SPECIFIC NEWS
FROM & ABOUT THE PATHS (GRs):

The information below is organized by region. In addition, be sure to check the Index page for other information about the various regions that may be stored on the Maps & Guidebooks page or the Restaurants & Accommodations page. Some areas like the "Alps & GR 5" have so much information that they are on their own separate pages—click on the individual names to go there. To go directly to all the information in this section about one particular region, click on its name immediately below:

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


ALPS & GR 5:


ALSACE, LORRAINE & CHAMPAGNE:

WINTER IN THE VOSGES - I will be near the Vosges at Christmas and would like to do some
moderate walking for two days. Any suggestions?

– Colin C., Muenster, Germany, 9 November '01

– From BLeF - When I lived in Nancy near the Vosges, those mountains were always snowbound and unwalkable by Christmas. There are no national GR trails in the Rhine Valley bottomland between Strasbourg and Colmar, but I'm sure that there are local trails up against the Vosges where you would be sure to find interesting day walks.

WALKING THE WORLD WAR I WESTERN FRONT? - I plan to hike part of the WW I Western Front in Late July and August 2001. I'm starting in Belgium and going as far into Northern France as I have time to. Any thoughts or recommendations?

– Frank, 10 March '01

– Further Comments from Frank, 14 September '01 -The hike on the front didn't happen, for several reasons. By the time I got to Belgium I had hiked 200 miles in Spain on the Camino de Santiago and about 100 miles down the Saar and Mosel Rivers in Germany. I was tired. In addition while I was in Spain I met up with some folks from the area of Belgium I planned to hike in. When I told them of my plans they said I was crazy: Flat, no place to camp, and expensive. Plus I have a French relative who also thought I was crazy to hike in that part of Northern France.

What I did do was to visit Ieper, Belgium, and take a battlefield tour and then hike some around the area. I also visited Neuport, Belgium, where the front started and hiked there. There is an interesting book called Back to the Front that was my original inspiration for my hike-that-never-happened that would probably be interesting reading.

What would be cool to do would be to do the front by bike. Much faster.

FAVORITE PART OF WALK ON GR 5, ALSACE - During the summer of 2000, Jeff walked the full length of the GR 5. In an e-mail he listed some of his favorite and least favorite parts of that walk:

FAVORITES - Chatenois,France to Ribeauvillé (approx 22kms)

– Jeff, Zurich, Switzerland, 27 January '01

LEAST FAVORITE PART OF WALK ON GR 5, LORRAINE - Lorraine, France (there were of course exceptions to this) just overall was my least favorite. However, in its defense, the most luxurious and extravagant lodging I stayed in throughout the entire trail was in Lorraine. It was a place called Chateu Altiville. It was built in 1765, very gorgeous rooms, a nice dinner with everyone staying there of salmon and duck with 4 kinds of wine. Everything about it was decadant and was treated just like anybody else, despite my appearance upon arrival!

– Jeff, Zurich, Switzerland, 27 January '01

WINTER WALK IN CHAMPAGNE - On 15 January '01 Carol D. inquired about a walk during March near Paris. Her query drew the following response (in part):

Another idea : montagne de Reims (avoiding the NWestern part, too wooded for March) ; you could begin at the station at Rilly-la-Montagne, south of Reims, walk to the Faux de Verzy (strange dwarf beeches above Verzy, much more scenic without their leaves) then to Ay, and follow more or less of GR 14 westwards. Along the Marne valley in the wineyards, you'll profit fully of the sun.

– Pierre L., Lyon, France, 19 January '01

THE GR 5 IN ALSACE & LORRAINE SUMMER 2000 - During the summer of 2000, Jeff walked the full length of the GR 5. In an e-mail from the trail he relayed the following impressions:

As soon as I crossed the French border into the Lorraine region from Luxembourg, I ran into serious blowdowns that, in places, completely destroyed the trail and the trail markings. In one place it took me 2 hours to cover 1 kilometer, and when I emerged from the tangle and again found the trail a sign was posted prohibiting entry. Lorraine in general was difficult walking because the forests were in such bad shape following the December storms (a short e-mail from Jeff on 5 June stated that "basically 95 % of the trail is open in Lorraine."); Alsace is better though there are still signs of damage here. Repairs are evident.

Here in the Vosges there's a lot of up and down walking and consequently I'm finding that every day seems to have a split personality: there's 2 to 3 hours of miserable travel due to terrain or, for the past 2 days, rainy weather followed by 3 or 4 hours of great travel.


– Jeff, near Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France, 31 May, 5 June '00

OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ALSACE, LORRAINE, CHAMPAGNE AND THE NORTH - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

Circuits Pedestre guidebooks for Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne and the North

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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


BURGUNDY:

CANAL DU BOURGOGNE - 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

SUGGESTIONS FOR A WEEK OF WALKS IN BURGUNDY? - We want to spend a week in Burgundy at the beginning of October and would like some advice on different walks to take. We'd like to do this independently rather than going on a tour. We will probably also have a car to take us from point to point. Do you have any suggestions in terms of guidebooks/travel planners that might help us in identifying certain worthwile walks? Or perhaps the GR organization has summary information? We realize we will need to buy the specific GR maps.

– R. A., New York, 29 June '00

– After-Walk Report from R.A., 29 October '00 - ...We had a wonderful time in Burgundy despite a couple of days of rain. I contacted the Féderation Française de la Randonnée Pédestre in Paris and was sent two books, one of the Côte-d'Or à pied, and the other on walks in the Morvan. We took a couple of walks from the Côte-d"Or book. Generally, the walks were well sign-posted (the books are only in French, so you need to understand some French to get by). We additionally bought (very cheap) 2 other sources of walk info: At Vézelay tourist office they have postcards with walks. We went on one of those—about 9 kilometers starting/ending at St-Père-de-Vézelay. It was a perfect walk—pretty scenery, a castle, couple of villages, etc. The other source was a tourist map with walks which we bought at the tourist office in Beaune. All these walks tie into the randonnée map series. However, we did not buy any of the offical randonnée maps, and didn't really need them. We took a couple of wrong turns on the St-Père one, but we could see where we wanted to head, so no serious problems. Aside from the St-Père-de-Vézelay walk, the one we really enjoyed was between Volnay and Pommard—2 cute little villages and beautiful weather that day.

The cultural highlight was a concert on ancient instruments given by 4 young people from Lyons in the Chateau de Cisteaux in Meursault.

(For more from R.A. about accommodations and restaurants click here.)

– Earlier Comment from BLeF, 29 June '00 - I assume, since you mention that you might have a car, that you plan to day walk in Burgundy. There is indeed a FFRP (French Walking Association) guidebook that should prove helpful, Topo Guide #D021, La Côte-d'Or à Pied, 99 FF. It covers day walks in the vineyards and hills to the south of Dijon as well as in the less famous part of Burgundy to the northwest of that city. Even though the book is in French, it's easy enough to understand the itineraries it introduces if not the detailed descriptions of the trails. Another good source of walking information would be any of the local Syndicats d'Initiative in the towns where you will be staying. Almost all of these tourist offices/chambers of commerce distribute locally produced walking maps.

