Multiday Open Canoe Trip to Massif Central - France 2023
Le LCC Grand Tour
of the Gorges of France (AKA – Herg
’s Adventures of Spongy)
The plan was born, Liverpool
Canoe Club open boaters were going to France to paddle the Grand Tour of French
gorges - the Gorge du Tarn, the Ardčche Gorge and the
Allier Gorge. These are all fantastic rivers in the Central Massif and are
described in the fluffy guide.
Ahead of the trip, we booked the first night’s campsite and the campsite in the
Ardčche Gorge. Everything else would-be ad-hoc - exciting!
8 boaters, in 3 cars and one trailer set off for the long drive south. Some
decided to do the run in one go (swapping drivers), and others decided to take
longer and stop en route.
Towing the trailer, we opted for the motorway route - driving through Paris at
about 3 am we had the fun of swerving around the pedestrians on the motorway,
later we passed the Eiffel Bridge and marvelled at the scenery we passed
through.
We arrived
at the first campsite (Camping Le Pont du Tarn) which was our launch spot and
began setting up camp for the night / ordering the pain au chocolate for
the morning - French campsites are so much more civilised, even if they don't
always have toilet seats or toilet paper. This was a good campsite, it had
both!
Once everyone had
arrived, we began the shuttle. Perhaps I should have looked at the route before
blindly following the sat nav, but what a route as we went up onto the
plateau, across the top and then,....... followed the
narrow road as it went over the cliff edge into a series of very tight
switchbacks down 600m of the cliff to the river. I must admit that given I was
in an 11m long car and canoe trailer combo, I had a slight hesitation as I
passed the signs saying no trucks over 6m long and no car & caravans (hey,
I was towing a canoe trailer) that perhaps that this wasn't the best vehicle to
be driving down said road. But what a road!
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Once
in the gorge, we followed the river to camping Huttopia
at the Pas de Soucy river constriction (not paddleable).
In our best schoolboy French, we asked if we could leave our cars and trailer
here whilst we paddled the river and that we would then stay the night once we
arrived in 2 or 3 days. Luckily, they agreed!
Then it was back via the valley route to the start - time for food and bed!
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Mike |
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Andy |
Graham |
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Martin |
Ian |
Multiday
Open Canoe Trip to Massif Central - France 2023
France
2023 Tarn Day 1 - Le Pont du Tarn down to Montbrun
and then Castelbouc Campsite grade 2(3) by Nikki
Having all arrived at the Le Pont du Tarn campsite within an
hour or so of each other the day before and shuttled the cars to the get-out at
Pas de Souci, we woke up on Sunday morning refreshed and raring to go.
After some discussion (while eating pain au chocolat) about how much walking we'd be doing as the river
levels were low, we launched from the campsite for day 1 of a 3-day expedition,
sorry "exploration".
Following last summer's use of a secret code word on the Farndon Canoe
Trip. When one of the party
uttered it, all those who heard were required to jump overboard to cool
off. Nikki had decided to set the secret
code word for this trip to “cliff”. This
was to be a tour of some of the best gorges in France – not much chance of
spotting many craggy outcrops!
The river was shallow and shingly in places but never too
low.
The section from Le Pont du Tarn down to Montbrun
is described as a grade 2(3) and was easy paddling with a few pool easy rapids; just enough to keep it interesting. The
sun was shining, and the scenery was beautiful, although nothing compared to
what was to follow.
There is only one rapid that gets a specific mention on this
section of the river and I found it. Everyone in the
vicinity heard the bang as I hit the big rock on the river’s left.
From
Montbrun, we continued down to Castelbouc
(approx 21km total).
Shortly
before Castelbouc we saw a rope swing hanging from a
bridge with a ladder to climb out. I climbed up the ladder only to discover the
rope wouldn't reach, so I climbed back down and as I swam to my canoe, I
mentioned a “cliff” and triggered an all-in swim... or not, as only Keith
joined me in the water!
After
dinner, we headed across the river to explore the small and very quaint village
of Castelbouc, where the houses are built into the
rock and a castle sits high above the village and river.
