France 2023 The Ardèche Day 5 – Vallon to Bivouac la Gournier (Grade 2(3)) by Andy Garland
The day started with the car shuttle from our campsite at Vallon to the get-out at St Martin, where we would arrive after our two-day paddle. Access to the river from our campsite was straightforward, but it was mid-morning before we were on the water. The group were obviously in holiday mode, because after 1km we stopped for an ice cream at a riverside kiosk.
Eventually we were back on the water and heading towards our first objective of the day – the famous Pont d’Arc. As we headed downstream, we did our best to look pretty for the photographers at the bottom of ‘Post Office Rock’ rapid before entering ‘le Charlemagne’, reputed to be the hardest rapid on our journey. However, everyone ran it smoothly and without incident.
The scenery was absolutely stunning – sheer rugged cliffs rose on both sides of the river while vultures circled above (which was slightly unnerving!). We rounded a bend and there in front of us was the Pont d’Arc, which is the largest natural rock arch in the world that spans a river. We took our time to take in the views and enjoy the shade, although some members of our party couldn’t resist trying out a rope swing that predictably deposited them into the water!
As we moved further down the river the cliffs encroached ever closer – we were now in the Gorges de l’Ardech. A number of class 2 rapids followed, which were all fairly straightforward but required you to concentrate and take your eyes off the marvellous views for a few moments. After another two or three hours of paddling we reached our final destination for the day – the ‘Bivouac la Gournier’ campsite (no wild camping is allowed in the gorge and overnight stays are restricted to two designated campsites). Boats were unloaded, tents erected, and stoves lit for a number of brews.
Poor Spongy had to content herself with a drink of river water from Keith’s boat.
It was the end of another fantastic day on the water, and we all looked forward to the next day’s adventure.
Paddlers: Keith, Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy