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Hello! I have booked for an adventure to the ardeche (near ruoms - la savane camping) for August 14 -22nd this summer. It's all sorted concerning camp equipment as we are going with acorn family hols (I am chicken to drive in France too - coach travel included :) ) Really looking forward to it.

I have a couple of q's. What kind of temperature can I expect at night? I am a very nesh person...Also what would the temp be like bivvying for a night? (ardeche descent includes 1 'night out' ). Just need to know which sleeping bags to pack.

I did go with school many years ago when I was a teen and can only remember the joys of discovering m and m's and choc croissant, not the temp!

Thanks

Hi fifidi.

            We were down in the Southern Ardeche for two weeks, close to the town of, Aubenas mid July last year, way to hot for sleeping bags, just as well as we only took a heavy cotton sheet, I think you will only need a sleeping bag liner, and maybe a cotton sheet, just in case, August I think is hotter than July. hope that helps.

Late august it should be fairly warm, but if you are under canvas (as opposed to in a caravan) I think you would need a sleeping bag and a sheet. Use the bag if you are cool, but unzip and cover with a sheet if too hot.

Remember to keep the door zipped even if very hot as daughter woke with a big grasshopper on her face when she left the awning door unzipped!

It's likely to be hot at night.  However, don't forget that it might just rain.  Also everything you take has to fit into the waterproof barrel which you take with you on the canoe.  My OH (who has done the same thing with our sons) suggests taking a large thin polythene sheet to protect against the rain (it was raining when they did it) and his waterproofing was much envied!  I think, now though, there are tents half way down the Gorge which you can use - when he did it they organised themselves, and just slept out on a beach with a lot of others who were doing the same thing.

It's a lovely place to canoe, especially the bits which are away from all the campsites.  I've done two organised mini-descents myself - and the Charlemagne rapids are great fun, and we didn't go in at all but lots do!  We've now got our own canoe and regularly canoe down from the Pont d'Arc beaches and back up again.

Do take care though  and wear the safety gear provided - although it's an activity which lots of people enjoy, it can be dangerous and three or four years ago we witnessed a drowning when a man was trapped under an overhanging rock shelf.   It hasn't kept us out of the water though, but we are more wary of the dangers these days.