Paddlers:
Keith, Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Tarn
Day 2 - Castelbouc Montbrun
to La Malčne (24km) grade 1-2 by Ian
After having
explored the hilltop village of Castelbouc the night before
we were then to paddle below the high walls and buildings as the river wound
its way in the gorge below. It had
rained a little overnight and the river was now a little brown with runoff
compared to the day before but at least it would push us along on our way down
to La Malčne.
After passing
under the submersible bridge [a low bridge designed to be on the bottom of the
river in times of flood] we drifted down underneath the historic town. This gave us some fantastic views of the
hidden town above. We were so glad we
had gone through the whole village hidden in a tributary valley behind the
craggy outcrop.
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After leaving the
historic village of Castelbouc we paddle on through
the deepening gorge with a few rapids and one natural weir. Graham lined his boat down while we paddle down
the deepest part. Ian hit a rock during
his descent but we all quickly bailed out and Spongy came into his own. The Gorge walls then towered up with
near-vertical rock faces. Before long
Nikki found a rope swing hanging from a tree.
It just had to be tested out so out went the cry of “Cliff”. This was the now not-so-secret code word for
all to jump overboard for a quick swim.
After several
attempts at launching ourselves into the water from the swing, we paddled on as
it was time for another elevenses’.
Before long we
arrived at the beautiful town of Sainte Enimie and
pulled over onto the beach just before the main bridge. There were waterfalls running through the
town and even through some of the buildings.
We visited a shop with a cold stream (spring) running through the
building. It had been made into a bit
of an attraction but when Andy asked if it flooded, the owner replied: “Yes –
all the time”.
After exploring
for a bit we kept returning to the restaurant in the
centre of the village. It looked like
thunder so we decided to see if we could get a table. We all ordered omelettes and sat in wet
clothing getting a little chill from the over-enthusiastic air conditioning. When we left the very warm humid air hit us but we needed to get down the river so had to return to
the beach and our canoes.
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Spongy was nearly
left on the beach as he had been sunning himself between thunderstorms. Fortunately, he shouted out “Wait for me”
and one of the group paddled back to pick him
up. He would be very useful after the
play session in the waterfall at Castelbouc. |
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It was time to
explore the waterfall. Niikki sped off towards the water and was the first to
paddle under it. Others followed often
choosing to pass under the drips rather than the heavier flows. I put my
waterproof hood up in an attempt to keep dry, it
helped a bit. Andy had a go and ventured
into the cave and undercut at the back. Keith helped him out but may have just
got in the way causing Andy to be under the main flow for quite a few
seconds. Andy emerged from the waterfall
with a boat half-full of water. He was
less than impressed and had to paddle to the edge to empty.
After 100s of photographs
we regrouped to paddle off downstream. A
diagonal weir across the river slowed our progress a little but Martin found a
line down on river left. Graham with his
beloved cedar strip canoe lined down on the river right. After another five km, we reached La Malčne. Keith got
out at the impressive stone bridge in the town to ask the canoe hire company
where the campsite was. Before he got
the answer the others had drifted down to the small bridge just below the
campsite.
That evening we
walked into the town to enjoy a meal at a local establishment. The town was largely empty
but it was clear that in a month’s time at the height of the summer season,
there was capacity for many tourists.
This further confirmed that we had chosen the right time of year to
explore this region.
Paddlers: Keith,
Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023
Tarn Day 3- La Malčne to Pas De Souci (10km) grade 1
Keith
After eating out in La Malčne the
previous night we were up early to inspect the river which had risen a little
following the thunderstorm the previous evening. We had carried the canoes down to the edge of
the beach when some local guides started to prepare the punts (lightweight
aluminium skiffs with a small petrol motor on the back).
The guidebook describes these craft as “Les Bateliers
du Malene”.
For over a hundred and thirty years these small boats have been taking
tourists down the most beautiful part of the “Gorges Du Tarn”. The boatmen (and women) have poled their way down shallow rapids in the area. Nowadays, they use a small outboard to motor
the deeps to get as many trips in as possible.
There are crane hosts to lift the boats out at the end and transport
them back to the start. Well, if they
could drift down the shallows with 6 or 7 people on board then we should be
ok.
Overnight, there had been a bit of shenanigans and payback from
the waterfall adventures the day before.
A number of stones being carried from the river
and placed under people’s tents. One of
the group felt things had been taken a step too far
when Spongy had gone missing and could not be found anywhere. Well, a hostage situation was just not fair
on a leisure trip. After a grumpy start
we were assured that nobody had been taken hostage, honest!
We drifted down through some fantastic scenery. After a few kilometres, the valley narrows
and both sides tower up high all around us.
The guide calls this the heart of the gorge – “Les Detroit’s” or
narrows.
It was here that some mentioned the code word “cliff”. Probably a mistake as we were gazing up at
all the steepness all around. Nikki, Keith and Ian were playing “the game”, and all proceeded to
jump in. We then found a rope hanging on
the side of a cliff – woops this was another chance to cool down a little. Ian swamped his canoe trying to get back in
and had to paddle to a nearby beach to empty.
We had several elevenses stops on the many white limestone beaches
in the gorge and enjoyed the sun and views in a very quiet and special
place. Spongy was eventually found, he
had been playing hind and seek under some of the kit in the boat, so everyone
was happy again. 😊
Before too long we approached the get out at Pas Du Souci. There were numerous canoe company get outs
but eventually we found the sign which said STOP – Danger of Death. This was the portage around the impossible
syphons and massive boulder chokes. This
section has never been successfully paddled and probably never will.
We collected the cars and trailer and loaded up for the 1 km
shuttle to the 3-star campsite at Les Vignes (Called Huttopia)
Paddlers: Keith, Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham
& Spongy
France 2023 Tarn
Day 4 - Les Vignes to Le Rozier (10 km) Mike
Disaster strikes again!
Having spent three days tripping in boats that were carrying kit, today was a
day for light boats as we were paddling a short section of river before driving
over to the Ardčche. To that end we had broken camp and loaded the cars before
doing the shuttle to Le Rozier. The Huttopia campsite
at Pas De Souci very kindly agreed to our leaving a car on site again.
So whilst the drivers shuttled, the remaining crew
headed upstream (Keith even used a pole, proving that they
weren’t unnecessary bits of kit) to the bottom of the Pas de Souci
constriction. Here you could marvel at the ginormous limestone boulders that
had smashed into the riverbed after they had fallen several hundred metres from
the cliff (swim) face above. After some suitable wonderment, they drifted
downstream to meet the drivers at the campsite.
Now, I was still traumatised by the loss of my cheese and favourite drybag, but
I was made more upbeat by the fact that someone had kindly lent me an airbag
for the boat. I had brought two, however I had failed to bring the plug to seal
the air inside. It was great having 2 airbags as we were now heading off onto
the section of the river entitled "Tres sportive et amusant",
ie the best ww on this river
with some great scenery, aka, most likely to get wet section. 12km grade 2 with
a bit of 3 from the campsite down to Le Rozier.
We headed off, enjoying the responsiveness of the lighter boats, and soon we
reached the weir at Les Vignes. This is quite a large weir, and the glissiere has the feel of a log flume ride as you bump your
way down between wooden walls that keep you straight. Woosh! Wee! and all that
silly tomfoolery, but we made it with dryish boats and HUGE smiles.
This was a beautiful section of the
river, quiet, not enclosed but still surrounded by huge vertical cliffs (swim),
and enough rapids to keep you floating along.
We breezed through the Le Petit Pas de Soucy and soon came to the hardest paddlable rapid on the river - La Sabliere!!!!!
Now, I don't really know what happened here. It gets a bit hazy.
One minute I was in my boat, not paying any attention to the river as its an easy G3 line, then the next thing I'm dipping an
upstream edge and coming out of my boat as its
against a rock. A quick push of the boat to ensure it goes down the rapid and
doesn’t broach, sees my standing in fast flowing water up to my waist in
the middle of the river. Hmmmmmmmm, that
didn’t go well, really should concentrate
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During
all the action Spongy looked on and just giggled to himself. “Ah I am useful after all” he said
to himself. |
OK, options. I'm in shorts, but its France and the water isn’t UK cold, so
I’m safe
Swim after boat - no, looks like it would be a bumpy swim
Walk across to the side, no, the flow will likely pull me off my feet and it’s
a bumpier swim
Ok, wait for a line to support me across.
Then came the worst realisation of all, I had lost my Liverpool Canoe Club cap!
