11. Bruge to Peronnes via Merelbeke, Oudenaarde & Tournai 17th March to

17th March 2026  We had decided to return to Bruge - via Brussels - by Eurostar this time to see how the journey would be. We nearly fell at the first hurdle, as there had been an accident on the M5 closing it, which meant all the other roads were now full with traffic. The taxi driver tried to put us off attempting the journey to Bristol train station, but we had no choice and we were fine. The journey was a bit more complicated than going with Flixbus, with luggage on and luggage off various trains and undergrounds etc. but at least on a train you can walk around and they have usable loos.

We were able to put the central heating on remotely so when we arrived on the boat it was lovely and warm and we arrived at a much nicer time of evening than if we had gone by Flixbus. Even time for a glass of bubbles before bed!

We had returned to the boat a lot earlier in the season than we would have done normally due to the Dutch Barge Association - DBA - Flag day being held at Bruge on March 22nd, and we wanted to show our support for the guys organising it especially as it was being held in our marina. We needed to get the boat cleaned and hang the flags and lights on the boat. We were lucky as the weather was lovely and warm for March.

22nd March - The DBA Flag day went very well. We all took some food and drink along and they had organised a First Aid training session, which was good to refresh the mind. We met some new boaters and some boating friends that we had met previously. It was a great day and great weather!

23rd March to 21st April - We spent the rest of our time enjoying being in Bruge and getting to know the other winter moorers. Some live on their boats full time and others - like us - were returning to get their boats ready for the cruising season. We had intended to leave early April to begin our cruising season, but the weather turned really cold, wet and windy, so we didn't see the point in getting out onto the river if the conditions are not nice.

We were keen to get filled up with diesel within the first couple of days of arrival, due to Donald Trump starting a War with Iran. The fuel prices had already increased and were due to increase even further.

There was a lovely community here with the other Bruge Winter Moorers. Wednesday was market day and we would meet up, go to the market and then go for a coffee together. On Thursday evenings we would go to a local bar together and in between times we would go to each others boats for drinks or card games with coffee and homemade rock buns etc...😋😋.

Rachel & Janos on Csavargo, were extremely helpful and if they were getting a car to go to do a big shop, they would take us along too.

Bit by bit, boats were leaving their winter moorings to begin their cruising seasons or to relocate for the summer months. Whenever one of the winter moorers would leave they would be waved off and horns would be sounded. It was quite fun to be apart of.

21st April - Bruge Coupure to Merelbeke Marina ( 10.30am - 49.5 km, 2 open locks and 5 lifting bridges in 6hrs 40mins) Gent Oostende Canal - Gent Ring Canal

We finally left the marina after a couple of aborted attempts that were out of our control, one being electric failure at the lifting bridges. Anyway, the timing was good in the end, as the weather was less cold and we were off!

We couldn't leave the marina until 10.30am due to work on the last bridge, therefore not functioning until 11.30am, so getting through Bruge was slow, making it a bit of a long day for our first day out and we had hoped to moor at Merelbeke lock, but the wall was high and there was a concrete over-hang, which would have been dangerous with any swell created by passing commercial traffic, so we decided to head for Merelbeke marina instead. I couldn't get hold of the harbour master, so we just had to go to the marina and hope there was space for us. Luckily there was just one spot, so we took it. The harbour master did eventually phone me back and made sure that we wouldn't leave without paying the next morning, which we wouldn't have done. Would have been nice if he would answer his phone in the first place though! It was a nice setting for our first night, so all good.

22nd - 23rd April - Merelbeke Marina to Oudenaarde Marina (10am - 26km, 2 big upstream locks & 1 lifting bridge at the entrance to marina in 5hrs 45mins).

Gent Ring Canal - Upper Scheldt.

We didn't sleep too well as there was quite a bit of swell and movement coming into the marina, causing the mooring lines to squeal a bit. We didn't leave until 10am as the harbour master was coming to collect payment and we didn't want to get him up too early!

The Upper Scheldt is nice and wide and quite scenic although quite busy with commercial traffic and we had a lot of waiting around at the locks. We shared the two locks with a bit of a rust-bucket boat, and we moored alongside them once whilst waiting for the lock to be free. The old guys were working with their slippers on, and they looked as though they should be resting with their feet up and not having to work.

We arrived at Oudenaarde later than we had hoped and the wind had really picked up. The marina entrance is quite narrow with a lifting bridge to gain access and we are supposed to reverse in, but due to the strong wind, Ayhan had to go in forwards. The marina is nice and quiet, so that was a plus and we had a great nights sleep.

The next day was market day, and the sun was out, but still a bit of a cold wind. We had a walk around the town and tried to find an open supermarket, which proved quite a task, but we got there eventually.

24th April - Oudenaarde Marina to Tournai Town Mooring (9am - 39kms, 3 upstream locks, 2 lifting bridges, in 7hrs 15mins.) Upper Scheldt.

We woke up early, and there was a thick blanket of fog, so we hoped that it would clear up quickly. Whilst we didn't want the wind for reversing out of the marina, we needed a bit to lift the fog. All worked out well, the fog lifted by 9am and Ayhan did a grand job of reversing out onto the river. By now we had realised that we would have to be patient at the locks. It is a nice river to cruise on, so not a big deal. The first lock we shared with a large commercial, which I had assumed would then be our lock buddy for the next two locks, but he turned off and so at the next lock we went in thinking that we would be on our own, only to then be followed eventually by three more commercials, luckily not too big. We let them pass us once out of the lock and then we had to try and keep up with them so as not to loose our place in the next lock!