Also, the IGN is publishing a new series of their green 1:100,000 maps called Top 100, and these, unlike the older green 1:100,000 maps, show the walking trails prominently. The one you would need is #37, Dijon-Tournus, 31.75 FF (but about $8-$9 here in the States). Great for planning and dreaming. Be sure to get the Top 100 IGN map, not the older green Carte Touristique. When you arrive in Burgundy you should, of course, buy the appropriate blue 1:25,000 IGN maps, which will present the detail needed to actually navigate.

The topo guide is probably not available from the domestic stores listed on the Links page of this web site. But do try Pacific Travellers (sic) Supply in Santa Barbara 805 963-4438 and/or the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore in Vermont 800 282-3963. If neither of these carry the guide you will probably have to go overseas to England or France (see Links and Guidebooks). The Top 100 map should be available here in the States at any good travel bookstore, but, if you can't find it locally, Pacific Travellers Supply, the retail outlet for a firm that imports IGN maps, should certainly carry it.

Since you'll have a whole week in Burgundy, you might consider abandoning the car and taking a longer cross-country, village-to-village stroll. Starting in Dijon (or, since the southern outskirts of that city are industrial and unattractive, in Chenove, Marsannay-la- Côte or Couchy, all of which are just a short bus ride south of town) you could easily walk (with a day or two of rest thrown in) down the Côte-d'Or to Beaune or Chagny. A great way to go! Both Topo Guide D021 and map #37 would still be very useful planning tools if you decide on this option.

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WALKS ON THE GRs 7-76 IN BURGUNDY AND IN THE VAUCLUSE - At 73 each, we go slower and shorter and decided on easy terrain in the Vaucluse and GR 7 and GR 76 in Burgundy... May weather this year was spectacular, but late afternoon thunderstorms made some of the two-track roads fearfully muddy.

We were away 28 days, 18 days walking, 7 layover or sightseeing, remainder travel. Before leaving we found and used a number of websites that you mention including the very useful ones for Logis and Gites.

(See more news from Bob & Liz on the other Updates pages.- BLEF)

– Bob & Liz, Corvallis, Oregon, 25 June ‘00

BURGUNDY WALK QUESTION - I have read France on Foot—would like to know about any additional hikes in Burgundy?

– S.S., Arizona, 25 May '00

– From BLeF - Looking at IGN Map #903, which I hope you have, you'll see that the 3 hikes I outlined in the "Burgundy" section of France on Foot—the Morvan, Dijon-Beaune and the Maconnais-Chalonnais-Beaujolais—pretty much cover all the existing national trails (GRs) in Burgundy. Of course you could link these walks into something larger. And the southern part of Burgundy does have parallel trails, the GRs 7 and 76, which would offer some variety. You could also extend a walk on the GRs 7 and 76 beyond Villefranche as far as St Etienne and still, loosely speaking, be in something close to Burgundy/Beaujolais. The trail here passes through a beautiful, pastoral part of France—green hills with herds of white Limousin cattle.

OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO BURGUNDY - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

GRs 7 & 76
Circuits Pedestre guidebooks
Vezelay St-Jacques trail from

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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


CORSICA:

WALKING THE GR 20 - I did the GR 20 this past August, a real butt kicker of a trail. Touted as the toughest long distance trail in Europe, it certainly lives up to its reputation. The northern half is constant up-down-up-down, much scrambling, and loose rock, hiking poles are a must if you want have any knees left (even at my tender age of 20 I needed them). The southern half is much easier, did the 50 miles in 3 days, but less fun. Wonderful scenery, though not at all wilderness, plenty of hiking through pastures, villages, and day trails. Though overall it was a fabulous experience and a ton of fun, there was one major drawback: overcrowding. It was tough to stay away from other hikers, don't go expecting solitude. On the other hand you'll have the chance to make new friends. Also, camping is strictly limited to refuges, you can't just set up your tent along the trail (though I did this several times, no problems, much more enjoyable). For a few euros, the refuges offered basic facilities and a patch of dirt to set up your tent, but were very unpleasant, a sour end to a wonderful day. On the upside, you can buy food, though terribly overpriced, so you don't have to carry it all. If you can, I would suggest to go in off-peak season, less people and milder weather, and disregard the camping regulations.

One more warning, the "Cirque de Solitude" could pose problems for hikers scared of heights or unsure of their abilities. Some rapelling down fixed chains, and climbing up ladders/chains is necessary. If you fall, you're dead.

– David, H., Paris, France, 26 March '02

IMPRESSIONS OF THE GR 20, DAY WALKS - Michelle and I just returned from Corsica. We did some day walks that we found in the Lonely Planet guide. Apparently, no English Michellin Green guide. Weird. I'm not sure I yet believe this, but that's what I've been told. (I've heard that a whole bunch from book sellers when they don't have the English version of which ever I've been looking for in hand. . . Funny huh?) Anyway, hiking the GR 20 looks to be the real deal in my opinion. I'm fairly certain the only flat place on Corsica is the airport. Even the day hikes we did were strenuous. Doing all or part of the GR 20 would be an admirable goal. My sense is that if I were to attempt something like that I'd be more inclined to do the St Jacques Compostella pilgrimage. I thought Corsica was absolutely beautiful, but I'm unlikely to return without a helicopter. Driving the entire west coast on the D81b took 3 years off my life. I had to stop three times to calm myself. The people were very, very nice.

– John B., Nice and Seattle, 16 Jan '02

OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO CORSICA - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

Gîtes in Ota and Avapessa

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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


DORDOGNE:

THE DORDOGNE IN LATE AUGUST – EARLY SEPTEMBER - My partner and I are contemplating a two week walk starting in Perigueux and heading in the general direction of Toulouse. We're not committed to any particular destination, but we're pretty much obliged to do this on the last week of August and first week of September. My question is threefold: First, is this part of France blazing hot that time of year? and second: how much trouble should we expect to encounter in finding budget accommodations? We'd rather not go the gîte d'étape/camping route, but prefer the basic no stars/one star village inn sort of thing with the occaisional indulgence (budget permitting) of a nice hotel or b&b. And finally, how much will will we be competing with the conclusion of European vacation time? (I wouldn't even consider going to Italy in August.) After twenty years of urban vacations in places like Naples, Berlin and Marseille, peace and quiet are essential. My thanks for any advice.

– Douglas W., 19 May '01

– An Answer from Kurt K., Oregon, 29 May '01 - I walked a good portion of the Perigord, from Montignac to Sarlat, during a 5 day period in May. I can't answer your questions about the weather and the European vacation schedule in late August. But I can give you an idea of what to expect in the region with respect to lodging.