Noooooooo, it had taken years of sun bleaching and
wear to get to the comfortable stage, now i will have
to do it all again. I could have cried. My cheese, my favourite drybag and now
my favourite cap. Disaster!
Anyway, Ruth and Martin combined to save me from my predicament, and once back
in my boat everyone asked what had happened as it was not expected - I still
don’t know.
With the heat of the sun I brought my helmet out, yes
I should have been wearing it before the swim, and we paddled down the
remaining lovely section of the river to Les Rozier and the get out. Then
it was into the cars to do the shuttle over to the Ardčche. Spongy had
offered to treat all the swimmers to Ice Cream but alas I was doing the shuttle
for the trailer so missed out again.
During the journey the storm clouds
burst as we weaved our way through over the top of the Central Massif (High
limestone plateau). My sat nav failed,
so we switched to the alternative Aldridge satnav system, which took us
down some roads that I’m not sure were designed for cars built after 1950 -
breathe in!
All agreed that the Tarn is a fantastic river that we will definitely
return to do again.
Paddlers:
Keith, Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 The
Ardčche 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
France 2023 The Ardčche Day 6 – Bivouac la Gournier
to St Martin (Grade 1-2) by Spongy
After
the thunderstorm overnight we awoke to get breakfast and drop the tents and
pack up the camp. The two bivi shelters had provided good cover during the rather
heavy downpour the night before. We
quickly packed our gear down to the beach and our waiting boats and were the
first on the river. It was great to have
the gorge all to ourselves.
Spongy
led the way by hitching a lift on Martin`s boat and we were soon paddling under
some towering limestone outcrops but before long someone utter the words
“magnificent cliffs” and Nikki, Keith and Ian jumped in to the warm and clear
water. This was due to be the first of many such immersions that day and even
saw Mike and Ruth taking the plunge!
Spongy
led the way by hitching a lift on Martins boat.
Martin
had to put away his camera on passing Les Templiers
with signs indicating no photography. It was a naturists colony, but nobody was
around this early in the morning and we drifted on down to the Leper Colony
(former site of). The river yielded one
or two surf waves where we stayed a while to play. People lent forward and trimmed their boats and surfed from
side to side. Mike even used a cross-bow rudder to pull his boat onto the wave while
also slowing it to match the velocity of the water. All that 1990`s playboating is not forgotten!
Before
long it was time for elevenses again.
(Elevenses can be taken at any time on a club trip depending upon a
suitable picnic spot). The magnetic
rock was a non-event and Andy soon relaxed when we paddle by it with little or
no “magnetic attraction”. However, soon
after this rapid, in a momentary loss of concentration, Martin managed to lodge
his canoe across the only gap in the whole river. Obligatory photographs were taken before he
shuffled his way off without the need of any of the ropes and pulleys that were
somewhere in our kit.
Soon after this Spongy had a overboard moment and got swept into a syphon.
[The word syphon is from a Greek root meaning
"pipe" or "tube for drawing wine from a cask." Syphons work
using the power of gravity to pull liquid out of one container and into
another. On a river is where water is sucked under and through a gap or
cave in the rocks, frequently on a limestone bedded river or under boulder
chokes]
These have often been the cause of many deaths or near misses
on rivers such as the Verdon Gorge or Pas De Souci on the Tarn which took a
German kayaker in 1981.
Fortunately,
Spongy used all his swimming practice over the past week to swim out of the
syphon and was scooped back on board.
Disaster averted but it could have been as serious as the unexplained
swim by one of our leaders on day four!
Spongy had a overboard
moment and got swept into a syphon popping up in this pool!
More
stops and more swimming and jumping in ensued.
It was not far now down to the finish at St Martin. We opted for the beach just before the canoe
companies get out and quickly loaded the cars and trailer and headed into the
town for a spot of well-earned lunch.
What a great time of year to do the two-day trip on the Gorge L`
Ardčche.
Paddlers:
Keith, Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 The Ardčche Day 7 The Ardčche,
'Defiles' section by Graham R
Our 3rd Day on the
river Ardčche and a section I had paddled before in lower conditions
than we had on the day due to substantial thunderstorms over the upper
catchment the afternoon and evening before. Bit of colour in the water, sadly
not ripping, but plenty for a bash free decent.
