Day 12 Wednesday, Lower Durance After a week and a half of Alpine adventure, Day 12 brought the group to the Lower Durance for a second time – a refreshing change of pace after the steeper and splashier rivers of earlier in the trip.  This was our first river, having driven out for a late holiday and only just joining the club who were, by now, well into their routines.… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 12 Wednesday: Lower Durance

Day 11 Tuesday Middle Guil by Nikki A The second river of the day, and we were upping the ante. We drove up the Guil valley, stopping to inspect the get-out, the get-in and Tunnel Rapids. After much discussion and watching another group paddle Tunnel Rapids, we decided to get on below it and just enjoy the best part of the river. A non-stop Grade 3 with a harder Grade… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 11: Tuesday Middle Guil by Nikki A

Day 11 Tuesday Lower Guil by Martin A After some confusion over shuttles, we arrived at the get-on and were soon unloaded. As we prepared to launch, Keith stole Roy’s small Firecracker (which was practically underwater – squirt-like), so Roy had to paddle Keith’s playboat, which dwarfed him. We split into 2 groups of 7, and Keith’s group launched first. We made our way down the first few easy rapids,… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 11: Tuesday Lower Guil by Martin A

Day 10 Monday Mountain Kart by Ste H Serre Chevalier Vallée Mountain Cart and scooter experience https://www.serrechevalier-pass.com/fr/mountainkart On a day off, 6 of us decided to head up to Serre Chevalier, up the valley through Briançon and try some downhill summer sports, namely Carts. 3-wheeled contraptions with big rubber tires and a cloth seat. Independent brakes and footrests. What could possibly be more fun? On arrival at the base of the… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 10: Mountain Kart by Ste H

Day 10 Monday, Argentiere Stadium by Sarah G In the afternoon, some went on the Lake on paddle boards while others used their kayaks to try out the slide down into the lake. We also did some rolling practice.

Day 10, Monday Glacier Blanc by Keith The 4 of us got up early to miss the extreme heat of the day during the climb. Terry drove us up past Ailefroide climbing centre and parked at Refuge du Pré de Madame Carle. In the car park, we saw three chamois (mountain deer) and 4 marmots. The sunny conditions were actually cloudy with very light rain. We set off up the… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 10: Monday Glacier Blanc

7 adventurers visit the Small Isles (well, half of them) All the weather forecasts we checked were consistent and showed low wind (less than 10mph) for the next 6 days for plan A, a trip to the Small Isles. We were confident we had a weather window for this trip, which involves several open crossings and has the potential to be exposed to Atlantic swell. Day 1 Tigh-na-mara to Camas… Read More »2025 The Small Isles Sea Kayaking Trip Day 1 by Ella

A Team: Keith, Martin, Nikki, Terry, Sarah, JohnB Team: Stuart, Kurt, Roy, Jackie, Dom, Stephen  Swim Tally = 9 (no names shall be mentioned) As we were staying at our usual base camp in L’argentière la Bessèe, we had an early morning to set off to my favourite alpine river in the next region over. The Ubaye Racecourse! We dropped a few of the group off at Du Lac near… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 9: Sunday The Ubaye Racecourse by Kurt T

2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 8 Saturday: Upper Durance by Dom In the afternoon, we loaded up and headed up the valley towards Briancon and put in at the third layby opposite the helicopter landing pad. The river was still high from the day’s sunshine and glacier melt further up the valley. We paddled as two largeish groups and headed down, breaking in and out. We journeyed past a… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 8 Saturday: Upper Durance by Dom

2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 8 Saturday: Durance to Lac de Serre-Ponçon by Terry Smith What a memorable day paddling with peers in the French Alps. We launched our kayaks onto a gentle, grade one stretch where the Durance river joins the lake. The water glided smoothly beneath our paddles. The Alpine air was fresh and exhilarating as we set a relaxed pace, the one-mile journey was perfect for… Read More »2025 LCC Alpine Paddling Holiday Day 8 Saturday: Durance to Lac de Serre-Ponçon by Terry Smith