SPECIFIC NEWS
FROM & ABOUT THE PATHS (GRs):


NORMANDY & BRITTANY:

A DIARY OF A WALK FROM CAEN TO THE LOIRE ON THE GR 36 - Stephen E. from England is walking from Normandy to the Mediterranean in Provence. He's doing it in stages, year by year, and has already completed six stages, with three to go. He has been kind enough to forward his very detailed diary for the first three stages, each of which I have posted on its own page. This is a superb resource for anyone contemplating a walk on this portion of the GR 36.

Day by day: (see the diary for details)
Ouistreham to May-sur-Orne, 26 Kilometres.
May-sur-Orne to Thury-Harcourt, 24 kilometres.
Thury-Harcourt to Pont d’Ouilly, 29 kilometres.
Pont D’Ouilly to Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne, 26 kilometres.
Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne to Écouché, 30 kilometres.
Écouché to Montmerrei, 21 kilometres.
Montmerrei to Saint-Nicolas-des-Bois, 35 kilometres.
Saint-Nicolas-des-Bois to Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon, 14 kilometres.
Saint-Denis sur Sarthon to Saint-Léonard des Bois. 19 kilometres.
Saint-Léonard des Bois to Sillé-Plage. 32 kilometres.
Sillé-Plage to Beaumont-sur-Sarthe, 40 kilometres.
Beaumont-sur-Sarthe to Sainte-Jamme-sur-Sarthe. 18 Kilometres.
Sainte-Jamme-sur-Sarthe to Savigny L’Évêque. 18 kilometres.
Savigny L’Évêque to Le Mans. 22 kilometres.
Le Mans to Marigné-Laillé. 31 kilometres.
Marigné-Laillé to Mayet. 14 Kilometres.
Mayet to Le Lude. 24 kilometres.
Le Lude to Noyant. 29 kilometres.
Noyant to Continvoir. 27 kilometres.
Continvoir to Saumur. 43 kilometres.

– BLeF, 4 January '02

THE NORMANDY COAST EAST OF ETRETAT - Post Sunday Times article of the 6th of May a group of us have decided to try walk the GR 21 (Veulettes-sur-Mer to Étretat) sometime in October.

Am now trying to do the "planning thing" (for 8 to 12 people!!) and am trying to get hold of the following:

Any route guide that may exist (English or French).
Hint or Tips re accomodation.
Any other handy information.

For once the web and Standfords have let me down, suggestions gratefully received.

– Chris M., England, 20 May '01

– From BLeF - You're right to think about "the planning thing" since, with twelve people to house, you'll definitely need advance reservatuions. B&Bs are obviously out since no one establishment would have enough rooms to house your group. The most current (year 2000) Michelin and the Logis de France hotel guidebooks that I have only list hotels along your route in Étretat, Fécamp and Yport, but an older edition of the Logis guide (1996) also lists hotels in Veulettes-sur-Mer, les Petite Dalles and St Léonard. To find out whether or not these and perhaps other hotels are still in operation I would e-mail, write, fax or call:

Comité Départmental du Tourism de Seine Maritime
6, rue Corronné
B.P. 60
76420 BIHOREL
tel: 33 2 35.12.10.10
fax: 33 2 35.59.66.04
e-mail: seine.maritime.tourism@wanadoo.fr

They should be able to supply you with a list (with addresses and phone numbers) of all the hotels, and restaurants in the department and might also have some information about the GR 21.

ITINERARY FOR 105 MILE WALK FROM CAEN TO CHERBOURG –

Day 1 - Sunday 8th April
Walk from ferry port at Ouistreham along Sword, Juno and Gold beaches to Arromanches, passing through Luc-sur-mer and Courseulles-sur-mer. Distance = 20 miles approx.

Day 2 - Monday 9th April
Walk from Arromanches to Colleville-sur-mer along Omaha beach. Distance = 10 miles approx.

Day 3 - Tuesday 10th April
Walk from Colleville-sur-mer to Grandcamp Maisy passing through Pointe du Hoc. Distance = 12 miles approx.

Day 4 - Wednesday 11th april
Walk from Grandcamp-Maisy to Carentan via La Cambe (war cemetary). Distance = 13 miles approx.

Day 5 - Thursday 12th April
Walk from Carentan to Ravenouville via Utah beach.
Distance = 14 miles approx.

