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Canoe articles - Dordogne 2003 - Home
Dordogne 2003
This tour covers about 160km of the Dordogne rgentat
to Le Buisson.
Click on the link on the left for journal entries and a limited
selection of photos.
This tour covers about 160km of the Dordogne rgentat
to Le Buisson.
Click on the link on the left for journal entries and a limited
selection of photos.
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Chateau on the Dordogne
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I drove across Spain and spent a couple of days on naturist beaches on the Mediterranean before heading up
into France for the third leg of this holiday; a descent of about 160 km of the Dordogne in France. This section of
free-flowing river from Argentat to Le Buisson was one of the most popular canoeing rivers in Europe, but at this
time of year I didn’t expect to see many people. There are many rapids in the stretch of river between Argentat
and Beaulieu. I have been down the river when these have been difficult, but now the water level was low and the
rapids did not cause much problem. I was able to shoot all the weirs, although as I went over the edge the bow
usually plunged into the water and I had to bale out the canoe. Several weirs had canoe chutes, concrete channels
to take the canoeists over the weir. These were all very well, but they were eroded where the concrete ended and I
had to force my way through the stopper and the waves at the bottom.
Below Beaulieu the flow became gentler and for several days the river passed below towering limestone cliffs.
Many of these cliffs had caves that were lived in pre-historic days and the area is famous for its cave-paintings.
The river passed a number of small towns, which would be very busy when the tourist season got properly
underway, but most of the time I was in deserted countryside, only seeing a few fishermen and the odd canoeist.
There were frequent thundery showers, but between the showers the canoeing conditions were good as there wasn’
t the usual headwind blowing in from the west, and I reached Le Buisson in 5 days.
After getting back to my van by I took a couple of easy days to drive to Caen and the ferry back to
Portsmouth.
into France for the third leg of this holiday; a descent of about 160 km of the Dordogne in France. This section of
free-flowing river from Argentat to Le Buisson was one of the most popular canoeing rivers in Europe, but at this
time of year I didn’t expect to see many people. There are many rapids in the stretch of river between Argentat
and Beaulieu. I have been down the river when these have been difficult, but now the water level was low and the
rapids did not cause much problem. I was able to shoot all the weirs, although as I went over the edge the bow
usually plunged into the water and I had to bale out the canoe. Several weirs had canoe chutes, concrete channels
to take the canoeists over the weir. These were all very well, but they were eroded where the concrete ended and I
had to force my way through the stopper and the waves at the bottom.
Below Beaulieu the flow became gentler and for several days the river passed below towering limestone cliffs.
Many of these cliffs had caves that were lived in pre-historic days and the area is famous for its cave-paintings.
The river passed a number of small towns, which would be very busy when the tourist season got properly
underway, but most of the time I was in deserted countryside, only seeing a few fishermen and the odd canoeist.
There were frequent thundery showers, but between the showers the canoeing conditions were good as there wasn’
t the usual headwind blowing in from the west, and I reached Le Buisson in 5 days.
After getting back to my van by I took a couple of easy days to drive to Caen and the ferry back to
Portsmouth.
Tour summary
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