of their products but had a very convivial evening with a Scottish couple moored next to us.

Our first swing bridge since Calais

Cumieres

Thursday 23rd August

Today we moved all of 3km to Damery. We had been warned that the moorings on the Marne are often full as they provide free electricity and some boaters stay on them for week or more. We have had no trouble finding space (so far) we think many cruisers have headed for home in the last week at the end of their summer holidays. The sun is still very fierce and we have become adept at moving the awnings around for maximum shade. The evenings are becoming cooler, might have to look out some jumpers soon!

Friday 24th August.

We stayed at Damery and went for a cycle ride along the Marne. We kept to the riverbank as the hills on either side are steep and winding and too much like hard work.

Taking a break

Sunday 26th August
On Saturday we continued downstream to Dormans. It was very windy with gusts up to 65kph, the white capped waves were larger than we had seen crossing the channel. We also had a new challenge - locks with sloping sides. The high wind made these a tricky operation and we had to use both boathooks to “catch “ the pontoon in the middle of the locks. Our second boathook had only arrived last weekend thanks to our visitors. There was no space on the official ‘halte nautique’ pontoon so we moored at the quay a nearby silo. It may not sound very attractive but with views up and down stream and wild flowers growing on the bank it was better than the pontoon, which is alongside a campsite. A commercial barge joined us this evening.
Today we visited the “Battle of the Marne” memorial, one of four Great War national monuments. Dormans had been the central point of two major WWI battles, first in 1914 and again in 1918. The monument is a 52 metre high chapel at the top of a small hill overlooking the town and the Marne valley. There is an exhibition of WWI artefacts and photographs showing the devastation suffered by local villages several of which we have visited. It was sobering without being depressing.

A windy day on the Marne

Moored by the Silo

Joined by a commercial 

Battle of the Marne Memorial