Day 6 - Friday 13th April
Walk from Ravenouville to Quettehou along Utah beach. Early start! Visit Iles de Tatihou (military fort). Distance = 11 miles approx.

Day 7 - Saturday 14th April
Walk from Quettehou to Maupertus-sur-mer. Distance = 15 miles (coast, via Barfleur) or 9 miles (across country, via Le Vast) approx.

Day 8 - Sunday 15th April
Walk from Maupertus-sur-mer to Cherbourg! Aim to catch fast ferry at 1900hrs. Distance = 10 miles approx.

Total Distance = 105 miles approx.

Robert H., England, 25 March '01

– Post-Walk Report, 29 August '01 - Five of us walked for eight days in all and covered around 110 miles. We carried all the equipment one would expect for this type of activity and other than under estimating the amount of blister kits we would need, were well prepared. Our main problem (or should I call it obsession?) quickly became food. We had perhaps been rather too ambitious and had planed on cooking on Trangia's in the evening. Although these were light to carry we found them a little inadequate for cooking for five (we had three Trangia's). On a future trip I think we will prefer camping gaz burners and boil-in-the-bag meals as they are far more efficient and not much heavier to carry. We ate a very large number of chocolate bars but all lost weight! "Chocolate stops" became a great morale booster. We all took some items of clothing that were "disposable" and were therefore able to lighten our load as we walked.

The walk was thoroughly interesting and very enjoyable, our one "gripe" being that far too much seemed to be on roads and not enough on coastal path proper. We did not have a rest day, although it would have been a good idea - perhaps at Carentan which is approximately half way - where sore feet and aching limbs could have been tended. We did not pre-book any campsites but did carefully research what was open once we had deciced where to stop each night. We only had one problem ( a site was closed due a water pipe burst—obviously an unforeseeable situation) and found welcoming and friendly people at each stop off.

We are planning to walk from Cherbourg towards St. Malo next year!

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WALKING NEAR CALAIS - NO RESTRICTION YET DUE TO HOOF AND MOUTH DISEASE – I want to walk in France—probably west of Calais along towards Cap Gris Nez, but possibly elsewhere. Are there any restrictions at present to prevent or restrict someone from England so doing, given the current Foot & Mouth outbreak?

– Roger T., England, 4 March '01

– From BLeF - At present, I know of no restrictions. But in the New York Times today I read that there has been a suspected but not confirmed outbreak of Hoof & Mouth in Belgium, only 11 miles from the French border (and in central France near St-Etienne as well). If the Belgian case is confirmed and if the disease begins to spread, I would guess that the French would, as authorities have in England, close the walking trails near the border—that is, in the Calais area—in an attempt to prevent the disease from spreading.

If anyone learns of any such closures in Calais or elsewhere in France, I would greatly appreciate an e-mail so that I can post an alert for Roger and others.

– Post-Walk Comments from Roger T., 9 March '01 - Thanks for your speedy reply to my query about possible restrictions for English walkers in the Calais area...you said that you didn't know of any, and in fact when we ventured out of Kent to do a walk along the Opal Coast from Cap Blanc Nez last Monday, there was nothing to suggest that Hoof and Mouth (as you call it) was about—except for the pools of disinfectant that we had to drive through at either end of Eurotunnel and the fact that we couldn't take sandwiches into France! What is perhaps more worrying, especially (since) the coastal path is due to become part of a longer trans Europe route, is the state of the "Sentier du littoral" along the top of the cliffs between Escales and Wissant; it seems to be fast disappearing into the sea. We did the last section along the sand as it seemed to present the easier and safer option. Our return via Sombre and Mont Roti was rather more straightforward. A very pleasant day, however, with lovely sea views and a good meal in Wissant, depite it looking so dead

DAY WALKS NEAR CALAIS? – The foot and mouth crisis in the UK has closed most of the countryside, so I am desperate to find places to walk within a day's travel of our home in Fleet, Hampshire. We are a family of 3 who must (for medical reasons) have a long walk every Saturday—10 to 18 miles is usual for us. Typically, we will start driving before 5 AM, take 3 or 4 hours to get out to the Brecon Beacons in Wales, do our walk, and return the same day.

The question is, can we do the same in France, using the Channel Tunnel to arrive in Calais. We can be out of the tunnel with about 1 hour's driving left. (Or we could use a ferry to Cherbourg, Caen, le Havre, Dieppe, or Bouglogne, taking a little longer crossing). Perhaps there is some vigorous coastal walking, similar to the paths along the south coast of England, which we love to walk.

