Summary of Contents:

chapter 1.....Why Walk? - Your Vacation on Foot

chapter 2.....The Path System - 110,000 miles of trail

chapter 3.....Life on the Trail - A taste of paradise

chapter 4.....Where to Go - Contemplating your trip

chapter 5.....Maps - Planning your trip

chapter 6.....Equipment - The essentials

chapter 7.....Lodging - Comfort & charm

chapter 8.....Eating - More than just sustenance

chapter 9.....Guidebooks - Finding meals & beds

chapter 10...Last Details - Costs, packing & travel

Reading List

Appendix of Resources & Sources

Index

A Walker's Vocabulary


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Full Table of Contents:


chapter 1...Why Walk? - Your vacation on foot

chapter 2...The Path System - 110,000 miles of trail
A trail system in France?
Who established the system?
Origins
Trail classification
National trails
Regional trails
Local trails
International trails
What are the paths like?
Day walks

chapter 3...What It’s Like - A taste of paradise
Imagine this
The typical day
Rural life
Change
The death of a village
Vibrant villages

chapter 4...Where to Go - Contemplating your trip
Geography
Population
Climate
Culture
The regions:
Terrain; Weather; Some walks; Comments:
Normandy and Brittany
The North and Champagne
Paris and the Ile de France
The Loire
The Center and the Atlantic coast
Alsace–Lorraine and the Jura
Burgundy and the Beaujolais
Périgord and the Dordogne
The Auvergne and Languedoc
Rhône Valley and the Alps
The Pyrénées
Provence and the Côte d’Azur
The island of Corsica
Other factors
July and August vacations, Hunters, Light

chapter 5...Maps - Planning your trip
A map for dreaming
The planning map
The working maps
Can I walk off-GR?
All those maps
Older editions of the blue maps
Where do I get blue maps?
Other maps
Are there trail guides?
FFRP guides; Other trail guides
Where can I buy all these maps?
A few rules

chapter 6...Equipment - The essentials
What should I wear on my feet?
Support, Weight, Traction and steadiness,
Cushioning, Shopping for boots
Your pack
Interior and exterior frames, Pack size,
Compression straps and panel load,
Shopping for a pack
Rain gear
Umbrellas, Rain gear in the mountains
Your hat
Knife
Walking stick
Compass
Getting in shape
When good equipment isn’t good enough

chapter 7...Lodging - Comfort & charm
Reservations
Telephoning for reservations
Types of accommodation
Gîtes d’étape
Chambres d’hôte
Hotels
No hotel
Our first French bed and breakfast
Saché, The château, Sunday lunch,
Manoir de Bêcheron, Monday

chapter 8...Eating - More than just sustenance
Dining, not eating
Breakfast
Picnics
Lunch
The French Sunday lunch
Dinner
Gîtes d’étape, Chambres d’hôtes, Pizzerias,
Crêperies and restaurants, Wine prices
A caution
Sunday lunch with the soccer team

chapter 9...Guidebooks - Finding meals & beds
The guidebooks you need to buy
The guidebook you should carry
Restaurant and hotel criticism in France
The Michelin Hotels-Restaurants guide
Using Michelin
The Logis de France guide
Using the Logis guide
The Chambres & Tables d’hôtes guide
Using the bed-and-breakfast guide
The Gîtes d’étape & de séjour guide
Using the Gîtes guide
Other guidebooks
GaultMillau, Bottin Gourmand, Guide du Routard,
Other gîtes guides, FFRP trail guides, French tourist
offices, Michelin green guides, The reading list
Buying the guides & maps you need
Summary
Your “fee,”
Making your own guidebook
The process

chapter 10...Last Details - Cost, packing & travel
Costs
What clothes should you bring?
Notes on the choices
Skirts, Colors, Web belt, Sarong, Overpants,
Waterproof clothing, Men’s shoes, The wash
More caveats
Weight, Evening wear, Toilet articles, Extras
Packing up
How do you get there?
The first day
Attitude adjustment

Reading List - Personal, selective & annotated

Appendix - Resources & sources:

Index

A Walker's Vocabulary

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