This section is
upriver from the common base at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Good car parking up at the put-in below the historic
village of VogÜé (pron:
Vogue-Way) on the eastern bank (below the old rain viaduct and above the newer
road bridge).
Steady open river
to start with until the first weir at Lanas. Glissiere
for the plastic canoes and a portage for myself in the cedar-epoxy (too
destructive). Then the river closed with tight corners and chutes prevailed for
a while and cautious regrouping was required. Soon enough though it opened out
into the typical layered open limestone gorge with a fine play wave (and
undercut cliff for the swimmer to consider!).
The village of Balazuc was then reached and you realise that you're back
in tourist country. We didn't stop though it's worthy. Below the village there
is a cliff to the left and shingle/boulder bank to the right, with a big rock
set in the centre. On my previous (lower level) descent this rock forced the
river right and cause one of our party a nasty swim (and damage to my other
boat!), on this visited the level offered good passage to the left of the rock
with a nice ride down the edge of the left cliff. It is noted in the guide that
the river changes with the shift of the riverbed boulder, and this should be
considered given the potential for 'flood' evolution of this river.
Spongy sunning himself while the others had to
hide from the sun in the shade of a “cliff”.
Oh no – code word for all jump in again!
We took a break a
little further downstream a convenient cliff-shaded spot. The onward gorge is
fine country. Not that of the famous section, but full of interest that keeps
developing with steady sweeps, complexities, and new vistas. Some good rapids
and then a 3- too bony for my boat, but fair game for the rest of the team. The
optical illusion of the inclined, bedded walls of the Cirque de Gens is
somewhat true... you could be paddling
downstream, but uphill. The section ultimately finishes at Ruoms
in a 2km canalised section stopped by a tradition mill weir. The 'possible'
drag of this section dissolves away with the fun of the long, low angle glissiere on the river right. If only all glissieres were like this one! I shot it again as I had
once before with only a modest bump on the stern stem.
I was offered the
opportunity to carry on down the river (another 14km to our camp at Vallon), given I had no part in the group shuttle, and there
was time in the day on a fine afternoon. So... This section below Ruoms
is overlooked, and for the next 5km I just don't know why. Yes, the gorge is
gone and you're in open country, but the rapids come regularly, and the vistas
are fine. One rapid funnels you through a fine avenue
of trees and is not without entertaining technicality. After the river Chassezac joins from the right there's one final rapid
beneath the old rail viaduct and D111 road bridge. Below here there's a likely
egress point river right through the camping site. This would be a good point
to end the Defiles section by adding an hour or so of moving water. Now the
river really changes into flatwater until the first of the 5 weirs (all with
their own character of glissieres). No.1 I shot
cleanly, then passed the mill on the left and alongside the main road on the
full river again, beyond 'Camping Aloha' (ye, right!)
where the river soon slows up to the second. The glissiere
was too aggressive for my boat, so I lined down it carefully getting back on
board on the left of the structure.
Away then under
the low bridge and another longish flat section with the breeze building for an
afternoon storm. No.3 was going to be messy to portage
so I shot it. I tail bashed, I swamped, I took a swim. No issues though. The
4th soon arrived, and I shot it reasonably effectively... like I bailed a bit, but just a tail bump.
The 5th is the big weir you see from the Vallon
Bridge. The Glissiere to the river right is way too
aggressive for the boat, no question, so my option was to portage awkwardly
down the river left edge next to the white-water course and easily return to
the flow to egress close to camp, river right a little way down stream. Easy
as! So the 9km final weirs section is worth doing, but
it's not what you really come here for.
Paddlers: Keith,
Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Day 8 Sunday 4th June – Spongy
misses his day trip to Copenhagen
While most
enjoyed a day off to wash, tidy up and potter around the campsite, one of the party made their way across country via the TVG to Lyon
Airport and then via Copenhagen back to Manchester. [TVG, a double-decker high-speed train is
just like boarding an aircraft, with allocated seats, air conditioning and
travelling at up to 320kph (199mph).]
Lyon airport
is small, and I walked in from the connecting station and after a short wait
got on the plane to Copenhagen. I had 5
hrs to kill in Denmark so I paid the 3 Euros for the
Metro into the heart of Copenhagen.