My experience was that accomodations were not plentiful. Most towns of any size, such as Les Eyzies or Sarlat, will have many hotels to choose from. But in between you might hike for several hours before seeing a village or any lodgingat all. I suggest that village-to-village hikers follow Bruce's advice, and consult a Michelin Red book. (and others - BLeF) I did NOT do this. I wished I had. At least twice I was scrambling to find lodging as the sun was going down ... I didn't need that anxiety! By the way, every hotel or gîte that I stayed in was excellent in its own way, from 3-star hotel to farmhouse B&B.

And I highly recommend the Perigord. It is old, old country, settled by prehistoric people with their own fascinating culture. There are scores of sites here that are profound. Walking this region makes you appreciate time and distance as part of the whole travel experience. You can't help but reflect on life in the Perigord 300 years ago, or for that matter, 30,000 years ago. The geography is beautiful but challenging. Tall ridges and low valleys mean some long climbs. The track was often muddy in May, especially in the low areas.

Finally, I would inquire about hunting season. I understand it is in September. Quite a bit of the area I walked was forested, and I saw many tracks in the soft earth. Also, many cartouches, or empty shotgun shells. One farmer told me they are now "breathalyzing" hunters because they drink too much on the hunt. Well, I wouldn't want to be out there under those circumstances. I have no desire to wind up on the wall in the den of a Frenchman.

WALKS WEST OF LIMOGES - I am going to be at a meditation retreat 40 km west of Limoges in central France and would love to do some walking for a couple days after the retreat ends...however, the French site is very difficult to navigate when you don't know the region names...

Does anyone know if an GRs or GRPs run near that area?

– Kate B., Toronto, Canada, 24 March '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 27 March '01 - As concerns the question about walks west of Limoges, I had a very good surprise when walking in this area. There are quite a number of different landscapes. The monts de Blond (where a GR Pays go around), south of Bellac, are small hills with forests and some fern moors. North of monts de Blond, the landscape is made of meadows still enclosed by beautiful tree hedges; one gets a feeling of this landscape when keeping walking west of monts de Blond; then the landscape changes again approaching the Vienne valley: the "Charente limousine" near Confolens, is a mix of these pastoral landscapes and of fields like in the heart of Charente. I recommend very much these areas.

Further south, I have walked GR 4 in this area. There pastures are intertwined with woods in a larger amount than around Bellac. I had a dazzling feeling of spring coming around Aixe-sur-Vienne.

– Earlier from BLeF - There are quite a few trails west of Limoges, particularly near the coast north of the Gironde estuary. Once you arrive in France I would suggest you buy either IGN map #903, "Long Distance Footpaths," or, better, the IGN Top 100 maps #40 and #39. Both will show clearly the major paths in the area, though the Top 100 maps might prove more useful when you actually plan a walk. You should even be able to find these maps in a travel bookstore there in Toronto. When you've chosen a walk, then you can buy in France—for navigation—the IGN Top 25 map or maps that cover the selected path.

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DAY WALKS IN DORDOGNE REGION - Can you recommend an area for a couple of days walking away from it all in the Dordogne area? We are going to be based near Sarlat for our two weeks but would like to explore a different part, maybe base ourselves in a reasonable hotel and walk the surrounding area for a couple of daysbefore returning to Sarlat.

– Laura, England, 3 August '00

– From BLeF - Almost any of the small towns in this area of France will have a web of local walking trails surrounding it. My suggestion would be to buy two FFRP topo guides: #P472, Vallée du Lot et de la Garonne à pied, and #P474, Pays du Haut-Agenais Perigord à pied, at 52 francs apiece. Between the two of them, they'll outline 36 day walks on local paths in that area. Then you'd just have to choose your town and find a B&B or hotel for your stay. For sources see the Maps & Guidebooks page on this website. I've had the best luck ordering the topo guides from Gites de France in Paris, but English bookstores like Elstead (see "Links") may also carry these walking guides.

THE GR 6 IN THE DORDOGNE - Today I ran across a web site that presents the details of a walking trip on the GR 6 from Rocamadour to Sarlat-le-Canada and beyond. Go to www.argonet.co.uk/education/stanfagg/france.html to see pictures of and information about this walk.

– BLeF, 20 June '00

DORDOGNE WALK - I walked in the Dordogne from Sept 4 -10, '99 with my two sons age 21 & 23. Make every effort to speak French. The more French you can learn before you go so much the better. We received great treatment throughout our whole trip. Contrary to popular opinion, we were treated with interest and warmth plus they got to see Americans in another light. Great for us and nice for them, too.

– Eric, 1 Jan '00

OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE DORDOGNE - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

Circuits Pedestre guidebooks
Montignac to Sarlat - off-season sleeps

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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


JURA:

A FAVORITE WALKING AREA - (When I walked the full length of the GR 5 in 2000 one of my favorte sectionks was) Goumois, (in the Jura) France to Villers-le-lac (approx 42 kms-following the Doubs river mostly).

– Jeff, Zurich, Switzerland, 27 January '01

OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE JURA AND THE EAST - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

Circuits Pedestre guidebooks
IGN walking map

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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


LANGUEDOC & CEVENNES:

WEBSITE FOR WALKS IN THE CEVENNES, LANGUEDOC AND THE MASSIF CENTRAL – Earlier this month the British newspaper The Guardian published a list of sites that dispense information about walking in France. Leading that list, I'm happy to say, was franceonfoot.com. There was also another site mentioned that could prove very useful for anyone planning day walks or extended walks in the Cevennes, Languedoc, Massif Central and even the area around Cahors, www.rando-massifcentral.com. If you're going to walk in any of these areas, a perusal of this detailed site could prove useful.

– BLeF, 11 May '01

AFTER TRIP REPORT ON A WEEK ON THE GR 4 IN THE CEVENNES - This report from Brian about his week in the Cevennes is so complete that it could be printed out and used as a guidebook by anyone wanting to duplicate his walk.

Auckland New Zealand to the Ardeche Gorges seems a long way for a walking holiday, but I fell in love with the Cevennes after spending two weeks travelling in Cathar country around Herault and Lozere in 1999 and determined if I ever came back it would be on foot. I used the Cicerone Guide, Walking the French Gorges, by Alan Castle as my bible, and decided to pick up the GR4 at Pont St Esprit as it was relatively easy to get there by bus from Avignon, the nearest TGV stop, to the Ardeche Gorges. I reckoned on walking for a week and connecting with a train back to Paris at Langogne.

Arriving on the 20 th August in the South of France from a New Zealand winter, I was totally unprepared for 30 degree centigrade (86 degrees F.) temperatures and the trail from Pont St Esprit to Labastide was a long learning curve. The GR4 winds up through scrubby garrigue and pine plantations. A stony reflective trail and a pitiless sun soon made me realize that a half litre water bottle wasn't going last for the estimated 11 hrs to Labastide. Fortunately I met a four wheel drive picnic party at an abandoned farm and refilled my water bottle. This and a diversion to the camp site at Mas de Seret for an ice block and more water made me realise that you need to set off every day with at least 2 litres of water. The gîte d'étape at Labastide proved comfortable and welcoming but had been considerably upgraded since the publication of my guidebook. It no longer provided meals and was now really a rather superior chambre d'hote with a pool and all mod cons.with prices to match. Labstide had a very agreeable and moderately priced restaurant, La Vielle Porche, and an excellent display of the history of silk farming in the district on display in the "Bastide" tower.

