Brittany Canal Day 3

A very relaxed day with a slow start from our very peaceful overnight anchorage. We turn off the Nantes-Brest canal into L'Aff, a narrow river that takes us further north. One is advised to stay in the middle of the river as there are overhanging trees on both sides and weeds along the banks. All fine until you meet a boat coming in the other direction. The first one we encounter has a very worried looking helmsman who is veering from side to side using the bow thruster, and going too fast for comfort. Our second is a boat with a more experienced crew and we pass comfortably. Third is a very wide boat and we have to hug the shore, collecting a few tree branches and some weed on the prop, but it washes off.

L'Aff

After a couple of hours in a green tunnel, we emerge at La Gacilly and berth there. This requires reversing the boat into a slot between other boats and Pladic (our boat) doesn't steer in reverse at all, but we creep in on an angle and get ourselves straightened up and moored with help from someone on another boat.

La Gacilly is a very pretty town, charming old houses, flowers everywhere, very arty-crafty with lots of ateliers. It also has a major photographic exhibition happening with large photos on the walls of buildings, on stands in parks and along the river's edge. The exhibition is titled "Australia and Beyond" and there are some great photos from our homeland, particularly a sequence showing the devastation caused by bushfires.

Old and new in La Gacilly

Cats know that black surfaces absorb heat

We lunch on delicious galettes at a creperie before exploring the town, and during our walk we stop off at a mini-supermarket and pick up the items we forgot yesterday like a gas lighter and bin bags for rubbish, as well as a bit more food and a bottle of wine. When we were untying at Glenac yesterday yesterday, I leant over the jetty forgetting that I had my reading glasses tucked down the front of my shirt, so they fell out and I watched them slowly descend to the bottom of the river. Today I look for a pharmacy so that I can buy a replacement. The new ones I find are much trendier than my lost ones, and no more expensive than buying reading glasses at home, so I'm happy.

We return to the boat for a bit of a rest and to do some communicating with friends. When we finish that at about 19:30 it starts to rain quite heavily, and we debate whether to brave the rain to go ashore for dinner, or eat on the boat. When the rain eases a bit the prospect of another French restaurant meal wins over eating takeaway salads on the boat. We are pretty wet by the time we find our way to Les Enfants Gâtés, but we are welcomed in and choose from an interesting menu of dishes with influences from all over the world. French food is such a contrast after England and Scotland - meals are smaller, lighter, and with a lot more veg or salad. It's not chips with everything, although we did enjoy excellent frites with our first French meal.