The valley of the Ardèche is very scenic, in particular a 30-kilometre (19 mi) section known as the Ardèche Gorges. The walls of the river here are limestonecliffs up to 300 metres (980 ft) high. A kayak and camping trip down the gorge is not technically difficult and is very popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural 60-metre (200 ft) stone arch spanning the river known as the Pont d’Arc (arch bridge).
The source of the river lies at 1,467 metres (4,813 ft) above sea level in the Vivarais, near the Col de la Chavade, in the forest of Mazan in the commune of Astet. After the towns of Aubenas and Ruoms, it collects the Chassezac and the Beaume and plunges into its famous gorge below Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. It flows into the Rhône at Pont-Saint-Esprit. Among the tourist attractions are:
The Gorges de l’Ardèche – The Gorges de l’Ardèche (Ardèche Gorge) is located between the villages of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc and Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche. The road along the north rim of the gorge (the Corniche) has views into the gorge and over the river.
Pont d’Arc (arched bridge) – A natural stone bridge across the river near the town of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc forms the natural to the Gorges de l’Ardèche.
Chauvet Cave – This limestone cave, which is named after its discoverer, is in the Gorges de l’Ardèche. It contains early Stone Age cave paintings of great variety and expressiveness. Since the cave is not open to the public, photographs of cave paintings are displayed in an exhibition in Vallon-Pont d’Arc.
[caption id="attachment_167374" align="aligncenter" width="465"] Carl von Clausewitz by Karl Wilhelm Wach[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "m...
