Campsite: Le Plan d'Eau, St Privat, France (N 44.61886 E 4.43212)
Distance: 109 miles/176 km (today) 1809 miles/2911 km (total)
Everyone was excited about our canoe trip when we woke up, and we had cereal and croissants for breakfast before setting off. We found a Lidl enroute and bought some butter to go with our picnic lunch we planned for canoeing. When we arrived at the campsite where we booked the canoe we had to wait quite a long time for someone to arrive. They must have been nearly an hour late. I think I offended the canoe guy by asking him if he was English (he was Scottish!), and he took us up river in a van towing several canoes on a trailer. We couldn't have asked for better weather, sunny and 26C.
We set off down river, James in a kayak, Lee, Ali and Zoe in a canoe. We decided to take turns in the kayak. It was, of course, very enjoyable, stopping for doritos and salsa, baguettes, wine and Orangina on a tiny beach. The river was faster flowing than it normally would because of the heavy rain on Friday, and the rapids were faster and scarier than we anticipated.
I got through one set of rapids OK in the kayak, but James, Zoe and Ali came out of the upturned canoe after going sideways into them. A scary moment for them, with the bottom very slippery and rocky. People nearby helped them to recover the oars, canoe, and flip flops etc. On the next set of rapids, the tables were reversed. James, Ali and Zoe just about managed to get through OK in the canoe, but I came out of the kayak as it capsized and I was stuck underneath for a while struggling to breathe until I figured out I was going about getting out the wrong way. A really enjoyable day in all, but Ali doesn't fancy canoeing in rapids again. Next time, we must get more kayaks, rather than sharing a canoe. We managed to lose James' sunglasses, my sunglasses lenses, Zoe's shorts, and an oar. Ali, on the other hand, gained several bruises.
We didn't really come across any Brits in the Ardeche. Our Scottish canoe guy said that relatively few visit the area.
On getting back to the campsite, Zoe played in the pool for a little while, using an inflatable tyre we were given by some other holidaymakers who left in the morning. After cheese pancakes and left over onion bhajias with pasta we had an early night - everyone was pretty exhausted.
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Distance: 109 miles/176 km (today) 1809 miles/2911 km (total)
Everyone was excited about our canoe trip when we woke up, and we had cereal and croissants for breakfast before setting off. We found a Lidl enroute and bought some butter to go with our picnic lunch we planned for canoeing. When we arrived at the campsite where we booked the canoe we had to wait quite a long time for someone to arrive. They must have been nearly an hour late. I think I offended the canoe guy by asking him if he was English (he was Scottish!), and he took us up river in a van towing several canoes on a trailer. We couldn't have asked for better weather, sunny and 26C.
I got through one set of rapids OK in the kayak, but James, Zoe and Ali came out of the upturned canoe after going sideways into them. A scary moment for them, with the bottom very slippery and rocky. People nearby helped them to recover the oars, canoe, and flip flops etc. On the next set of rapids, the tables were reversed. James, Ali and Zoe just about managed to get through OK in the canoe, but I came out of the kayak as it capsized and I was stuck underneath for a while struggling to breathe until I figured out I was going about getting out the wrong way. A really enjoyable day in all, but Ali doesn't fancy canoeing in rapids again. Next time, we must get more kayaks, rather than sharing a canoe. We managed to lose James' sunglasses, my sunglasses lenses, Zoe's shorts, and an oar. Ali, on the other hand, gained several bruises.
We didn't really come across any Brits in the Ardeche. Our Scottish canoe guy said that relatively few visit the area.
On getting back to the campsite, Zoe played in the pool for a little while, using an inflatable tyre we were given by some other holidaymakers who left in the morning. After cheese pancakes and left over onion bhajias with pasta we had an early night - everyone was pretty exhausted.
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