2-day adventure in the Gorges de l’Ardèche

We’ve been looking forward to this 2-day trip through the Gorges of the Ardèche for a long time, paddling our packrafts and camping overnight at a campsite with toilets and showers but no other facilities. On the day, we were awake bright and early ready to go. After buying pastries from our campsite shop we had breakfast, then we were off.

We were soon down the section to Pont d’Arc along the section of the Ardèche we paddled a few days earlier. Just after the huge rock arch, we passed a sign on the river saying last chance for refreshments, so we stopped for a drink. It was strange to think this was the last time we’d be near the road and civilisation for a while.

Along the river there have been sections of calm interspersed with rapids of varying difficulty. I loved the bouncy wave trains but was less keen on rapids with random rocks positioned to catch me out. I ended up backwards down a rapid we weren’t expecting and, although I quickly turned myself it shook me up a bit. On inspection, I nearly bottled La Dent Noir which has apparently claimed lives, but I put my big girl pants on and did it! It was fine! I also felt quite pleased with myself at the following rapids because I felt I controlled my packraft quite well, following John and copying what he did. There weren’t really any further dramas at rapids… unusual for me!

The gorge is stunning and we felt tiny with the dramatic cliffs towering above us for much of the day. There were lots of caves and interesting rock formations, and it was lovely stopping to swim where the river was deep. The water was delightful on such a hot day.

There’s lots of wildlife along the river… large and small fish, sometimes breaking the surface, rock martins in holes in cliffs, colourful dragonflies, herons, kingfishers and egrets. We may even have seen otters. We felt far away from civilisation and it was very peaceful, except when groups of plastic boaters overtook us.

According to my Garmin, we paddled 18.5k on the first day and I was quite tired for the last 4/5k. I’m really not paddle fit and my back and shoulders ached, especially when the wind was blowing in my face. I was relieved when we finally reached le Gournier bivouac site where we were camping for the night after about 5 hours.

We hauled everything uphill about 500m to the campsite in the hot sun and found a shady pitch to put the tent up. Once we’d settled in we had a swim to cool off… perfect!

It is fun having a camping adventure but I’m glad it was only one night… sleeping on a camping mat, eating food out of a packet and no wine! John’s really looked after me though, helping guide me at the rapids, encouraging me when I’m tired, finding shade when I’m hot, carrying the boats and fetching water to make sure I’m hydrated. Also making dinner too although he does like playing with his camping gadgets! 😜

I was in bed by 9.30 and actually had a reasonable night’s sleep, despite all the weird sounds of the wildlife in the night. We packed the tent and camping kit away and had breakfast… hot chocolate and a snack bar… before getting the packrafts ready and setting off.

We had a rapid to negotiate immediately. I followed John down the straightforward way, then he went back and did it again the harder way. We were the third people to leave the campsite, I think. In any case, fewer people paddle the second half of the gorge and we pretty much had the river to ourselves all day.

Day 2 was similar to day 1, only better… the gorge was wilder and more dramatic, and the rock formations were more interesting. In some places the rocks were eroded smooth, whereas in others they were jagged. There were some particularly deep and narrow sections of the river between long straight rocky banks, which were wonderful to paddle, and the views of the cliffs high above were jaw-dropping.

The wildlife was also more plentiful on day 2. I’ve never seen so many flashes of kingfishers, beautiful in the sunlight! We also saw barbel a couple of feet long, and swam with fish up to a foot long. Amazing! The solitude was wonderful too. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe it all! 🙂

We paddled another 13.5 kilometres on the second day in about 4 hours and, once again, I found the last few kilometres really tough. At several points the wind in my face seemed so string I felt as though I was getting nowhere, and I found the exertion exhausting in the 39 degree heat . It’s strange how the wind gets up in the afternoons here and, although the breeze is welcome when I’m sitting around, it isn’t when I’m cycling or paddling into it. Although sorry our adventure was over in some ways, I was glad to reach the end of the paddle.

We’d arranged for a shuttle back to the campsite and, after we’d packed everything into our rucksacks, we had a couple of drinks and ice creams while we waited. It was boiling hot by now and I felt pretty rubbish again, so when we got back to the van, I collapsed into bed. I didn’t even have the energy for a shower! What a wonderful experience we had, but I’m glad the next few days will be easier! The gorge was absolutely stunning, and it’s been a privilege to have such an experience, despite my fear of the rapids and the uncomfortable nature of camping in a small tent.