Staying overnight is a possibility, if it's impossible to do the day trip.

– George S., England, 25 February '01

– From BLeF - Yes, if it's at all practical for you to get to France within a reasonable time via the Channel Tunnel, it's perfectly possible to walk in the Calais area of France as you have at home. I'm not very familiar with conditions along the English trails, but I do know that you'll find the French landowners to be surprisingly open and supportive of those walking across their land.

For starters I would suggest that you buy in England before you go or in France as soon as you arrive the "IGN Top 100 map #1 - Calais." That will give you a good overview of the region. You'll also find that the major walking trails are highlighted. Once you get to France, I would also suggest buying the "IGN Top 25 maps #2103ET and 2104ET." These will give you a view—similar in detail to that available from your Ordinance Maps—of the area to the west and south of Calais. Major as well as many of the minor walking trails are highlighted on these maps. Also, go to the Calais (and later the Boulogne-sur-Mer and Dunkerque) Syndicats d'Initiative ( a combination Tourist Bureau and Chamber of Commerce) to obtain any local walking maps that they may offer. A visit to a bookstore in Calais could also turn up a locally produced guidebook to the trails in the area.

And yes, there is a coastal trail, the GR 21 otherwise known as the "GR littoral," that runs along the "Opal Coast" from just east of Calais to well below Boulogne-sur-Mer. (This is a small part of the longer international trail that will eventually—almost always hugging the coast—extend from Leningrad in Russia to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain!)

And once you have exhausted the walking possibilities in the Calais area, you'll find an equally extensive system of trails at the end of your ferry ride to Cherbourg, Caen or le Havre.

After you've checked all of these sources I think you'll be quite surprised and pleased by the variety and extent of the paths. It can be argued that France, even more than England, is a walker's paradise.

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10 KILOMETER WALK NEAR MONT-ST-MICHEL? – I'm looking for a 10K walk/hike near Mont-St.-Michel. Also, is it easy to bus or hitchike back to the car that we will have?

– David. N., 24 February '01

– From BLeF - I have found that short walks along the coast north and west of Avranches, a town located across the bay from Mont-St-Michel, are delightful. You get distant views of the Mont (see top of this page) without the crowds of bus-born tourists you find when walking south of this popular destination. The IGN blue map for the area (1215 E) will help you plan your walks. And, yes, if you plan carefully by researching bus schedules and by choosing a town as your destination, you should have no trouble retracing your steps.

COASTAL WALKS IN NORMANDY IN WINTER - (I need) details of a 2 day walking trip in any area not too far from Paris (in) mid-March 2001.

– Carol D., 15 January '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 19 January '01 - As concerns walking not too far from Paris in mid-March, I would give two general opinions: first, avoid forests, which are still dull in this part of France (they begin to live again in the very south only); second be ready to change your project according to weather. This is typically a date where skies can be grey and dull around Paris and so much better say along the Loire...

Not too far from Paris, here are some ideas:

Go along a coast. I've walked along Baie de Somme once in March in a perfect blue-with-small-clouds sky. It can be a good two-day walk, beginning on GR 125 where it crosses Abbeville-Le Tréport highway (not unfrequent SNCF buses there) and following it to Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme where you are likely to find lodgings even in this season; you can then go around the bay along a small train line to Le Crotoy and visit Parc du Marquenterre (bird watching place) to take a train again in Rue, for instance.

Another very tempting coast might some stretch of Seine-Maritime, for instance around the very celebrated Etretat: a landscape of gigantic cliffs (I've not yet walked it). The Pays de Caux, just behind the coast, is also commendable in this season. Not too many trees, and walk along lovely brooks; not tried it yet, but the map shows several GRs reaching the coast along a small river. One day along such river followed by one day along the cliffs might be a nice project...

NANTES - BREST CANAL - If you would like some more information about the towpath along the Canal du Midi, try Tony Roberts' book Cycling Along the Waterways of France. This book would be useful to walkers as well as cyclists. It describes the towpaths of three canals in detail (30 - 40 pages on each canal), gives recent (1998) information about the condition of the towpaths, contains maps for the entire route, and gives some details about accommodations and sights along the way. The canals covered are the Canal du Midi across southern France, the Nantes-Brest Canal in Brittany, and the Canal du Bourgogne in Burgundy. Powell's Books (www.powells.com) has both new and used copies of this paperback book (isbn: 0-9332019-0-7) in stock for prices from $9.95 to $14.95.

