In July of this year, we went to a little village in France for summer camp. We all met at the den at 10pm on Tuesday 19th, the night before our flight. Surprisingly, no one had forgotten their passport, but unsurprisingly the only bag overweight was Gman’s. We all ordered pizza and chilled out, attempting to get sleep for 8 precious hours before the long journey ahead of us. At 6am on Wednesday morning, we jumped on the bus and drove down to Dublin before boarding our plane. As we got off the plane and headed to the bus, we were thankful for the luxury of two seats each to sleep on for our further 3 hour journey to our JEKA house in the little village of Les Vignes. When we arrived that evening, we were amazed by the incredible views and tranquillity of the area. As we got to the front doors we realised our house was huge and we were already loving France!
We woke up early on Friday morning, day two, to get ready for our canoeing trip. It was 26 degrees and we were all excited to spend the day travelling down the Gorge du Tarn and taking in the spectacular views. We spent close to 8 hours on the water; sliding down rapids and enjoying the incredible views of the neighbouring towns. We also had races and played games, which included trying to paddle across a rapid which resulted in every single boat capsizing. When we finished everyone was tired and hungry. After we’d eaten we spent the rest of the day exploring more of the town and playing games before heading to bed, excited for the week ahead which was full of more amazing activities.
Day 3 was eventful to say the least. We travelled to Millau, a town about the size of Lisburn that was a 20 minute bus journey from Les Vignes. Once we arrived we could feel the buzzing atmosphere; everywhere you looked there was a splash of colour or an alternative shop. We ventured through the cobble streets, with each step we took we gazed upon the marvellous street view that you would expect from a stereotypical French town. As we travelled deeper into the town we came upon a market which was abundant with many different arts and crafts, but this wasn’t the star of the show, it was the delicious smell of the pastries and bread that filled the streets. The trek through the streets of Millau had whet our appetites so we went to a supermarket to gather supplies for the rest of the day – in fact, enough to last all week. We were then going to the swimming pool – though, unfamiliar with the attire required for French swimming pools, the majority of the boys were not able to enter unless they were willing to wear some very small Speedos… So that being that we sat back and sunbathed on the grass. Once finished we returned home to have dinner and explore the small town of Les Vignes a little bit more.
Day 4 was set to be a brilliant day. Cycling was on the cards and the journey to the top of the mountain where we were getting our bikes was something spectacular – the sun was shining down from the clear blue sky onto the picturesque valley below. The aim was to cycle along the top of the mountain to a path which would lead us to a different village and then cycle back to Les Vignes itself. While cycling you could really just appreciate how magnificent the scenery was; its beauty was like no other place we had ever seen! When we finally reached the place on the map where we were meant to turn, there was no path in sight so we headed back the route in which we came. The only problem with this was that it meant going back down an immensely high road with a cliff drop on one side, which was a nightmare for a few members of the group who despise heights and they ended up screaming the whole way down! We then went back to the house refuel and rehydrate before we set off on another trip down to the other bank of the river for a swim. The unfortunate thing about this was that no matter how astounding the weather was, the water was freezing. Later that evening, after a long and tiring day, Brendy walked straight into his surprise birthday party which was hilarious. We had made him his own personal throne which he loved so much, and everyone enjoyed a slice of birthday cake to end a brilliant day.
Day 5 was our first day off, and most of us took advantage of a well needed lie in! We did a quick mid-week clean of our rooms before heading down to the river for a swim and to explore the beautiful town a little more. That evening we all took part in a table tennis tournament with Lorcan becoming the reigning champion, as well as playing cards and other games together in the house.
On Day 6, we all woke up to another beautifully sunny day and everyone was looking forward to going canyoning. Our instructors picked us up from the house and we enjoyed the scenic drive to nearby Montpellier. We pulled up at the side of the road and got ourselves into our wetsuits and helmets before trekking into the trees and down to a freezing cold pool in the river where we would be starting our activity. After the initial shock of the cold mountain water, everyone settled into it and we set off down the river, swimming and climbing over rocks – there were even some natural ‘slides’ that we were sent, some unwillingly, shooting down! After an hour of being in the river, everyone was starting to really feel the cold, but luckily we came to a 10ft high rock that we all took turns jumping off. Some people were brave enough to jump from even higher ones, and even started showing off by doing flips and dives, cheered on by the instructors. It was a tiring activity but one that everyone loved, and we all returned home that evening ready for a good night’s sleep.
Waking up on Day 7 to warm weather and a loud church bell, a chorus of groans sounded through the house. It was the warmest day by far, so to cool down several of us went into the river for a refreshing swim. Later on we were to go rappelling down what we all thought would be 30 metres into a cavern called ‘Aven Armand’. However, it was only upon arriving that it was revealed to be in fact 80 metres down into what was known as ‘the Devil’s throat’. For the few of us, and even those not, afraid of heights this was quite terrifying. However everyone braved the descent and were rewarded with the sheer size and beauty of the cave full of stalagmites as tall as 30 metres and stalactites that resembled jellyfish.
Waking up on Day 8 everyone was sad because this was the last day in France. We had to do a deep clean of the house, which didn’t take too long thankfully. We then went into the village to buy souvenirs and presents for back home as well as sitting by the river for the last time. We went out to a local restaurant that evening for our last meal and to celebrate the second birthday of the week; Declan’s. After this, we went back to the house where we relaxed and talked about the past week – no one was ready to leave, and as we travelled home the next day we were already missing Les Vignes.
Written by Ventures: Aoife Murray, Tara Martin, Brendy Lenfesty & Ronan McConnell