There were lots of holiday makers and tourists cycling and walking
around the canals and streets. It would
certainly make a good 3-to-4-day city break.
2 groups of sea kayaks were observed paddling around the sheltered harbour
which goes to the centre of the city.
Unfortunately,
Spongy missed his day trip to Copenhagen preferring instead to stay in France
and paddle the Allier, apparently the “best open boat river, ever!” He was last seen drinking a beer with his new
pals on the campsite.
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France 2023 Day 9 - Nearly a paddle and a
transfer by Mike A
Waking
reasonably handy and breaking camp, the plan was to paddle the Gorges de Chassezac, a tributary of the Ardeche.
Alas, it was just too dry,
the water was not being released from the dam. So, we decided that rather than
ponder what to do whilst stood in the car park of a closed kayak hire location,
we would go to a local cafe - where no one was to do an impression of Rene
Artois. Allo, Allo!
Suitably refreshed, we
headed to the Allier. This meant heading up and over the top of the Central
Massif (East to West).
The roads were great,
sometimes single lane with passing track, other times lovely smooth French
tarmac at over 4500ft, often fantastic views and sometimes long drops.
The
day ended with a steep descent into Prades to find
the campsite. Alas, it was shut, so we headed slightly upstream to the
brilliant campsite in Monistrol.
France 2023 Day
10 Tuesday 6th June - Allier - Prades to Langeac by Ruth A
After travelling over the Central Massif to the Allier valley (volcanic) the evening before, we planned to stay at the Blue Snail campsite in Prades. Unfortunately, this was closed and not that accessible for the canoe trailer, so we managed to find a great camp site further upstream instead in Monistrol.
Nikki relaxing and watching the local school
kayaking and paddle boarding
So the following morning we headed back to start the first paddle on the river Allier. There was a large car park at the get in, so we dropped the boats off and the drivers set off to do the shuttle. Whilst waiting for them to return, it was great to see the local school come out to do paddle boarding, kayaking, white water on hotdogs as well as climbing up on the rock opposite the put in as part of their curriculum. The climbing was taking place at the base of basaltic columns (a band of basaltic columns ran the whole length of the valley).
Ian paddling on one of the grade two sections
We launched, with the gauge reading at 4 and began our first taste of
the Allier. It is a grade 2 river with a lot of rapids spread throughout this
section and amazing rock formations along the length of it. Towards the
end of this section, there was a weir.
In France, they provide a glissiere, which are slides which allow you to paddle down the weir. This one was deceiving, it ended up filling several boats, all managed to stay upright despite being swamped. A boat being lined down the glissiere decided to capsize itself! After the boat spent some time being recirculated, we recovered the boat and its contents (all bar a sponge - no this was not Spongy). We continued on to finish in the town of Langeac.
Spongy enjoying his day paddling the mighty River Allier but with the safety of his helmet!
We got off and loaded up the vehicles that were parked next to the river, then we took a walk into the town and found a cafe at the back of a book/magazine shop with a lovely, shaded veranda to enjoy some refreshing drinks! We also stocked up supplies from the local supermarkets before heading back to camp for tea.
The release from the hydro plant determines the
river level - we agreed this needed to be paddled but it will have to wait for
a return trip!
In the evening a few of us went for a walk to take a look
at the grade 3-/3+ section of the river that starts from the campsite down past
the EDF hydropower plant - the release from the hydro plant determines the
river level - we agreed this needed to be paddled but it will have to wait for
a return trip!
Paddlers: Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Day
11 – Wednesday 7th June Allier by Martin A
What a
cracking little river!!
The morning began as usual... with pain au chocolat.
Today we had a plan that potentially involved
two sections of the river. First, Chapeauroux to Alleyras, a grade 2(3) described in the book as 'the jewel
in the crown' for canoe paddling. Second, if there was time, for those in the
group feeling brave/foolhardy enough, from the campsite at Monistrol
to Prades, a more challenging grade 3-(3+) section.
We dropped a car at Alleyras
and continued on to Chapeauroux
to launch.