The trail from Labastide to Salavas passes through neglected vineyards and lavender fields, fragrant in the early morning. Easy walking on overgrown country lanes and minor roads. Salavas to Comps is more of a challenge, heading up steep hills with views across the Ardeche river to Vallon. The abandoned Hamlet at Chastelas is worth exploring for the feeling of being in the company of past generations of villagers who quarried these hills and scratched a living from the stony terraces. Down to a pristine blue pool at the foot of the hills and easy walking to the next gîte d'étape at Comps. This was a 17th Century farmhouse with a warren of outbuildings in the centre of the village. The rooms, cavelike with thick walls and hung with lithographs, the work of the owner of the gîte. No food available in Comps and too far to walk to Grospierres, the next town. A pack of freeze-dried food would have been a useful thing to have had for an emergency meal.

Comps to Les Vans a delightful ramble through vineyards and stony fields heading towards the gorge of the Chassezac River. The rock formations on the gorge track are like Inca ruins emerging from the undergrowth. The gîte at Les Vans is 30 mins walk past the town but worth the extra effort. A comfortable bunk room, good showers and well stocked kitchen with a supermarket quite close.

An alternative route was advised for the next day. The GR 4 has a long stretch on sealed road after Chambonas and a much more scenic alternative proved to be a trail winding down the side of the gorge from Les Vans and climbing to the Eglise St Saveur at Les Sallelles, rejoining the GR 4 at Luminiere. Well into the mountains now walking through forests of chestnut, oak and beech and hardly another person on the trail. Up over the hills and down to Thines, the "jewel of the Cevennes," but preceded by another treasure, Chez Natalie at La Blacherette, serving wonderful icecreams and cold drinks to tired walkers. Thines boasts a wonderful 12th Century Romanesque church and cottages of split stone which have survived centuries of harsh winters. The gîte adjacent to the church is comfortable and has an amazing view of the mountains. Food was available at the alimentation-gift shop and the food at the restaurant is plentiful and cheap.

Thines to Loubaresse was a steady climb up to high country farmland on a Roman road with curb stones holding as firmly as the day they were laid. The chestnut forest changes to pine plantations with purple heather and wildflowers on the verge. Loubaresse a sleepy village with a tiny alimentation and a wonderful gîte d'étape seving fabulous country food al fresco on the lawn. It is possible to wash clothes in a communal stone tank fed by a spring in the centre of the village.

Heeding the advice of a party of experienced French walkers, I opted to avoid the long stage to Langogne and joined them on the GR 72 which took us through the spa resort of St-Laurent-Les -Bains to the Railway station at La Bastide Puy Laurent. High country walking with some long testing climbs and spectacular views. The gîte d'étape at La Bastide was particularly hospitable and allowed us to shower and repack before boarding the train. Connections from this line allow a rapid return to the Rhone valley to change to the TGV at Nimes.

Overall this route had everything that one thinks of as representing the depthes of rural France: trails through forests, over high country, charming old villages, basic country food and a sense of profound isolation. I only wish I had had another week to just keep on walking.

– Brian M., Aukland, New Zealand, 22 November '00

MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO LANGUEDOC AND THE CEVENNES - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ELSEWHERE ON THIS SITE:

Accommodations Cevennes
Cevennes English-language guide
Circuits Pedestre guidebooks


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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


LOIRE:

A DIARY OF A WALK ALONG THE LOIRE AND TO THE SOUTH: CHINON TO MONTBAZON TO la CHÂTRE - 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 the GRs 36, 3 or 46.

Day by day:
Saumur to Montsoreau. 19 kilometres.
Montsoreau to Chinon. 24 kilometres.
Chinon to Azay-le-Rideau. 27 kilometres.
Azay-le-Rideau to Montbazon. 30 kilometres.
Montbazon to Reignac-sur-Indre. 18 kilometres
Reignac-sur-Indre to Loches. 29 kilometres
Loches to Châtillon-sur-Indre. 30 kilometres
Châtillon-sur-Indre to Buzançais. 29 kilometres
Buzançais to Châteauroux. 26 kilometres
Châteauroux to Tranzault. 22 Kilometres
Tranzault to La Châtre. 13 kilometres.

– BLeF, 4 January, 14 March '02

DAY WALK BASE IN THE LOIRE REGION IN EARLY AUGUST - My husband and I are going to Orleans for a wedding July 28. ( mmhmmm...one week from tomorrow) After that we are planning to explore the Loire region for one week. We have not planned an itinerary for the second week ( nor the first for that matter). Given the busy season, can you recommend a particular region where two disorganized, "haven't made any reservations...we'll just wing it !!" -fools might establish a base? Our objectives include: day walks/hikes:easy -ish /fresh air/ scrumptious meals/ not cram as much as possible-holiday. Additionally, we lived in Paris for a year 99'/00' but never a had a chance to really venture excluding a trip to Normandie and several to Belfort for business. My husband is fluent in French and I can manage to communicate. Any advise regarding specific areas would be most appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

– Liz F., 20 July '01

– From BLeF - One of my favorite places in the Loire is Cheverny. If you can find a room in a hotel or bed & breakfast there it would be a great base for good walks and good food. Alternately Vendome or even Chateaudun on the smaller Loir (no e) River north of Blois might be a less crowded, lower key alternative. That area is beautiful, full of lesser-known castles, abbeys, etc as well as walking trails. Also, with a car you'd still have easy access to the walking paths, chateaux and restaurants in the Loire.

Once in France I suggest you buy the IGN 1:100,000 green Top 100 map #26, "Orleans-Tours," which shows all the major trails in both the middle Loire and lower Loir. Then, when you've decided on the area you'll walk in, buy the appropriate 1:25,000 IGN blue map. You can't get lost if you're using these blue maps on the trail.

There will be crowds in the Loire, so you may have to search for a hotel in various towns, but certainly something will turn up - it always does.

THE GR 3 –I am planning to do the GR3 in May. However your site doesn't appear to mention this route whereas the GR4 seems to spark lots of comment. Is the GR 3 dull? Which GR would you recommend for beauty of scenery, interesting villages & towns? I don't want to scale the alps.

– Mike I., 11 April '01

– Comment from BLeF - I too find it odd that not many people have e-mailed about the Loire region in general and the GR 3 in particular. The Loire was my first walk (from Saumur almost to Orleans), and, even though I was very familiar with the area as seen from a both a car and a bicycle, I nevertheless found the region to be a fascinating area to walk through. Aside from the châteaux and other monuments, the walker is, in this very civilized and densely populated area, constantly in close contact with people and their activities. I do recommend the GR 3 walk highly.

