Camping In The Ardeche

The Ardeche Is A Magnificent Camping Option

The Ardeche is a magnificent camping option to consider. The summer weather in the Ardeche tends to be hotter than other popular camping areas in France with more Atlantic climates, even those further south such as Arcachon and the Dordogne.

That’s because the Ardeche normally enjoys a combination of hotter Continental and Mediterranean weather. By being situated where these hot, humid weather systems come up against Atlantic weather systems trying to push east, the Ardeche can be prone to very violent and dramatic thunderstorms.

I experienced one of these for myself back in 2004 when the campsite my family was staying at had to be evacuated during the night due to a combination of violent storms and flooding. Everyone was evacuated to a nearby church hall or chose to sleep in their cars. Happily when we returned the next morning our trailer tent was still intact and with absolutely nothing missing. It was also my wife’s birthday so it ended being a more memorable one than originally expected.

Although the river took a few days to settle down, and there were a few more storms, things otherwise quickly returned to normal.

The Ardeche has a wide choice of campsites, some of very high quality. They’re generally scattered along the riverbank from the village of Vogue, one of the loveliest villages in France, to the north and Vallon Pont D’Arc, further south, where you can enjoy some spectacular views of the dramatic gorges along the Ardeche.

The Ardeche is a more challenging river for canoeing than the gentler, more genteel Dordogne but not as demanding as the Tarn. If you are willing to try it, you will be rewarded with some of the most dramatic scenery you could ever wish to see.

The views from the road are equally dramatic. There are also some lovely villages to visit including Vogue and Vallon-Pont-d’Arc.

Travelling to the Ardeche by road is a long journey. It will take at least 10 hours by car without having a trailer or caravan to tow, even without stopping and if traffic is light. It’s therefore advisable to have one stopover getting there and back, unless you can face such a long journey in one go. Be warned too, that traffic in the summer weekends at the end of July and in August is incredibly busy.

If you’ve been camping in the Ardeche yourself, or would like to do so, do feel free to send us your questions and comments either here or on our Social Media platforms, and indeed feel free to share this post on your own networks if you’d like to do so. It would be much appreciated.

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