The river winds through a gorge with a train
line following high above, disappearing in and out of the cliffs. The gorge is
very different to the Tarn or Ardeche, with more
trees and less rock, an altogether greener and wilder feeling to it. The noise
of the birds followed us all the way down.
The river itself makes for great paddling, with
over 40 rapids in 18km, it really is non-stop fun. The first half of the river is
a combination of grade 2 and 3 rapids, ranging from easy shingly rapids to more
exciting wave trains and rock dodging rapids. There was lots of bailing to be
done and Spongey did almost as much work as anyone else.
It wasn't long before Nikki mentioned the lack
of "cliffs" and jumped overboard, exclaiming that it was simply too
beautiful a spot to not have a 
little swim.
After more fun rapids and more bailing, we
stopped for elevenses on a rocky outcrop under a small "cliff" and
Ian, Nikki and Spongey went for a swim. By this point we were all exclaiming
over how much fun the river was.
As we approached the halfway point, we passed a
little beach. Andy believed this to be the lunchtime beach mentioned in the
book and informed us that the rapids get a little easier from this point on.
Famous last words.
A few minutes later, we came across a rapid that disappeared
to the left of and behind a big rock in the centre of the river. Nikki found an
eddy on river left to get a view of the rapid and called Martin down. As he
paddled past, Nikki shouted keep left then right... hard right! Martin broke
out on river right to clarify and double check the exit below the rapid, before
breaking back in and seeing the hazard first hand. The water funnelled
left of the big rock before being forced immediately right by another even
bigger rock that was out of sight from above. The water formed a cushion on the
second rock before falling over a short drop into a pool on river right.
Once Martin was safely down, we signalled to
Graham to portage his lovely cedar strip boat while the rest of the group
followed one by one with Nikki shouting the same instruction to each "come
left, then HARD right!". All followed the instructions... well almost
all...
Until you got close to the rapid, it was
difficult to spot the small pointy rock just left of the big rock dominating
the view from upstream. It was this small pointy rock that Nikki was trying to
guide people to keep left of. Mike didn't see the little rock until it was too late,
went straight over the top of it and was swept straight onto the top of the
second big rock where he proceeded to flat spin his canoe in what I'm sure was
an entirely controlled and planned way and at no point was he in fear of going
for a swim, I'm sure. Mike was last seen trying to maintain his balance on that
rock and may still be there to this day...
Shortly afterwards we came to another beach with
the remains of an old Roman bridge - this was the lunchtime beach described in
the book, so naturally we stopped for lunch.
The rapids did get easier after this, although
they still came thick and fast and remained a variety of technical rapids, easy
rapids and bouncy wave trains. One caught Graham out
as he leant to avoid his cedar strip boat hitting a rock and leant right over
the side. If he'd only said "cliff" as he
did it, we would have all believed he just fancied a swim 😉
By this time, we were all in agreement that
between the beautiful scenery and the fantastic paddling, this was probably the
best open canoe river we had ever paddled. By the time we finished, we KNEW it
was the best river we had ever paddled. Even Spongey agreed.
We KNEW it was the best river we had ever paddled. Even Spongey
agreed.
We had so much fun, that we abandoned the idea
of paddling another section of the river today. Besides, it was already rather
late in the day and refreshments at a Michelin star hotel in Alleyras was just too tempting an offer, even if it was
only a drink on their patio 😄
Paddlers:
Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Day
12 - Thursday 8th June Allier - Langeac to Vialette by Mike A
So, we were having a great time but with not knowing the
river that well or what the levels where, we couldn’t decide whether to do
the Allier from the Montrisol down to Prades (G3 with 200m sections of rapids best done in kayaks
as it can swamp canoes) or the section from Langeac
(G1 with some G2) down. Another option was the restricted bit above Montrisol which is apparently no longer restricted.
After a chat, we decided that we were paddling as a team for all, so we would
do the section that everyone was comfortable to do - Langeac
down. What a crew, democracy and consideration. The
other sections could wait for another trip.
So, we decided to go from Langeac to La Vialette - about 28km.
With campsites agreeing to let us leave cars in their car parks at put in
and get out, we set off for a flattish paddle under a warm sun. Coming
from a ww kayak background, I like a bit of flow, so the thoughts of flatwater
paddling in the wide-open valley wasn't my ideal trip - but how wrong I could
be.
