Tourists are warned when buying the ticket: the walk will not be shorter, but the route has been greatly reduced. Barely two and a half kilometers against six and a half usually. “We have to, it’s because of the water level”, explains Pierre, the captain of the barges Caminade, one of the two companies in La Roque-Gageac. He takes us for a 45 minute guided ride on the river.
20 centimeters less water than usual
The Dordogne has not escaped the high heat, which dries up the waterways. At this time of year normally, we have 20 centimeters more water. “From the beginning of July, we saw that we were running out of water. But EDF proceeded with releases, it was just like in spring. Last week, squeak, they closed the floodgates”, adds Peter. With its propeller engine, it can go through 25, 30 centimeters deep. “The problem is that in the apron, we don’t even have them anymore”, he said. Last week, he damaged two engines like that, at Malartrie beach, just below La Roque. He doesn’t want to take any more risks.
Less far, slower
The company therefore adapted. The boat is going much slower, and the course has been changed. We go up a little higher than before on the river, to the cliffs, to turn around to the beach of Malartrie. “There, we have water up to our knees, you could almost touch the stones. It’s impressive!”exclaims Sylvie, leaning on the wooden railing. “I came in 2004, it was much higher than that”, wonders the vacationer, who came from Montpellier.
A little further on, one sees a boat from the other company, the Gabarres Norbert, which passes close to the stones. He hasn’t changed his course, it’s a turbine boat, he needs less bottom. But the passage is thin, and a man with water barely up to his thighs pushes back the big stones to let him pass.