Sunday 18th August
The picture above shows the Etang de Montady an area that was a swamp until it was drained by digging drainage ditches to the lowest point in the centre and then digging a drainage tunnel though a hill so the water could escape. “So what” you may say but the remarkable thing was this was all done between 1250 and 1270, if it was a swamp how did they dig the tunnel? The explanations in our guide book poses more questions than it answers.
To get there we came back up the Beziers lock staircase, the local people do know how to enjoy themselves, there were 90 watching at the top lock hoping we would sink or drown as the water rushed at the boat.
I am pleased to say we had the whole thing under control and with three weeks practice I hardly scrape any paint off the boat going in or out of locks, mind you after three weeks there is not much paint left.
We did have an interesting afternoon exploring the Oppidum of Enerune, the site of a town which was occupied between the 6th century BC and the 1st AD so a mixture of Gaul and Roman cultures. As you can see they did a nice line in pots.
Tomorrow we will move back along the Canal du Midi and then, as we have a few days left, we will do an excursion down the Canal de la Robine to Narbonne