Despite the river being low, there was a continuous push to help us on our way. Also, despite being in the valley bottom, at times the river entered mini gorges and there was little signs of civilisation on the banks. Additionally, there were several rapids and glisseres (canoe slides) along the way - one glissere was quite sneaky as it spat you into a pool only to go straight over another drop. Another glissere was even sneakier, as the weir had broken so you didn't / couldn’t go over the glissere as it was dry - paddle on!
With several Cliffs (swim) and rope swings (swim) we eventually started to
think about food. Landing on a campsite beach, one paddler began tucking into
lunch whilst some swam, and others looked at the map to realise we were
only 200m from a village (useful as someone hadn’t brought lunch - they
were eating out!) So we launched and headed the 200m
around the bend, do discover that the village was up a hill. Forget that, lunch on this next beach. Graham decided that he would
head down to the next village which was said to be
beautiful, and likely had restaurants. Zoom, he was off!
Suitably refreshed, the plastic boaters headed off through the gentle scenery
and soon also arrived at the beautiful town of Lavoute
Chillac. We spied Graham in what looked a most lovely
restaurant terrace, so we went to join him for ice cream / chips. This is
what paddling in France is about!
Suitably refreshed again, we headed off through a fishing competition/training
session, but unlike the UK we got no grief. I like this!
The miles passed by and all too soon we arrived at the get-out. Now, there isn’t a road across the river here on google maps/google satellite, but because a nearby suspension bridge cant cope with lorries they have built a bridge out of what looks like open-sided concrete boxes that the river goes through, with a road going over the top. No handrails, no sidewalks, no crash barriers, and designed so that the river can simply flow over the top if needed. Can you imagine that in the UK????
Suitably paddled out, we headed back to the supermarket to get supplies, but as there was a van selling crepes, we just had to stop. MMMMMmmmmmmm
Got to love paddling in France!
Paddlers:
Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Day
13 - Friday 9th June Allier - Prades to Langeac by Ruth A
Due to the logistics of wanting to
move slightly further north (to reduce the drive home to Calais on the
Saturday) after Thursday's paddle we choose to re-do this section of the river
for ease of shuttle, its finishing point, and the fact it was a good section of
the river to paddle.
Again, it was great watching the
kids doing their outdoor lessons whilst waiting on the shuttle, we even
helped them practice their English speaking skill of
which the teacher approved!
The river was lower than the first day,
only 2 on the gauge this time but was still paddleable
although there wasn't much sun out.
When descending the weir, it still
managed to swamp the boats but no fishing for kit was required.
Once we reached the get out, it was a
case of organising the vehicles ready for the return journey home, so the
trailer box was loaded with the wet kit and non-essentials and boats
loaded on to the trailer arms.
We travelled north to the campsite
next to the river Sioule, we chose here so we could
check out this river as another possible river to do when we return. The
weather had turned very wet, so it was a great site to put up several tarps to
give us extra shelter.
Paddlers:
Ian, Mike, Ruth, Martin, Nikki, Andy, Graham & Spongy
France 2023 Day
14 and 15 – the Trip home
We had
decided that seeing as the Allier had been so good, rather than paddle the Sioule as was the initial plan, we would spend an extra day
on the Allier, but drive up to the Sioule to scout it
out and to reduce the next day’s drive to Calais.
Arriving at
the Sioule, it was wet, but the pitch on the campsite
was perfect - to be fair, the campsite had said just pick a pitch. With great
location for the tarp, tents car and trailer.
Some went out for a fancy meal, whilst others destroyed the peace by cooking on
the MSR XGK. Good times.
Next
morning, we scouted the Sioule. It looks fun and
would be a good stopping off point on the way down so as to
break the journey. A good warm-up river before heading
further south for the main events!
After that we dove home, reminiscing on the great trip that we had just
taken. Good rivers, good levels, and a good team. The Allier had been the
jewel, but all rivers were great.
Final thoughts:
- We will be back.
- Going at this time of year gave reasonable
weather but not crowded rivers.
- The fluffy guide (Best Canoe Trips in the South
of France) is really useful.
- The rivers are great, and it will make a
good future club trip
- Campsites in France are so much better than in
the UK.
