Canoeing in Ardeche

  Ruoms, France
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

A lovely day canoeing down the Ardeche river, 32 km in total! Hard work, especially because Julien was "steering like a fish" so the boat was going down "like a Scottish drunk guy in the Royal mile on Saturday night", zigzag from side to side. So in the end it felt more like 64 km in our arms.

We were so focused on the rapids that we didn't pay any attention to the sun which was burning like hell. We emerged red like lobsters, which made it even harder to sleep in the tent =( Anyway that was a really good day. Julien's favourite part was when we passed the nudist camp. Got so preoccupied by the naked peeps that we capsized the canoe straight after... well, it was a BIG rapid, with an even BIGGER rock in the middle. The only time Julien managed to keep the canoe in the middle, straight into the rock, BANG!

Pont d'Arc

If you are ever in Ardeche, take the longest canoe trip like we did, the 24 km one doesn't apparently go under Pont d'Arc which is the biggest sight, natural stone bridge over the river. All this for only 20 euros per person! It was the first time ever canoeing on a river for Jo and Julien isn't exactly a professional either with his experience of 2 times before... and we still managed well! A bit tiring but all good.



In the evening we sat down for a bottle of wine on the beach again. This time the alcohol might have been doing it's tricks and there seemed to be a lot of activity in the bushes... A beaver? Jo learned a new word, beaver - castor. There has been a bit of discussion what it was / they were, it went up the river several times in the dark. Always just up, never down. Odd animal... Julien's stepdad is convinced it was not a castor, but a "ragondin", nutria in English. Or maybe a river-Nessie? The pic by the way is not by us if you thought so, didn't exactly get such a clear look at the creature!

Castor!!! Ragondin that is...