Y8 and Y9 Ardeche Water Sports Trip in France

On Monday, our first day, we attempted the high ropes! It was a nerve-racking experience, however, we all managed to complete it and came out with smiles and a stronger bond with each other. There were six different courses and we got to go on a zip wire over the river! A few were quite
tricky but we helped each other through and supported one another along the courses and it is safe to say we have no regrets, as we all had a go at each course.

Phoebe and Olivia

On the second day, we went to the La Giterre (French local market) in the morning. In the market, there was a huge selection of jewellery and French snacks. We were able to buy sausages, fruits and drinks etc. As it was a sunny day, we took quite a lot of pictures and we had ice cream many times! We also had a chance to practice speaking French with the locals. After we went to La Giterre market, we had lunch, which consisted of baguette with cheese, ham and tomatoes, before we visited Avan du orgnac, which is a well-known French cave. We went down the cave for around 150 meters. We learnt how the cave was create and formed. We got to enjoyea breath-taking experience of many beautiful caves. Our visit ended with a light show inside the cave. Overall, the day was really relaxing and interesting after the long journey to the camp.

Monet and Ulliana

On the third day of our Ardeche Water Sports Trip, we woke up at 8:00 to have breakfast and leave for the two days of kayaking that would be to come. We took a coach to the riverbank and collected our buoyancy aids and helmets. We were put in our pairs, practiced going round in circles, and manoeuvring our kayaks, and then we set off on the river. We all moved single file down the river, heading for our first rapid, Charlemagne, where we speedily kayaked along and nobody capsized! After the second rapid we stopped off to play a little game to help us keep hydrated and messed around in the freezing cold water.

After a long day we finally arrived at the camp site where our Instructor, Graeme, gave us a quick tour of where we were sleeping. We had two options, in the tent with the furry caterpillars or outside under the beautiful stars. We all settled down, took off our wet clothes, had a shower, changed to our sleepwear and ate burgers and cake for dinner, which was delicious! Most of us outside woke up at 7:30 am where we all got up to brush our teeth and met two ginger goats who were rather rude to Mr. Smith! We packed up the last of the food and our belongings and set out for the river again, where we hit four rapids all at once. While we were kayaking, we dived out of our boats into the water. We had a swim and jumped back into our boats and Mr. Smith decided it would be funny to capsize some of the kayaks. After these amazing two days we took a bus back to our campsite where a nice hot dinner was waiting for us. We had some free time so some people hopped into the pool and had a lovely warm shower and we all went to bed.

Emily and Viva

On the last day of our Ardeche trip, we had the opportunity to go weaselling, which involves fitting through tight spaces within the rocks and caves, and relish the landscapes and the beautiful limestone formations. It was a fresh activity to do after the long hours of kayaking down the river. We experienced team activities such as trying to weasel under 1 minute as a team and climbing on a huge rock, which again, we had to complete without the help of the instructors. This was a great chance for us to build our friendship, trust, and communication between each other and come up with a practical tactics together. Whilst weaselling through one of the ‘caves’, we encountered a nasty prank in which the instructors splashed water from the gaps above and tricked us in believing that it was the bats’ urine. Other than that, things went smoothly (ex. playing riddles and jokes with the team without pranks!).

After completing the last challenges with satisfaction, we came back to our campsite where we had the chance to relax and delight in the swimming pool with the sun beaming on our faces. We were also rewarded with delicious food. These last moments were very special to us (we were all out in the sun to get last minute tans), but also the time to say goodbye to all the instructors and staff who contributed to make this trip memorable for all of us. We feel so grateful towards them, and were all very sad to depart from this exquisite place where we hopefully will visit again. The very last challenge for us was to conquer the 20-hour journey back to England!

Alisha and Yena