Gorges de l'Ardèche

The Gorges de l'Ardèche is a deep limestone canyon winding for about 30 km between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, with grey and orange walls up to about 200 m high above the river. The tourist road along the south rim (D290, the 'route des gorges') links a series of belvederes, and many multipitch routes are reached by abseiling from the rim to a ledge or the river, then climbing back out to the car. Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Remèze are the nearest bases; Pierrelatte in the Rhône valley has a railway station. The canyon is protected and climbing is only permitted on certain parts of the cliffs, so stick to the established sectors. West-facing walls are best in spring and autumn, in summer mornings and on calm, sunny winter afternoons; the mistral can blow hard.