– Elaine & Ned G., 15 December '00

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AFTER -TRIP REPORT OF A WALK ALONG THE NORMANDY COAST WHILE CAMPING - In August 2000 Tanya & Steve walked a part of the Normandy Coast. Below is their report. To see their packing list click here.

...We had a fabulous time! If it were up to me, we would have moved to Paris, as I fell in love with the city. There is so much to tell, I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll highlight the trip.

We got to Paris on August 22 only to find that our luggage didn't arrive with us. It took three days for our luggage to arrive. Once it did, we took a train to Caen to start our walk. I believe we took the GR 36 for the first day of our trip. It was a paved, well used trail next to a river. We hiked quite a few miles that day and found our selves in the middle of farmland at 7:30 that evening. Exhausted, and not finding a safe place to set up our tent, we decided to ask a farmer family if we could camp on their land. They were extremely nice and showed us to the hayloft where we comfortably slept all night. Luckily we slept in the hayloft as the next morning there was the most incredible thunder storm I've ever seen! ...

We spent a week walking along the coast and saw some of the most incredible scenery imaginable! We hiked (not walked) and the trail on the coast (GR 223) was still damaged by the storms. We traversed up and down rugged hills, through mud bogs, and through streams. We managed about 20 miles per day. We camped at campgrounds, some were nice, others weren't. We ended up hiking about a week.

It was really my fault that we had to quit hiking—I had major knee surgery in March...it still isn't healed and I had major pain throughout the hiking.

So-we decided to take a bus from Grandcamp to Bayeux where we would take a train to Cherbourg and a ferry to the UK and eventually end up in London. We spent all day travelling to Cherbourg only to find the fishermen rioting over fuel prices. The ports were closed, the streets were mayhem...it was great!!!

We caught the last train back to Paris that night, by only seconds. We stayed in Paris for another week...doing the tourist thing. Then, we caught a train to London...

All in all, I wouldn't change our trip for anything...however, I must say that the hiking was the most memorable part.

– Tanya & Steve, Seattle, WA, 27 October '00

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THE INVASION BEACHES & THE COASTAL TRAILS IN NORMANDY - On 10 September '00 R.H. e-mailed asking about the coastal trail in Normandy from Ouistram to Cherbourg. He plans to walk this trail and visit the D-Day beaches with friends in 2001. He wondered if there was a coastal path and my answer was:

Yes, there is a coastal path. It's called the "GR littoral" as it leaves the Begian border. Then northeast of Dieppe its name changes to the GR 21 and, at the mouth of the Seine it again changes name, this time to the GR 223. All three of these trails are the French part of one much longer continuous international trail that now starts at the Lithuanian border with Poland and runs along the coasts of Poland, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France to the tip of the Brittany peninsula. (As if that isn't amazing enough, the plan is that this trail will eventually extend along coastal Europe from St Petersburg in Russia all the way to Compestella in northwestern Spain!)

While this long path does in places jog away from the coast, the GR 223 hugs the full length of the invasion beaches and will offer you every opportunity to see the landing places as well as the museums, cemeteries and other places of historical interest. Obtaining four French Top100 maps, #s 1, 3, 6 and 7, from the IGN (see Maps for more information and sources) would offer you a great overview of the exact location of the trail from the Belgian border to Cherbourg as well as the towns and other resources along your route.

– R.H.'s Question, England, 10 September '00

– More from R.H., 13 February '01 - Plans are now well under way for my walking trip on the Normandy Coast Path. I intend to leave England on 7th April and start walking from Ouistreham on the Sunday towards Cherbourg hoping to arrive by Easter. I will be in a group of five.

LONG WALK ON THE GR 223 IN NORMANDY - Do you have information or web sites where I could get information on the GR223? We're interested in an early October hiking trip along the Normandy coast. Also, what are the camping restrictions in that area? I know France is a bit more strict about camping than the US, but what would our options be along the Normandy coast?

– D.B., 4, 5 September '00

– From BLeF - The FFRP publishes a topo-guide for one section of the GR 223: #200, Tour du Cotentin, Val de Saire, which covers the Cotentin peninsula. Though it's in French, it would still be a useful planning tool if this is the area you are interested in.

