Kayaking the Gorges du Tarn

We decided it was time for some adventure, so headed off for the day to the Gorges du Tarn (about 2 hours from Najac).  These gorges are dramatic to say the least and are some of the deepest in Europe, some of the limestone cliffs reach to 500m high.

Our adventure starts as we were taken by van, with 4 other thrill seeking adventurers and our kayaks, 23 km up river.   The drive in itself is spectacular and winds around the gorge, through short tunnels bored into the cliffs and with the occasional picturesque village and castle.  Along the route is La Croze, a beautiful hamlet nestled against the side of the cliffs.  It is completely inaccessible by car and can only be reached by boat, walking or flying-fox.

Once we finally hit the water in our double kayak, we reached our first very minor rapid within metres.  The winding river was a mixture of gentle rapids and calm stretches with limestone eroded cliffs, rock pinnacles and pebble beaches along the way. In many spots the current is strong enough to drift you downstream at walking pace, which makes rubbernecking at the fabulous scenery easier.

The first village we passed was Saint-Chely-du-Tarn, and this is one spectaculr sight from the water. A graceful bridge spans the gorge leading to the town, slightly downstream of which are two cascades emptying into the river. Fabulous, and tempting enough to drag the camera out of our waterproof tub for a few on-the-water shots.

The journey took us close to 6 hours with some time to sit on shore for some lunch and a bottle of wine (we did rough it).  It was also hot enough (somewhere over 30oC...hot) for a dip in the river at a couple of spots along the way. The weather may have been hot but though the water certainly wasn't but it was nice to cool off.  Our biggest rapid of the day wasn't actually a rapid but a weir, a little unnerving but lots of fun.

As you travel downstream it's not too strenuous a journey (the only real issue of the day was the sunburn, both of us neglected to put suncream on our legs and Andrew on his chest).  We'd highly recommend kayaking the Gorges du Tarn to anyone.  It was a memorable experience. Guessing that it gets really busy in high season, so this time of year was perfect.