The area of Roquebrun is gorgeous, with gorges, rolling hills covered by vineyards, and picturesque villages. From the water of the Orb River, you will have a different perspective of this varied landscape. It’s the perfect day trip to show off our beautiful region when family or friends are visiting. Especially during summer, when it’s too hot to exercise, and you only want to be on- or in- the water. There are many, many canoe rentals in this part of France. One of our favourites is Canoë Roquebrun, where you can opt for various lengths on the Orb River, including some rapids!
The right gear
This time, my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece were visiting, so along with our little family, we went off to Canoë Roquebrun. I had already reserved the canoes and the length of the trip, which you can easily do online. Everybody from the age of six, if they know how to swim, is welcome. You can rent various sizes of canoes (two to four persons) and kayaks (one person). Our party chose two 2-person canoes for the adults (with room for a child in the middle if necessary) and four 1-person kayaks for the kids. You will be asked to come to the rental place 45 minutes prior to the shuttle bus departure so there is enough time to register and collect the right gear. Basically, you will get a life jacket, a waterproof storage container and, of course, the canoe and/or kayak with a pair of paddles.
Rapids
You can make several kayaking trips, from 5 to 21 kilometres, and even two or three-day trips. We have done the shortest one (an hour and a half) of 5 kilometres a couple of times (leaving from Ceps). But now that the kids are older, I booked the 10 kilometres trip from Vieussan, which takes about three hours. A shuttle bus drove us to the river in Vieussan, where we received a brief explanation from the instructor. And off we went! Lifejackets: check; paddles: check; helmets for the little ones: check, double-check. We didn’t get much time to slowly become familiar with the canoes, as soon enough we encountered our first rapid. Phew! I thought it was quite exciting, and I was not the only one… It went fantastically well, though; we did not hit a rock or fall into the water. We even had time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Swimming break
After a while, it was time for a swimming break. Boats ashore and – hop – dip in the river. The water was really refreshing, nice and cool! And the kids enjoyed jumping from the rocks. It gave us new energy to continue our trip. You will meet other canoers; however, this didn’t bother us at all as everyone paddles at their own pace. After about three hours, we arrived in Roquebrun again. We all enjoyed the first 5 kilometres to the bridge in Ceps more, thanks to several rapids. The part from Ceps to Roquebrun (which is the short trip) is gentler. Once ashore, we felt pretty hungry, as we forgot to bring a picnic (tip!). Therefore, we decided to order a tasty burger at the restaurant right there on the spot, called the Guinguette, which included a fantastic view of the Orb and Roquebrun. What a perfect day!