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WALKING THE GR 41 FROM TOURS TO VIERZON? - Four of us (in our 50's) are planning to walk this area the second week in April (hopefully it won't be too cold). Does anyone have any suggestions for us; i.e., places to stay, restaurants, etc. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Could we complete this distance in 7 days? What guidebooks re B&B's, etc. are suggested? We are taking the train from Paris to Tours—does the train run along the small towns in this area? Should we get the blue maps ahead of time?

– Bonnie, California, 10 March '01

– From BLeF - This is a beautiful walk. If you happen to hit good weather you will have no trouble completing the route, and, even with less than perfect weather, if you don't mind walking in light rain you should still be able to do it.

With the green IGN Top 100 map #25, Orleans Tours in hand, you might be able to glean B&B information from the Gîtes de France website (see "Links"), but having their Chambres et Tables d'Hôte guide itself (see online sources for ordering on the "Maps" page) would be the easiest (but also most expensive) way to find the B&Bs. There's no need to buy the blue maps before you go since they're easily available in almost every town, but having them ahead of time can be reassuring and sometimes even help while you're laying out the trip. The Michelin guide can be purchased here and extracting information about the hotels and restaurants along your route is easy. By extracting I mean copying out—you don't want to carry that heavy book with you. The Logis de France guidebook is online (see "Links"). It's relatively easy to use that website to extract and print out the relevant information.

The TGV from Paris—by far the fastest way to get to Tours—runs by but doesn't stop at the small towns in the area. A slower local train would stop in places like Blois, Amboise, etc.

Does anyone have specific recommendations?

– More from Bonnie, 22 March '01 - Since we are travelling April 10, is there any possibility that GR 41 (Tours to Vierzons) will be closed (hoof and mouth disease, etc.)? If so, do you have any alternative walking recommendations? Spain? Italy?

GR 36 IN THE LOIRE – I would like to know if anyone has walked from Le Mans to Saumur just on the GR 36, and I need information on accomodations on this route, as well as the estimated walking time at a moderate pace.

– RMW, Georgia, 7 February '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 14 February '01 - As concerns Le Mans/Saumur :

I walked this section long ago, at the end of the 80s (as sectional walks) and I fear accomodation might be sparse. I had walked one rather long day from Le Mans to Mayet, one very reasonable one from Mayet to Le Lude, a reasonable one from Le Lude to Noyant... and had underestimated Noyant-Saumur which is more than 40 km.

You'll certainly get accomodation in Le Lude, which is a little touristic place, with a quite famous castle; further north. Ecommoy, Mayet aand Aubigné-Racan are on the train line Le Mans - Tours, so that you might keep a hotel room in Le Mans for two or three nights, and get on your walk with a lighter bag. For the last stretch, Noyant is miraculously linked to Saumur by a SNCF bus which goes in the unexpected direction : town to countryside in the morning (Saumur 6.37 am - Noyant Méon 7.07 am) and countryside to town in the evening (Noyant Méon 19.02 pm - Saumur 19.33 pm) and may be used to go sleeping in Saumur. On my last day on this stretch, I had even used this bus to get left in the middle of the (boring) pine forest north of Saumur, not too far from where I had left the previous year...

Don't expect crowds on this path. I had asked water to a local south of Le Mans who had greeted me as "the first person he had seen walking on this GR for ten years." You might be the second...

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WALK ALONG THE LOIR ON THE GR 35 - We are thinking about doing this walk from Vendome to Angers, however, in reading all the comments and questions on the web site, I haven't seen any mention of this GR. Has anyone done it recently? Was it impacted by the storms last December? Are there reasonable numbers of nice places to stay/eat along the way? Is this a good walk to consider for an 8 day one—and still have time to do some sightseeing/wine tasting along the way? Any help and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you.

– Barb & Ken, Washington, D.C., 18 July'00

– From BLeF - This is a wonderful walk and 8 days (of course depending on your pace) would seem an adequate length of time to also enjoy the wineries, chateaux, etc along the way. Yes, there are plenty of villages with hotels and chambres d'hotes (B&Bs) on the GR 35. Restaurants too.

Spend some time with the appropriate Top 100 IGN map and the Michelin, the Logis de France (also online) and the Chambres et Tables d'Hôtes guidebooks, and you will find plenty of options for accommodations and restaurants along the way. Unfortunately the FFRP hasn't published a topo guide for the long distance walk on the GR 35, but they have published a guidebook for day walks on the local trails, #P491, Vallée du Loir a Pied, which might prove marginally useful.

Also, at the risk of being crassly commercial, if you don't have it already, I suggest my book, France on Foot, which explains how to prepare for (equipment, packing, budget, clothing, maps, guidebooks, etc) a walking vacation as well as how to get and use before your trip the books and maps that will make planning your trip easier. France on Foot may be available in your local library. I know that the wonderful bookstore there in Washington, Travel Book & Language Center, 4437 Wisconsin Avenue NW, phone 202 237-1322, carries the book (as well as the maps and all but one of the guidebooks you'll need).

MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE LOIRE - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ON OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE:

GR 36 - Le Mans-Saumur, sleeps
Circuits Pedestre guidebooks


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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


MASSIF CENTRAL & COMPOSTELLA TRAIL:

GUIDEBOOKS AND ONLINE RESOURCES FOR GR 65 AND THE FOUR ST-JACQUES-DE-COMPOSTELLE TRAILS – For these resources please click here.

WALKING IN THE CANTAL REGION - My wife and I have spent excellent walking holidays in the Cantal. It is a relatively unknown part of France but offers superb walking either at the "hill walking" level or you can make it as strenuous as you want. Outside the main French holiday period of lateJuly/August it is very quiet and you can walk all day seeing very few people. There is excellent accommodation in the area from camp-sites to very good (and cheap!) two-star hotels. Some of the hotels will organise to move luggage if you wish to do a several day circular walk around the area... Hotels are generally in the 35 to 40 euros region and good meals can be found for less than 50 euros.

There are two main GR's in the area (4 and 400) but there are numerous well marked PR's as well.

Much background information on the area can be found in www.cantal-walking.com

– Dave & Margaret H., 1 December '01

A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF A SPRING WALK IN THE AUVERGNE/AUBRAC REGION - My wife and I just returned from the Auvergne region/Aubrac section of France and have some cautions for those wishing to hike there. The weather is often unpredictable, very akin to what you might get in the Mount Washington area (New Hampshire). We were there in late April of this year for five days of hiking and had to cut (our) trip short due to the weather. The first day, it rained cats-and-dogs, so we went into Clermont-Ferrand, only a short distance away, where it was sunny. The next day in the north part of the Auvergne near Puy du Dome, we hiked up one of the puys (volcanic mountain) in a snow storm. Luckily, someone had gone before us earlier and we followed their footsteps (hoping they knew where they were going), otherwise we would never have found the trail in the snow. At the top, the wind was raging 50mph or more, so we went down into the volcanic cone where it was more protected. The third day, we woke up to a blizzard, five inches on the ground and weather predictions for three more days of snow and high winds.

