Chartres beyond the cathedral

This is the closest match I found to the “really cool kayak about an hour away” your kids mentioned. I cannot prove it is the same school/bus outing, but it fits the description very well.

The club offers a self-hire route of roughly 5 km and about 1½ hours. Check the day’s rental window and age requirements before driving over.

Drive

≈ 50–60 min

Address

Stade des Bas-Bourg, 8 rue Georges Brassens, Chartres

Important

Confirm the minimum age and swimming requirements directly with the club.

From nightfall, the cathedral and other monuments become projection canvases. The seasonal programme makes a very easy “special ending” to a Chartres water outing; check the current dates before choosing the day.

Choose this instead of the canoe if swimming sounds better.

A serious aquatic centre rather than a small municipal pool: 50 m Olympic pool plus leisure water, slides/toboggan and river-style features. This is the safer bet if the children mainly want to get wet.

Drive

≈ 50–60 min

Allow

2–4 h

Nice combination

Pool → dinner → Chartres en lumières after dark