A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Haybes & Givet

My fourth day on the water of this epic European rowing tour once again dawned hot, sunny and bright. This time in the town of Haybes. And we made our way to the boats, my fellow rowers and I took in some of the local beauty.

Architectural Charms

Again we found an array of architectural styles and eras nestled among the rocky hills of the Ardennes region of France. This charming village had a variety of treats tucked away for us, from lovely streets winding uphill, to little book boxes tucked away on a window sill. And all topped off with a romantic floral arrangement at a front entrance.

Valley Parallels

I also discovered that Haybes is home to a number of monuments, some religious and others patriotic. A couple of these were familiar to me as they are common in my native Ottawa Valley. So I was surprised to come across a crucifix, erected by the side of the road at an intersection. Where I was raised, the Kashubs erected these symbols of faith at crossroads to help ensure safe passage. I imagine they serve a similar purpose here in the Ardennes. A small grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary also reminded me of the Ottawa Valley. As a child, I had made pilgrimages with my family to similar grottoes honouring Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary in Cormac and Wilno, respectively. Beyond that, the long lists found on the World War I memorial of men lost during that conflict were another reminder of the depth of the impact that devastating war had on this northern region of France. As we returned to the river and headed for the fortress town of Givet, I was greeted by yet another reminder of the Ottawa Valley – a logging landing on the riverbank. In fact, the process of intermingling the sculls and oars together to form a raft in the locks that we were using to ensure safe passage through them also brought back memories of the Ottawa Valley’s logging tradition. For it was common for those lumberjacks to create rafts of logs to transport them down the Ottawa River to market. I could not help but think that my Dad would be proud to see me traversing a river in a mode similar to how he once had.

Locked Down

Distance-wise, this was our shortest row of the week – a mere 21.5 kilometres. And the expectation was that we would arrive at Givet by lunch. Thiswould give us the afternoon to explore that picturesque town and its mighty fortress. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. We kept having to wait for larger vessels to go through the locks before we could enter. In some cases this took as long as an hour per lock. And with five of them to go through, that added up. So we ended up stopping on an open stretch of land by the river for lunch and arriving at our destination late afternoon. Given that, we unfortunately missed the opportunity to tour the Fortress of Charlemont.  Our row did provide a bit of a respite though as we had another tunnel to traverse. And upon exiting it, we were gifted with a brief but refreshing rain shower. This would be the only one we would experience during the entire tour. This row also reminded me that the Meuse is a source of food for residents. For I ended up catching several of their fishing lines with our oars at one point while I was coxing. The fishermen expressed their dissatisfaction through their shouts. Thankfully, we were able to stop the boat quickly enough to prevent breaking any of their lines and were quickly on our way again.

Night Racing

Our entertainment for this evening was extra special. We rowers were given the opportunity to participate in night races through the town. I opted to sit at a café on the river’s edge with a couple of friends and a drink and cheer the racers on. It was a treat to watch the colourfully lit sculls glide past the illuminated 17th-century church under a full moon. You can catch a glimpse yourself in the video below. 

Border Crossing

Our evening of festivities over, we awoke the next morning and headed for the Belgian border. There, our trusty support staff greeted us with the flags of France, the Wallonia region and Belgium. A wonderful way to celebrate this momentous milestone. Only 58 kilometres and 11 écluses – locks – to go!

Here are the first two instalments of this epic adventure, in case you missed them: A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Sedan and A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Charleville-Mézières & Deville.