At that point with the weather declining, we cut our trip short in that area and drove 75-100 miles south towards the Aubrac area of France (high mountainous, very hilly plain west of Le Puy) which we had as a backup plan to hike some of the GR 65 if the weather was bad in the Auvergne. The weather was better but they had a lot of snow on the ground. We met some British hikers holed up in one the small villages who were hiking the GR 65 (St-James pilgrimage route) who said the weather had been very bad. They had warm clothing with them, but were not prepared to hike in snow, saying parts of the trail just disappeared. It was not until we go past the town of Aubrac where the terrain descends to the Lot River that we lost the snow.

A week later (early May), we returned to central Auvergne to hike the Puy Sancy near Mont Dore, but there was still too much snow for adequate hiking. We headed north again to the Puy du Dome department where we found most of the snow was gone except on the highest peaks.

A store owner in the Puy-du-Dome department (Auvergne) told us that they did not get much snow as they normally do in the winter and that they were getting it all in the spring. In his words "very bizarre weather."

The best time to hike anywhere in the mountains is the summer, but it is also more crowded, too, and often hot in some places which makes carrying extra water essential. We prefer the late spring and fall, as airline prices are better then and crowds are few, but you take your chances with the weather.

That is why I recommend to hikers that they have a back-up area or two to hike in so their trip is not ruined. One can always hike from castle to castle in the Dordogne or chateau to chateau in the Loire. Beaux village to beaux village in Provence, etc. France, as you know, is an amazing place to travel in. Wish it was not so far away.

So, if you are going to hike in these areas in any month except the summer, be prepared for the worst. If it's too warm, you can always ship your cold weather gear back home. We also found bringing a collapsible hiking pole(s) very handy, especially with snow and fending off bad dogs (occasionally a problem in France). They will fit in most suitcases, though the airlines may ask you check this baggage since it can be used as a weapon. We have been to this area many times, so feel free to contact us via our web site (see below) if you have any questions.

We also highly recommend the Logis de France hotel chain. We stay in these hotels every chance we get. Most are in rural areas, are family owned, have large rooms with modern conveniences, and have a restaurant with excellent food. Although their prices go up in peak season, we paid from 240 - 320 francs a night for the room. Most of the restaurants had menus beginning at 70 - 145 francs. We have had a number of customers requesting the Logis de France guidebook. We don't sell it, but many of the hotels we stayed at gave it away for free or sold it for a nominal price (15FF). These hotels are easy to spot with the bright yellow/green signs they display in front of the hotel.

– Mark Beffart, Walking Tours of France (http://www.francewalkingtours.com), 25 May '01

A FAMILY WALK ACROSS FRANCE FROM GENEVA TO BORDEAUX – In March I received an e-mail from a family in Australia that contained the following, "My wife, daughter and I plan to walk from Geneva to Bordeaux, where possible using walking paths but where necessary risking the roads." Their route obviously includes the Jura, the Beaujolais as well as the Massif Central.

On 20 May '01 I got the following report from the trail: Just a quick update on our walk across France. Started in Geneva in April in rain snow and mud and are now at Uzerche heading towards Bordeaux. Trails are fair considering the amount of rain in April and May but it is pretty hard to avoid mud. My wife and I are managing reasonably well and our 8 year old daughter is having a ball—running up and down the vineyards of the Beaujolais, the Puys and the Massif Central. Of course she is not carrying the same weight on her back as we are, or at least that is our excuse. Weather for walking is excellent, wildflowers and scenery superb.

And on 21 June '01 the following: Just to let you know that we, Greg Anka and Guislaine, have successfully completed our walk from Geneva to Bordeaux. Will send more details when return to Australia.

– Greg, Anka & Guislaine, Australia, 1 March, 20 May, 21 June '01

WEBSITE FOR WALKS IN THE MASSIF CENTRAL, CEVENNES AND LANGUEDOC – Earlier this month the British newspaper The Guardian published a list of sites that dispense information about walking in France. Leading that list, I'm happy to say, was franceonfoot.com. There was also another site mentioned that could prove very useful for anyone planning day walks or extended walks in the Cevennes, Languedoc, Massif Central and even the area around Cahors, www.rando-massifcentral.com. If you're going to walk in any of these areas, a perusal of this detailed site could prove useful.

– BLeF, 11 May '01

THE GR 65 NEAR LE PUY/THE PILGRIMAGE SEASON – End May/early June is probably the best season for this part of France. Gîtes are plenty on GR 65, perhaps crowded at this precise date (this is typically the date of departure for pilgrims walking Le Puy-Santiago de Compostella).

– Pierre L., Lyon, France, 14 February '01

CLERMONT-FERRAND TO LE PUY - THE GRs 4 & 65 – Four friends and I plan to walk from Clermont-Ferrand south on the GR 4 to the junction with the GR 65 near Le Sauvage, turning then northeast on the GR 65 to end the walk in Le Puy. We shall be beginning the walk in early June. What sort of weather and temperatures can we expect and what is the accommodation like in gîtes etc. along this route. Any advice would be welcomed.

– Anonymous, 13 February '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 14 February '01 - On GR4 also, the density of gîtes is clearly sufficient to avoid any accomodation problem. I especially recommend Buron d'Eylac, the gîte near the summit of Cantal, pleasant and hearty.

– From BLeF - The weather at that time of the year should be good or at least warm—it can rain at times throughout the year anywhere in France, and your experience will depend in some part on luck.

As for locating the gîtes along your route, I would suggest visiting the website www.gites-refuges.com and/or buying the guidebook, Gîtes d'Etape et Refuges, which that site illustrates/posts online. If you plan to stay in B&Bs and hotels as well as in gîtes, then you'll need other guidebooks as well - for those see the "Maps & Guidebooks" section of this website.

THE GR 65 IN APRIL – My first walk. Although I live in Australia I also have (a pied à terre in France.) Hence, after many family holidays, and drop ins by friends, we have explored thoroughly the Loire valley, Normandy beaches, Mont-St-Michel, etc., plus stays in Aquitaine, Haute Provence and the Côte d'Azur.

I would like to walk in April for approximately two weeks. Somewhere that will allow me time to stretch my legs and lots of sensory impact. I was thinking of the GR 65 from La Puy, but anywhere south sounds nice.

– Tony D., Australia, 31 January '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 14 February '01 - As concerns the GR 65 :

End May/early June is probably the best season for this part of France. Gîtes are plenty on GR 65, perhaps crowded at this precise date (this is typically the date of departure for pilgrims walking Le Puy-Santiago de Compostella).

– From BLeF - When I don't know someone personally, I find it difficult to recommend a specific walk. After all, where a person chooses to go depends on that person's interests—wine & food, culture, mountains, all of the above?—as well as his or her physical condition.

