After Lier it was on to the Leuven Canal, one of the few canals still new to us in Belgium. The locks are unique with wavy walls that our length of boat could not quite straddle. This made for some interesting roping up techniques, fully tested by the strength of the inward rushing water. Some of the lockkeepers were kind and filled the lock gently. Others weren't.

There was a lot of restoration and modernisation work underway on this canal. A crestfallen locky told us that, by the time we came back in a few days, all the locks would be automated, controlled from a central tower. No more boater interaction that he so enjoyed, just a north facing window and a lot of cctv screens to peer at.