Photo : Pmau / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Le Gournier
Le Gournier is a site in the heart of the Ardèche gorges, in the commune of Bidon, in the national nature reserve. It was a former agricultural estate cultivated in terraces, frequented by boatmen and shepherds before the first canoeists arrived. Its name comes from the word "gour", meaning a basin carved by erosion in the riverbed. Since the creation of the reserve in 1980, it is one of the only two places where bivouacking is allowed in the gorges, with that of Gaud.
The setting is exceptional for wildlife: Bonelli's eagle nests in the cliffs, the beaver comes out at night on the banks and the ocellated lizard warms itself in the scree. Underground, the caves shelter bats. The cavities also served as a refuge or sanctuary for humans, as flint, engravings and cave paintings show. A discovery area, apart from the bivouac zone, explains the formation of the canyon and the rare species living there.
