![]() We weren’t keen on parting with 29 EUR just to sleep on the grass so we continued on in the canoe, intent on finding an island or patch of ground to sleep on.Ī lot of the Vezere river has steep sided banks, with few options to stop overnight in a canoe. The price of a pitch is the price regardless of how much space you take. One weird thing about camping in France is that campsites do not differentiate between a walk in tent, small car or 10ft motorhome. Neither of us could stay melancholy for long as we evaluated the situation – an insurance claim was submitted the same day for the camera and we still had one phone between us. The 30 degree weather only became a paradox for our mood as we lightened up for the afternoon. We took a few hours to read and relax at Paradis Campsite. Alex sulked as I was silent, and I sulked as Alex wouldn’t respect my need for silence. I’d lost over 100 photos taken during our trip and had a waterlogged phone, thus I was pretty angry. With the sun beating down above us, we sat at picnic tables and dried off very quickly, albeit in stone cold silence. I’d lost two devices within the first 10 days of our trip. My camera had sunk to the bottom of the river and my iphone screen flashed with jagged green lines. Two barrels and a sleeping mat that had floated approximately 500m away from us.Īnother fellow canoer spotted our barrels and stopped them from floating away any further and we thanked them gratefully. We boarded the canoe like drowned rats, and paddled at full speed to try and retrieve our goods. With brute strength and soaking wet clothes, he lifted the canoe vertically until enough water escaped for the vessel to float again. The canoe was upside down and filled with water as we watched our barrels (housing our passports, money and books) drift away from us.Īlex managed to find a foothold on a rock by the bank. I bobbed to the surface of the water and thought “ Oh, treading water means I am kicking off my shoes, best not lose those”. We swam to a steep sided bank and grabbed hold of a few branches. Two humans, two barrels, sun-cream, bottles of water, and paddles went flailing out the boat. Our canoe glided towards the trees until, like a sudden snap of a mousetrap, our canoe flipped upside down. We followed the faster, more concentrated flow of the river as the water ebbed it’s way forward. We reached St Leon (approx 10km away) very quickly and proceeded towards Camping Le Paradis. Prior to reaching the campsite, we noticed an island emerging in front of us, splitting the river in two ways, left or right. It was 31 degrees on our first day and floating along the river on a scorching day felt wonderful. It soon became a new game – throwing the ball a few metres ahead and canoeing downstream to retrieve it again. We passed a local football stadium and rescued a new-looking football floating in the river. ![]() The castle had fairy-tale like pointed towers and was built with bright yellow bricks that are characteristic of the Dordogne region. With setting off in the canoe, we passed the infamous Chateaux de Lossea. It was my two passions rolled into one – delicious food and the great outdoors! The Perigord region in France is infamous for ancient caves, the sensuous taste of foie gras and truffles and the unspoilt beauty of the river valleys. We are transferred 45 minutes upstream from Le Bugue to Montignac. With a choice of accommodations on route, Alex and I decided to mix it up with one night camping, one hotel night and one night in our van for the 4 day trip. Meeting at 8:45AM, we’re equipped with a Canadian canoe, paddles, buoyancy aids, and waterproof barrels for our camping gear. We booked our trip with Canoe Eric, a friendly local company run by Eric and Chantal. We navigated along both the Vezere and Dordogne rivers on our trip.ġst June day 1 – Montignac to near St Leon From elegant Chateauxs perched on limestone cliffs to dramatic river valleys, Alex and I had 4 days of canoeing 63km from Montignac to Trémolat. We parked our van at Le Bugue, a great starting location for exploring one of the most attractive areas of the Dordogne valley. ![]()
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