Ardèche

From peaks to river

From the vertical walls of Savoie to the green waters of the Gorges de l'Ardèche: in a few days the rock gave way to the river.

The walls of Savoie

I started vertically. For the first few days I climbed the limestone walls of Savoie, climbing shoes on and hands on the rock. A few intense days, then I felt like changing element.

From van to river

I loaded everything into the van, left the mountains and headed south to the river. There the climbing shoes gave way to a paddle.

Day 1: from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to the bivouac

I set off from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, at the entrance to the gorges. After the first few strokes, still unsure of myself, I saw the Pont d'Arc appear: a rock arch more than fifty metres high, carved by the river. Paddling under it in the canoe is the moment that stays with you.

Then I alternated calm stretches, where I let the current carry me, with small rapids and a bit of spray. The canyon closes in and what is left is rock, sun and water. In the evening I reached the authorised bivouac inside the nature reserve: tent, a simple dinner, a sky full of stars with no light around.

Day 2: the middle of the gorges

The second day was the best. The middle section of the gorges is the most remote: no roads, no villages, only sheer cliffs, karst formations, caves opening in the walls and birds of prey high above. I paddled, stopped to swim in the calmer bends and had lunch on a pebble beach.

The finish is downstream, near Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche: two days and about 36 km of water in all.

In short

A few days of climbing in Savoie, then the canoe descent of the Gorges de l'Ardèche, within reach of anyone who can handle a canoe. The best time is late spring, when the river still has water and the gorges are not crowded.