From Besançon to Baume-les-Dames, forced break

We spent the worse days in Besançon and then wanted to continue towards Montbéliard. We planned three stages, unsure if we could manage it in two days. We were not in a hurry either.

The last few days had quite significant rainfall and since Dole, where we have been traveling a large part of the route on the Doubs, we encountered noticeable currents in the river.

Our decision to dock at the very end of the dock in Besançon was certainly the right one in light of the festive spirit of our young neighbors. The day before our departure, we then recognized the downside, as we caught all the debris that the Doubs had washed down first, which was stuck under the bathing platform in the Z-drive, including a tree trunk.

We tried to remove it, but as quickly as we could take pieces out of the collected works, the replacement clumps immediately came down again from above. So the next morning before departure, we had to do it all over again and wake up half an hour earlier.

We set off at 8:00, joined by the Americans, who decided to use the tunnel and then went back downstream on the Doubs. After that, we were alone.

Nothing new along the route compared to previous days, narrow valley, at times steep limestone cliffs, we are in the Jura.

Upon arriving in Baume-les-Dames, there were still two or three spots available. The harbor is a municipal facility, consisting of a harbor, RV parking lot, and campground, and the Capitainerie also has a restaurant. Everything is well-developed and spatially separated. Since the site is only a few kilometers away from the A36, it is well-used by passing RV travelers. Among others, we also met Heiner, who didn't come from Darmstadt, greetings to Owerroamschdt. They told us that this place has now become a regular stop on their return journey from the south.

We can confirm that, it’s a very nice docking place even with the boat, although the town doesn’t have much to offer. The supermarket is a 5-minute walk away, the cycling path is well-frequented, and the campground is well-accepted. In the mornings and evenings, school classes came who had relocated their school trip here, hiking in nature, which is definitely possible.

There is a small charming town center, which unfortunately has seen better days. Usually, you meet older people there, the town is in a Sleeping Beauty slumber.

Right after our arrival, we learned that due to the rainfall of the past few days in the Montbéliard area, the locks are closed due to flooding. Therefore, further travel was not possible, and we quickly decided to take a three-day break.