L'ÉCLUSE DE LA PLANCHE DU BELIN
Fancy a drink between Chitry-les-Mines and Châtillon-en-Bazois? Make an unusual stop at Gérard Mazière's house called "Gégé". This native of Nivernais by adoption opens the door of his lock keeper's house "La Planche du Belin", located downstream from the vaults of La Collancelle, wide open to tourists strolling near the Nivernais canal. Also nicknamed the Indian, he has made Lock 6 an unusual place where vegetation, metal, sculpture and flowers intermingle. Surprising by its pretty pink colour, the lock of the Planche du Belin is home to a real museum of curiosities: Gérard exhibits a beautiful collection of souvenirs (photos, objects) brought back from his travels in Iran, a country to which he devotes a devouring passion. Do not hesitate to take advantage of the beauty of the canal by boarding, near the lock, on a barge fitted out as a cosy lounge for a pleasant moment in the sun accompanied by a cool drink. A pretty cocoon to discover!