But, given that caveat, I can say that in April I would try walking in an area more to the south. The GR 65 out of le Puy climbs immediately into higher country, and April in the hills of the Auvergne, as I'm sure you know from your stays in France, could be more than somewhat cold and wintery. Instead, I'd try Provence, the Languedoc or, perhaps even better, a coastal walk in Corsica? The scenery there is spectacular, and, depending on the year, the maquis should be in bloom in late March and April. If you're looking for sensory impact, Corsica in the spring is the place to go.

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY LONG-DISTANCE WALKING ITINERARIES? - An...option would be to link trails from the Loir down through Dordogne and wrap it up on the GR 65 down to the Spanish line, or as far as we got. Any suggestions in that regard?...

– Donald & Joanne, 4 December '00

– Comment from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 13 December '00 - As concerns your January and February long walker...

I would not recommend browsing through Dordogne: there is a heavily wooded stretch which covers south of Charente, most of Dordogne, northwest of Lot which can be a bit depressing when totally leafless in winter. Just this week-end, I walked a bit of GR 652 between Agen and Villeneuve sur Lot, and it was striking how the landscape was better suited to winter next to Agen (rolling empty fields, like in the Gers) than approaching Villeneuve (sad bald woods)...

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 14 February '01 - On GR4 also, the density of gîtes is clearly sufficient to avoid any accomodation problem. I especially recommend Buron d'Eylac, the gîte near the summit of Cantal, pleasant and hearty.

– From BLeF - The weather at that time of the year should be good or at least warm—it can rain at times throughout the year anywhere in France, and your experience will depend in some part on luck.

As for locating the gîtes along your route, I would suggest visiting the website www.gites-refuges.com and/or buying the guidebook, Gîtes d'Etape et Refuges, which that site illustrates/posts online. If you plan to stay in B&Bs and hotels as well as in gîtes, then you'll need other guidebooks as well - for those see the Maps & Guidebooks section of this website.

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JANUARY AND FEBRUARY LONG-DISTANCE WALKING ITINERARIES ON THE GR 65 - We do a great deal of long-distance backpacking and recently have gotten into Europe style long distance walking as we get older, but have never been to France. We're going to take a shot at a 8 to 10 week walking trip (in) France from the middle of January through the middle or end of March. As foresters, it's the only time of year we can get away for that much time, and we like empty trails and cheap airfares. Weather is, of course, the issue. .

We have been considering taking a shot at the GR 65 (the old pilgrims route) starting in Le Puy heading down to the Spanish border with a couple of weeks detour into the Dordogne region, particularly the area north of Cahors based on your book. We hiked out Northern Spain a couple of years ago so we know the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. What do you think the chances are of getting over the Central Massif on the GR 65 in late January? It would seem that if we got to Le Puy and got skunked, we could jump over 80 or 100 miles to get out of the uplands. The history and architecture of the GR 65 interests us...

– Donald & Joanne, 4 December '00

– From BLeF, 4 December '00 - I'm afraid leaving from LePuy would be impracticable since winter really settles in to stay in the Massif Central, that is that part of the GR 65 from le Puy to the Lot River or even Figeac. Also, the only option for accommodations on some parts of this stretch of trail are gîtes d'étape, many of which close in the winter.

– More from Donald & Joan, 13 December '00 - At the moment we are still thinking GR 65 to Santiago de Compostela, bypassing the Massif Central and starting either at Cahors or, more likely, further north so that we can come down through the Dordogne area. We would skip some of the plains areas in Spain to give us the time needed. But the idea of incorporating some or all of the Canal du Midi into the scheme is a serious temptation having just finished some research on the Canal walk. As we get more specific, we will pass it on.

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 13 December '00 - As concerns your January and February long walkers, their choice of south-west seems very reasonable. They could begin further east than Cahors, and even should (the landscapes are better...): there will be no serious problem with snow (except an odd week, but that can happen anywhere) if they begin after the Aubrac, that is e.g. in Espalion...

MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE MASSIF CENTRAL & THE COMPESTELLA TRAIL - MAPS, GUIDEBOOKS, EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATIONS - POSTED ELSEWHERE ON THIS SITE:

GR 4 - gîtes along
GR 65 - gîtes near le Puy
GR 65 - online
Circuits Pedestre guidebooks for Central France
Saint-Jacques trail online, guidebooks


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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


NORMANDY & BRITTANY:


PARIS:

A TWO-DAY WALK NEAR PARIS - We will have an extra day or two while in Paris in September. We would like to hike through some countryside, but also pass through villages, churches, etc. Is there anything close enough to Paris where we could walk and spend the night in a country gite and then return to Paris the next day?

– Lee S., 8 August '01

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 10 August '01 - The first idea I came across reading this question was the stretch of the GR 13 along the Loing, around Nemours : it is very easily accessed from Paris since it follows more or less the course of the railway line to Montargis. If you begin at the station of Bourron-Marlotte-Grez, you'll first walk across the Fontainebleau forest and it strange rocks, the very beautiful ruined church of Larchant then the little town of Nemours, which had still a very provincial flavour when I walked this path ten years ago (it might have change a bit, Paris is still growing). Of course this suggestion is not very far from Paris (60 to 80 km) which means you will not be in the "France profonde".

If you want something more remote, you might consider two days along the Seine on the GR 2 over Troyes, in the surroundings of Bar-sur-Seine. This is not too difficult to access, since there is a regular bus line between Troyes and Châtillon-sur-Seine (but with few services above Bar). This is real countryside, quite diverse with meadows along the rivers, Champagne vineyards and beautiful woods.

SHORT WALK NEAR PARIS IN MARCH - (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.

Another idea: montagne de Reims (avoiding the northwestern part, too wooded for March); you could begin at the station at Rilly-la-Montagne, south of Reims, walk to the Faux de Verzy (strange dwarf beeches above Verzy, much more scenic without their leaves) then to Ay, and follow more or less of GR 14 westwards. Along the Marne valley in the wineyards, you'll profit fully of the sun.

If you are tempted to go further south, in case of bad weather above Paris, I might suggest Loire Valley ; I've not yet walked it, but sights from the train suggest GR 3 is really interesting sufficiently far west, say somewhere between Angers and Nantes.

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WALKING OUT OF PARIS - We want to hike out of Paris and then make our way to Normandie...our biggest concern is getting out of Paris. Is it possible to walk out, or should we take a bus to a starting point out of the city? We want out of the city as soon as possible.

– Tanya & Steve, Seattle, 2 May '00

– From BLeF: Starting, say, at the Eifel Tower you can indeed walk right out of Paris on the GR 1, a route which takes you through the Bois de Boulogne (sadly, badly damaged in the December storms) and then through the affluent suburbs to the west of Paris. This route will eventually join a trail that circles Paris—also part of the GR 1. This circular trail, in turn, connects to all the trails that radiate out from Paris toward all the regions of France. But if you want to escape things urban quickly, you can take an RER subway from certain designated stations in downtown Paris to the outside edge of the 'burbs. You've probably heard of the venerable "Metro," Paris' subway system. Well, the RER is a newer high-speed addition to that system. The various lines of the RER, each with only a few stops in downtown Paris, serve the towns and villages surrounding Paris. Maps of the Metro and RER systems are available free at all Metro stations.