Though there are undoubtedly other guidebooks published in France, they would be hard to get from the US. But if you can find a copy of the out-of-print book, Classic Walks in France, Oxford Illustrated Press (England), by Rob Hunter & David Wickers, in your library or online, walk #16 is also about the Cotentin.

Camping below the treeline is restricted to established campgrounds in France. I suggest that you purchase the 1:100,000 IGN Top100 maps, #6 and #7 (see maps for sources of supply). They cover the whole of the GR 223. On those maps you'll see that there are many, many towns—at least one every 8 to 10 miles—on or next to the trail. Almost all of these towns will have a campground (municipal or private) and the vast majority will also have a bed & breakfast and/or a hotel/restaurant. So camping is possible but not necessary. These maps combined with a few guidebooks will also help you plan your trip if you do decide to go. See the table of contents on this site to find further discussion about camping in France.

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DAY WALKS NW OF CHERBOURG ON THE CAP DE LA HAGUE - Going on a day trip to Cherbourg next Monday and the high cliffs in the far North Western end of the Contentin peninsula look interesting. Any good short day walks around there? We will have a car.

– Adrian, England, 6 July '00

– From BLeF - Unfortunately the FFRP hasn't published a PR (local trail) day-walking guide for the Contentin, and their office in the department of la Manche—in Marigny near St Lô—wont be handy for you when you land. However, you could phone that office (02.33.55.34.30) and they might be able to give you some suggestions.

The Grande Randonnee trail #223 does, of course, follow the coast out of Cherbourg to the Cap de la Hague and beyond. With a car, you could start your walk anywhere along that path. After you land, look for a good bookstore in Cherbourg that might have a locally produced guidebook to the smaller local trails. With such a book you could probably plan a circuit walk that incorporated parts of the GR 223. Again, the FFRP office in Marigny should be able to tell you about any good local guidebooks for the area.

Also helpful might be the 1:100,000 IGN Top100 map, Normandy – Caen/Cherbourg. These newer maps have the GR (national) and some GRP (regional) trails marked prominently. This map should be available in any good travel store in England and will, of course, be easy to find once you arrive in France. Combine the 1:100,000 Top100 map and the detailed IGN 1:25,000 blue map for the area (#1110E) with feedback from the Marigny FFRP and/or local guidebooks, and you should find many good day walks in and around the Cap de la Hague area.

– After-Walk Report from Adrian, England, 18 July '00 - The weather on the day was rather windy with occasional sunshine and showers, and it set in to steady rain at about 5 PM. However I can report that:

We did a short coastal walk from Goury south using the coastal footpath which is well defined and in a good state of repair. This is spectacular scenery especially on a windy day where the Alderney Race was a foaming mass of waves. The cliffs are reminiscent of Alderney itself, quite high in places and covered in wild flowers. The cultivated bits remind me of Cornwall, with pocket-sized fields surrounded by dry stone walls. Many fields have not been used for some while, although others are very neat and are in effect individual kitchen gardens.

Goury is a tiny little harbour village with an interesting lifeboat station which is open to vistors. It has a recently renovated car park complete with clean toilet and a useful Information Centre where the staff are quite helpful. Not much in the way of maps for sale here, but if you stick to the coatal path, a detailed one is not really needed. We did not quite get as far as Nez de Jobourg although with a bit more effort we easily could have done so.

So for a short walk on a day trip or weekend across from UK it was a good choice. With the fast ferry to Cherbourg giving eight hours ashore on a day trip, plenty of time for a good walk as well as a the usual stockpiling of vino or wherever...

I must say that compared to the English, the French do not seem too intersted in walking! Which I suppose is why the little walk we did was so unspoilt and I feel a bit reluctant to advertise it!

MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO NORMANDY & BRITTANY - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ELSEWHERE ON THIS SITE:

GR 34 - English language topo-guide
Accommodations Normandy
Brittany - English-language guide
Brittany - another guide for daywalks
Circuits Pedestre guides
Normandy English-language guide
Paris-Boulogne English-language guide


Alps & GR 5 ** Alsace, Lorraine & Champagne ** Burgundy ** Corsica ** Dordogne ** Jura ** Languedoc & Cevennes ** Loire ** Massif Central & Compestella Trail ** Normandy & Brittany ** Paris ** Provence & Cote d'Azur ** Pyrennees & Southwest


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e-mail your questions and comments to walk@franceonfoot.com

I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop, I cease to think; my mind only works with my legs.
– Jean-Jaques Rousseau, Confessions