We arrived in Menetreol at 2.45, to find a large stretch of the quay sectioned off, presumably for a hotel boat. We manoeuvred ourselves onto the end of the quay in front of a hire boat. They had only stopped for water so we decided to move back once they had gone. In the meantime the lure of the nearby hotel/restaurant was too much on such a hot day (must have reached 30c by then and hardly any wind!) so we ordered cold beers. The hire boat left, so we moved back.
On the quay was a bar, a hotel/restaurant and a boulangerie but on investigation, no grocer in town, which was a shame as we were running low on supplies! We had to obtain a key for the electricity from the hotel, so booked a table for dinner at the same time.
We rested in the heat of the day - it was very humid and a storm looked imminent. Indeed around 6.30 p.m. loud claps of thunder were heard, followed by a heavy downpour which lasted only for fifteen minutes or so. By the time we went for dinner, everything had dried out and the air was fresher, so fresh in fact, that we felt a bit chilly so dinner was a fairly quick affair! The food was very good quality and exceptional value at €17.50 for three courses. Hats off to the couple who ran this little hotel, the lady was the only one serving the food and we think, just her husband in the kitchen. They had had a very busy lunch time and also quite a few diners too!
Just a half hour climb from Menetreol was the small town of Sancerre, famous for the delicious white wine but the climb is very steep! Five years ago we chickened out of doing that and booked a taxi to take us up there! Our excuse was the weather, as it was raining and very windy!
We were glad to get back to the warmth of the boat after dinner, and enjoyed some wine and TV before bed.
32 km. 9 locks. 5 1/2 hours
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