We kept up with the Commercials and shared the third and last lock with them again, even tying up alongside a female owned and driven commercial, which she single handedly managed. She was very kind and once she realised that our French was rubbish, she kindly radioed ahead to inform the one way traffic system controller, that we were staying the night at the Tournai town pontoon. The entrance gates to Tournai are impressive

We arrived at the pontoon which was ok, but we didn't feel like leaving the boat to explore due to the swell created by some overly fast commercials.

25th April - Tournai pontoon to Peronnes Marina ( 11am - 10.4km, 1 lock upstream in 1hr 45mins) Upper Scheldt to Miny-Baton-Peronnes Canal

We had decided not to plug into shore-power at Tournai, but in the early hours of the morning, we realised that we had domestic battery issues as the low voltage alarm went off, so we immediately turned the generator on, and all was then fine, but we needed to get it checked out.

We wanted to head off promptly, but it was again foggy, so needed to wait for it to clear. We didn't have far to go today. I decided to do some grocery shopping and Ayhan stayed on the boat. It all worked out really well, and by the time I got back to the boat, the fog had lifted. Before we could head back out onto the river, we had to get permission from the one-way system authorities, which they gave us and off we went. The cruise was easy, with just one guillotine lock, which we had all to ourselves! Once out of the lock we were right next to Peronnes marina which is on a lake, and it is lovely. After a couple of moves, we finally got a great mooring spot with 16amp electricity and great views. We were going to be here a while as we needed to get a new set of batteries organised.

Peronnes marina is such a lovely place to be, so it wasn't going to be a hardship to be here.

After a day or so, Rose and Ade - from the Bruge Winter Moorers - arrived on their boat - Sirius, for a night. We went out for a couple of beers at the marina restaurant which was lovely and the weather was nice and sunny. A couple of days later, Rachel and Janos on Csavargo also arrived and stayed for a few days, so we went out a few times for beers and dinner at the marina restaurant, and they kindly invited us to their boat for dinner. Janos was also very helpful in trying to help us decide on which batteries we should get installed.

We had some crazy weather too, rain and strong winds and it got really quite cold for a while, so we were glad to be somewhere nice and safe.

Over many days, we spent a lot of time researching new batteries and also needed to find an installer that was available to do the work. In the end we decided to stick with AGM batteries instead of going over to Lithuim and we found an installer that wasn't too far away and could do the work 8th June. So we could now at least relax a bit and enjoy our suroundings. There were some lovely walks around the lakeside. One weekend there had been a big BMX bike competition and Peronnes was awash with camper vans, bikes and people, that was the weekend of the heavy rain, so that would have been a bit of a wash-out for them on that day.

We met some lovely people here in the marina, a Belgium couple - Michel and Christiane - that also have a Piper boat - Anticus - who we actually met briefly last year at Compeigne when they had just bought their boat. They were very welcoming and helpful. Michel, was acting harbour-master here at the marina when the actual harbour master wasn't around. We met Sue and Malcolm on Iskra, and we very quickly became good friends. Sue and Malcolm were extremely kind and helpful. Whenever they went shopping they would take us with them in their car, which is always a godsend when you have the heavier stuff to buy and the shops are not walking distance.

Sue and Malcolm took us into Tournai three times. They took us on a tour one evening and we had pizza and beer and then another evening there was an event where all the museums were free to enter, so we went to see the Folklore, Puppet, Natural History and Military museums and in between we had a cold beer and chips. The third visit to Tournai was for a pizza and beer and to meet up with their good friends Di and Chris that also keep ther boat in Peronnes marina and were heading back to the marina with their boat and were moored at Tournai for the night.

Sue and Di had booked to have their hair cut, so, with me having recently gone with a short haircut before leaving the UK, my hair was in desperate need of a cut, and Sue very kindly got me an appointment and the three of us went together and afterwards we went to their French friends house - Catherine - for bubbles and nibbles. It had been a lovely girly day. That evening we all went out for a pizza and beer in Antoing. A lovely day indeed.

Ayhan & I were enjoying being taken to the French supermarkets, they are better stocked with fresh food, especially fish and oysters and they are a lot cheaper than the Belgium supermarkets. Ayhan was finally able to get some fresh fish and oysters to have on the boat..

Sue and Malcolm's French friend - Catherine - invited us all to her house for a BBQ. The weather had turned very hot, it was the May bank holiday weekend. We all took some food and drink and Malcolm did the BBQ. It was a wonderful evening with our new friends. We have been made to feel so welcome and they are such kind people.

Every weekend a Hotel barge called Raymond would moore alongside the visitors pontoon, opposite us. They would stay one night and we would get to see the various nationalities onboard, which was always quite interesting.

There had been a film crew here one night filming a couple on a small white boat, it looked like they were recreating a wedding.

For a few nights, we also heard some very strange noises going on under our boats and it turned out to be huge Carp. It was mating season and they were chasing each other and were hitting against the boats. Michel said that they actually laid their eggs on the underside of the boats. It was certainly a sight and sound to behold.