French River Day 4
Thursday
Overcast but dry - Château-Gontier
Left the mooring pontoons at 09.45.
Lock 33 - Mirvault at 10.05 had a long chat with the young lock keeper in franglais, he was practicing his English and we our French.
Photo of the mill and weir at Mirvault lock. 
Lock 32 - la Roche-de-Maine at 10.30.
Lock 31 - Neuville at 11.10.
Photo of restaurant/mill opposite Neuville lock. 
Lock 30 - la Rongère at 11.50 accompanied by two boats of Germans just out of the Château-Gontier.hire base.
We had seen literally dozens of kingfishers over the past few days but it was
only in this quiet stretch that we managed to sneak a picture of one.
Lock 29 - la Fosse we arrived just as it closed for the lunch hour at 13.00 so we stayed on the downstream lock mooring and had ours. The lock is opposite a large stone quarry which was also at lunch. At 14.00 the quarry stone crushers and washing plant started up and the noise was deafening. We pitied the lock keeper's job here in the constant racket from the quarry. We moved on through at 14.00 and were glad to get round the next bend away from the noise.
Photo of the lock entrance and quarry at la Fosse. 
Lock 28 - la Bénâtre at 14.40.
Lock 27 - Briassé at 15.20
Lock 26 - Persigand at 16.00
Lock 25 - Port- Rhingeard at16.20
Lock 24 - Bonne at 16.45
Subjected to a very heavy rain shower for about twenty minutes. Deciding that we would not be able to get to Laval we moored on the East bank at St Pierre-le-Potier, just below lock 23 at 17.25. Walked in to the village, not a lot to see, came back and moved off downstream 18.15.
Stopped for the night on the West bank nearly opposite la Grande Roche above la Bonne lock at 19.00.