our daughter is 5 1/2. i have searched some companies that say the kids need to be 7 and be able to swim. others dont say age or swimming ability.
are there rivers softer or slower? like dordogne vs. vezere. does anyone have an opinion about one company or another? i am an experienced canoer and my husband not. should we still take the learner course? also any reccomendations of which areas of which rivers are best for canoe viewing?
thanks, cindy
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Cindy, it depends on where you are and the level of the river.
It can be a very formidable thing if there%26#39;s been a lot of rain -- while the Dordogne and Vezere are not huge rivers, I wouldn%26#39;t want to get dumped in when they%26#39;re swollen.
My biggest issue is that they are *icy* cold -- sure to shock someone, especially if dumped in unexpectedly....and you have to think about what happens if you and/or your husband are injured in a tipover...if your daughter can%26#39;t swim, it%26#39;s too scary to think about.
Maybe you should save it for another year when her water skills are stronger.
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of course you use common sense and if you can see the rivers post rain storm are raging you think twice -- but really they are mostly mill ponds -- the Dordogne has a bit more current -- the Vezere is very gentle
and if you do have a problem -- e.g. we recently managed to get to close to shore trying to go round weeds (should have just gone through) and got entangled in low hanging branches and my husband ended up in the water (and did we feel stupid -- this really is easy to avoid -- total doofus behavior on our part) at any rate -- the water was fairly still a few yards downstream from this area and it was easy to gather my husband up and then a bit further down, beach and empty out the canoe
I see tons of people with small kids -- and it is generally easy and not risky -- and the agencies all provide life jackets and big waterproof containers for your stuff -- this is very helpful -- our camera was securely locked away when we had our problems and nothing was damaged
I would recommend canoeing the stretch from about La Roc Gageac to just below Beynak -- it is beautiful chateau country, calm canoeing, and you can stop at cafes on the river b anks for coffee, lunch , restrooms etc. There are a couple of rentals south of Beynac -- you just leave your car there and they take you upstream.
we did the Vezere from Les Eyzies to Limeuil -- a bit too far on this slow river -- and the scenery once you are out of cave country is not much to see -- not lots of villages and no chateau
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thanks for the info. we are staying near beynac so we can see how the river looks when we get there. i think we may take the vezere river from up stream of les eyzies and end in eyzies. from what i can tell is you can take from 1 hour to all day trips. i just love canoeing, but i dont want to bum out my husband or bore my daughter. so we will play it by ear. once i took my husband to be rafting in colorado and he got tossed out on 5+ rapids. i think this will be ok for him. i worry more for my daughter. i did a search and found that the vezere is about 2 1/2 feet deep NOW. maybe in august is lower? i just cant imagine why the water would be cold though.... is the water coming from some mountains or glaciers i cant see on the map? or maybe i have a different idea of what cold is.???
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We did this canoe (actually, kayak) trip on the Dordogne a few years ago and it was great. Very gentle, slow current, just lazing on the river and looking at the spectacular views. You do not need to be experienced rowers; if you don%26#39;t paddle at all, the current will bring you back! We rented kayaks at place in Beynac near the river, across from the parking lot (can%26#39;t miss it). They took us up the river a few miles in a van, and we rowed/floated down the river, past the village mentioned above (La Roque something), past Castelnaud, back to Beynac. Beautiful scenery all the way. You don%26#39;t need to plan this in advance. Just walk in and ask if your child is big enough.
I would not worry about this canoeing trip at all, and I am a worrier! Just make sure your child has a life jacket on.
Your daughter may also enjoy the castle at Castlenaud.
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Sorry, just read your last post. I would do the Dordogne rather than the Vezere. We stayed in Les Eyzies. I thought the Dordogne was more scenic and our route passed some great sights. Really, don%26#39;t worry. This is the easiest canoeing imaginable.
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just echoing others here -- having done both Dordogne and Vezere -- the Dordogne expecially where yhou are staying near Beynac is definitely the more scenic -- and very placid -- get an agency in Beynac to take you upriver a bit and you will be going through the most scenic area -- this time of year, few canoes -- but during high season the river will be wall to wall with canoes -- many with very small kids
the canoes have three nice seats -- the middle one specifically for the child passenger
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