So, we came to our third day in the Gorge, after great paddles from Montbrun and St Enimie.
Starting from the beach at La Malene, just below the bridge, today would be the most relaxing of the trip, and the shortest. It would also pass through the very deepest and most spectacular part of the gorge.
First, a shot of La Malene from a short walk up the hill opposite.
Again, there's a good car park, and a track down to the beach from it for loading and unloading. Soon we were afloat.
Its hard to keep finding new superlatives to describe how good it is to canoe down this river, in this massive trench through the high plateau of the Causses. There were fewer riffles today, but still enough to break up the dreadful drudgery of paddling gently along below the immense rock sculptures under blue skies.
This section is the only one used by "Les Bateliers des Gorges du Tarn"; the boatmen who take tourists down in flat bottom boats, using poles in the shallow bits and an engine for the rest. We only saw a couple today. Whilst I'd rather canoe, if for any reason I couldn't, this would still be an excellent way to see the gorge properly.
I rather think the canoe is better though!
The rock architecture is enormous, its hard to get a grasp on the scale of the place.
It was a day for regular stops, and for taking our time.
We were now approaching the real heart of the whole gorge,
At the narrowest point, Les Détroits, the walls close right in, rising for hundreds of feet straight from the river. Here I lingered long, drifting slowly through. Words can't possibly do it justice, and photos only give a two dimensional sense of this stupendous place.
I'd dropped some distance behind the group, getting neck ache from gazing upwards, and having been waiting for moments where the light was right as a rare cloud had come across the sun. They were hardly rushing, though, so I caught them up quickly enough.
As we were passing our campsite, we'd decided it would be the perfect place for lunch, so we stopped for a good break in the shade.
(time for a brief break before we carry on)
Starting from the beach at La Malene, just below the bridge, today would be the most relaxing of the trip, and the shortest. It would also pass through the very deepest and most spectacular part of the gorge.
First, a shot of La Malene from a short walk up the hill opposite.
Again, there's a good car park, and a track down to the beach from it for loading and unloading. Soon we were afloat.
Its hard to keep finding new superlatives to describe how good it is to canoe down this river, in this massive trench through the high plateau of the Causses. There were fewer riffles today, but still enough to break up the dreadful drudgery of paddling gently along below the immense rock sculptures under blue skies.
This section is the only one used by "Les Bateliers des Gorges du Tarn"; the boatmen who take tourists down in flat bottom boats, using poles in the shallow bits and an engine for the rest. We only saw a couple today. Whilst I'd rather canoe, if for any reason I couldn't, this would still be an excellent way to see the gorge properly.
I rather think the canoe is better though!
The rock architecture is enormous, its hard to get a grasp on the scale of the place.
It was a day for regular stops, and for taking our time.
We were now approaching the real heart of the whole gorge,
At the narrowest point, Les Détroits, the walls close right in, rising for hundreds of feet straight from the river. Here I lingered long, drifting slowly through. Words can't possibly do it justice, and photos only give a two dimensional sense of this stupendous place.
I'd dropped some distance behind the group, getting neck ache from gazing upwards, and having been waiting for moments where the light was right as a rare cloud had come across the sun. They were hardly rushing, though, so I caught them up quickly enough.
As we were passing our campsite, we'd decided it would be the perfect place for lunch, so we stopped for a good break in the shade.
(time for a brief break before we carry on)