Ardèche

From Wikipaddle

The Ardèche travels 120 km from Massif Central, in south central France, until it eventually joins the Rhône near Pont-Saint-Esprit. It contains one of the classic canoe trips in Europe, and is very popular, making it very crowded in high summer. However, it is possible even in summer to time your trip to avoid the crowds at peak times during the day.

Contents 1 Les Défilés de l’Ardèche 2 Ardèche between Ruoms and Vallon Pont d’Arc 3 Ardèche between Vallon to Pont d’Arc or Chames 4 Gorges de l'Ardèche 5 Location Map 6 External Links 7 References

Les Défilés de l’Ardèche

This section of the Ardèche between Vogüé and Ruoms is an easier alternative to the more popular Gorges. It has less current, with shallow rapids and shoals that are mainly class 1. Put in below the road bridge in Vogüé – there is parking and a wide, pebbly beach from which a couple of outfitters hire canoes/kayaks – mainly of the double skinned bomb-proof sit-on-top variety. It’s possible to negotiate a ride in one of their shuttle minibuses from Ruoms.

For the first 3km the river is quite wide, with easy ’bump and scrape’ rapids, some requiring wading in the summer. Another kilometre brings you to Lanas. About 600m downstream of Lanas road bridge is a low weir with a glissière (canoe shoot) in the middle. Then the river becomes overhung with trees and greenery. After another ½ km or so the river flows through a series of class 2 rapids, and runs into a limestone gorge, although at 80m not as spectacularly high as its big brother downstream. 5km further on the river widens, and the current slows as you paddle the last few kilometres to Ruoms on virtually still water. At Ruoms, just after the bridge, is a high weir, with a long, high glissière that shoots you down the right hand side of the weir.

The take out is about 200m below the weir on the left at the public beach. Both Evasion Canoe and Les Argonautes outfitters operate from here (August 2007).

--Fran

Ardèche between Ruoms and Vallon Pont d’Arc

Put in at the public beach in Ruoms.

The river widens, and is flat and shallow. It has a few class 1 rapids, and 4 weirs, each with a glissière. The final weir, just before the road bridge to Salavas has to be portaged, although when we were there in 2007 there were playboats in the bottom of the weir. Take out at the public beach at the Municipal Campsite 'Camping Zamenhof' on the right, just downstream of the bridge.

--Fran

Ardèche between Vallon to Pont d’Arc or Chames

This section of the river is what the outfitters refer to as ‘le Mini-Descent’ Avoid paddling it when all the tourists set off for the full descent at 9 a.m.

Put in at the public beach at the Municipal Campsite 'Camping Zamenhof' at Salavas.

The first 2 km the river is easy, wide shallows, with lots of people swimming from the many campsites along the banks. There are three notable rapids, though none of them difficult – Rapide du Cayre-Crest, la Ribeige and finally le Charlemagne, which is immediately before the spectacular Pont d’Arc. At about 3 – 4pm in the summer, this is carnage, as literally hundreds of plastic sit-on-tops tip their unwary novice paddlers in when they hit the rocks head on and lean upstream! It is flat water below, with a large sandy beach on the left, full of swimmers and sunbathers in the summer. – you can take out here just before the famous 60 metre high stone arch, or continue through the arch, and on a further 2km to the take out point at the public landing point on the left at Chames.

--Fran

Gorges de l'Ardèche

The Ardèche Gorges section is very popular with tourists in the summer months and there are numerous places for canoe hire. This section of the river is fairly easy and contains nothing technical, but there are a few short and easy rapid sections.

The gorge is very scenic and the most popular feature is possibly the Pont d'Arc, which is a natural 60m stone arch.

Put in at Vallon Pont d’Arc (32km) or Chames (24km) - details in the sections above. The Gorges proper is a Nature Reserve, with only two licenced ‘bivouac’ sites for camping. You have to buy tickets for these before you set off!

The hire companies’ fleets of canoes and kayaks set off from Chames at about 9 a.m. – in the summer this can be two thousand people – so ideally leave it a little later in the day, and you’ll have the river to yourself!

Take out either at Sauze or St Martin. Most of the commercial operators pick up their customers at Sauze.

Location Map

From google

External Links

• Ardèche River on Wikipedia
• Rhone-Alpes Tourist Board
• Les Argonautes hire company web-site - with maps and extensive photos
• Google map of the river with access points, weirs and major rapids marked

References

Peter Knowles, “White Water Massif Central or Fluffy’s guide to the friendly rivers of Southern France”, Rivers Publishing UK, ISBN 0-9519413-6-4