6th - 19th September
It is always a joy for passengers to arrive from Paris and sit on the Luciole’s deck on Sunday evening. The dramatic skyline of Auxerre is stunning, with the medieval Cathedral of Saint-Étienne and Abbey of Saint-Germain standing proudly on the hills above the River Yonne.
On Monday morning, we slipped our mooring, leaving the outline of the city skyline behind. The cruise had begun and the excitement was palpable.
First, the Luciole cruises under the Pont Paul Bert. It is a tight squeeze, and those on deck dip their heads beneath the old stone arch as we head towards the first lock of the Nivernais Canal. It is a lovely time to be up on deck, coffee in hand, getting to know new friends – which, for this cruise, amazingly included two different sets of lovely sisters.
It always seems a miracle for the Luciole to glide into the locks with only 5 cm on either side. Captain Charlie and matelot Tom are highly skilled at the manoeuvre, which never fails to draw attention and admiration.
The key is to line the side of the boat up with the approaching entrance to the lock, guided by the ‘counting’ of Tom, who sits on a boat bollard, calculating the distances by eye, while Charlie responds at the wheel – sometimes there is a lot of whirling of the wheel, while at other times just a few turns are needed – enabling the Luciole to slip smoothly in.
From the sleepy village of Accolay on Tuesday, we drove to Avallon for our restaurant night dinner. The delicious meal was followed by the short stroll back to the bus along the old stone streets, where the festoons of butterflies hanging high above looked even more dramatic against the night sky.
As we cruised into the Écluse du Parc on Wednesday, our two sets of sisters were very much part of the lovely, warm atmosphere that had developed as the week progressed. It seemed as if the family groups and fellow passengers were becoming interchangeable. Friendships blossomed and laughter rippled across the water, to the point that Sheryl became the honorary ‘Bob’, brother of our American sisters, who sadly was unable to cruise. His absence meant that, at the last minute, Sheryl was able to join the cruise instead. Of course, we toasted absent Bob – as well as our ‘very own’ lovely onboard Bob.
The days slipped by. The bikes were on and off the barge for cycles along the smooth towpath, whilst others walked between the locks. Two of our passengers had first cruised with us way back in the 1980s, and numerous times since, and it was such a delight to welcome them aboard again.
In those olden days, the Luciole was 30 metres long, rather than her present length of 34 metres following ‘the stretch’ in 2010. Back then, we stood the bikes on the sundeck, and it was always a bit of a nightmare to lift them down onto the quay. With ‘the stretch’, we are now able to stand the bikes in a tidy row on the foredeck, an improvement that was particularly noted, along with the relocation of the stairs in the saloon from a central position to the starboard side.
On our Thursday visit to Vézelay, host Maria joined the tour. After visiting the Basilica, we all made our way back down the Eternal Hill to the waiting bus. A familiar four-legged friend was plodding up the hill with his beloved owner, who kindly gave Maria a carrot to offer him. Of course, the photo opportunity could not be missed by anyone!
Saturday morning in Châtel was beautiful – a moment of calm before the busyness of the day, when the port was to be inaugurated by the local Mayor, Olivier Maguet, and dignitaries from Auxerre and the department.
There were quiet goodbyes and a few tears shed. This had truly been a wonderful week, with ‘ancient mariners’ from the past returning to cruise and new friendships being made.
Hotel barge Luciole
Cruising since 1976
Phone: 00 44 1625 576880
From USA: 011 44 1625 576880
WhatsApp: 00 33 6 09 92 20 76
Email: info@bargeluciole.com
23 Adlington Road, Bollington
SK10 5JT England
1-2 Quai de la Republique, Auxerre
89000 France
© Hotel Barge Luciole 2026