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

Circuits Pedestre guidebooks for the Paris area
Hotel & restaurant guidebooks
Paris-Boulogne English-language guide
Paris Notes newsletter
St-Jacques trail from


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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


PROVENCE & COTE d'AZUR:


PYRENEES & SOUTHWEST:

WALKING THE SPANISH SIDE OF THE PYRENEES ON THE GR 10 - You should definitely try and include some of the Spanish side on your route, in particular the Ordesa valley, which is often quoted as the single most spectacular site in the whole range. Also the weather is generally sunnier. You can easily get there by crossing the Col d'Arratille near the Refuge Wallon (Cauterets) and walking down the Ara valley. From there you can join up with the GR 11 (Spanish equivalent of GR 10 but generally covering higher ground and fewer villages, lots of refuges) and either go back to the French side through the Breche de Roland or continue in Spain for the next few days as far as Parc Nacional de Aigues Tortes with its hundreds of high altitude lakes. Highly recommended!

– Mark T., England, 11 May '01

WALKING THE GR 10 OR THE HRP IN THE PYRENEES FROM COAST TO COAST – I'm a 19 year old student who is pretty fit and his done a bit of hiking/climbing in the Lake District in the UK. This summer I am looking to walk all the way across the Pyrenées from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. I will be travelling with a couple of friends who are also pretty fit.

I was woindering if you could recommend a route to take (either the HRP or the GR 10?) and suggest how long this would take. We would ideally like a route which is pretty demanding but not in the realms of experienced mountaineers with masses of climbing experience. Also, what would be the best way of getting there (we will be travelling from England).

We will be backpacking and would like to know if there are sufficient places to camp on the trek or would we need to find mountain hostels?

– Daniel H, England, 26 February '01

– From BLeF - As you can see in the postings in the "Pyrenées" section on my "Specific News" page, it is possible to switch from the GR 10 to the HRP and back, so you could decide on your preferred route as you walk. The HRP is the more demanding of the two, but I don't believe either route involves the use of mountain climbing techniques though, of course, you would certainly have many opportunities almost anywhere along the way to rock climb near the trail.

To determine how long your walk might take, I suggest you buy three FFRP topo guides: #1086 - Pyrenées Occidentales; #1091 - Pyrenées Centrales; and #1090 - Pyrenées Ariègoises. These are detailed guides to the GR 10 that contain a great deal of information - distances, estimated time of travel, the address/phone number of refuges and gîtes, etc. Also, Rando Editions publishes twelve 1:50,000 maps covering the Pyrenées from coast to coast. These should prove useful since they not only highlight major and minor trails, but they also show the actual location of the refuges on both the French and Spanish sides of the border. (See my "Links" page to find English sources for the topo guides and the maps.)

Camping is permitted anywhere above the treeline in France; below that height you are required to camp in established campgrounds or, with permission, on private property.

Getting there should be easy via Tel-Star and the TGV to Bordeaux or perhaps even Biaritz. But you might be able to find a vacation excursion fare on some airline that could be cheaper than going by train.

APRIL-MAY WEATHER ON THE CANAL DU MIDI – In late April-early May I will be staying in a small town on the Canal du Midi and taking day walks. I have been trying to locate average temperatures for the Languedoc at that time of year on the web with very little success. I would appreciate any information that would assist me in planning what clothes to take.

– Joyce W., 24 February '01

– From BLeF - My own experience in that area will probably not be too helpful: you should expect variable weather, that is weather that could fluctuate from cold to quite warm, dry to damp. Perhaps the best comparison might be the weather in Washington, DC, which at that time of the year is typical of spring in the temperate zone, that is to say, variable.

CANAL DU MIDI - 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

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY LONG-DISTANCE WALKING ITINERARIES? - We do a great deal of long-distance backpacking and recently have gotten into Europe style long distance walking as we get older, but have never been to France. We're going to take a shot at a 8 to 10 week walking trip (in) France from the middle of January through the middle or end of March. As foresters, it's the only time of year we can get away for that much time, and we like empty trails and cheap airfares. Weather is, of course, the issue. My wife and I can both deal with driving rain although we're not going out-of-our-way to find it (we were foresters on the Olympic Peninsula for a decade and did England's Coast-to-Coast last February [loved it] so we know the score on that topic). Bitter cold isn't much of an issue for us either (we had a ranch and worked in Montana for another 10 years). The issue, as we all know, is a heavy snow fall or deep snowpack...

An...option would be to link trails from the Loir down through Dordogne and wrap it up on the GR 65 down to the Spanish line, or as far as we got. Any suggestions in that regard?...

– Donald & Joanne, 4 December '00

– From BLeF, 4 December '00 - Your...option would probably work since those trails are farther west where the weather is tempered by winds off the Atlantic. Frequently rainy and raw cold, but probably through country with only snow cover at times rather than a full-blown snow pack. You could start in Chartres on the GR 35 and head down the Loir, cutting off on the GR 36 to Saumur and then onward on that trail all the way to Cahors. In Cahors you would then pick up the GR 65 (the St Jacques trail), which would carry you to the Spanish border. A short hop on a train would, of course, be an option anytime in order to skip any part of that long itinerary that you might find less interesting than what lays ahead. Given your time frame, walking the whole of this route may not be possible since you'll only have 7 or 8 hours of daylight each day at that time of year...

Personally, if I were to plan a French walking trip in the winter (which I haven't), I would probably try to stay as far south as possible. There the days are marginally longer and the chances much better for an occasional warmish sunny day or even the odd two-week stretch of really fine weather. For an itinerary, one long alternative might be to start in St-Jean-Pied-du-Port and walk to Cahors and then southeast to Toulouse. From there east to Arles or Avignon and from there perhaps all the way to Nice? One potential problem is that there is some higher country along this route that might get and keep snow, particularly in the Haut Langedoc between Toulouse and Montpellier and in the Provençal back country. This would be a very long walk that probably couldn't be done in just 10 weeks, so some of the itinerary would have to be omitted. Too, if extraordinarily bad weather hit, you might have to hunker down or skip ahead by train or bus, but that's true anywhere in France at that time of year.

– Answer from Elaine & Ned, 9 December '00 - We spent four months in France last winter and spring and found the towpath along the Canal du Midi to be an excellent winter route. We started at the Mediterranean end of the canal near Agde and finished at the Atlantic near Bordeaux. During February and March, it was often warm enough to walk in shirtsleeves in the area around Beziers. The villages along the way were fascinating, and we would highly recommend this as a walking route. The towpath and the canal were practically deserted at that time of year, but there were plenty of B&B's available as well as small hotels. We took a side trip on the GR 65 in Gascony in April and saw many walkers on the trail at that time. (For more from Elaine & Ned about canal walking click here.)

– More from Donald & Joanne, 13 December '00 - We are committed at this point, flying over on January 23rd and staying through the end of March.

One thing we are seriously considering as a margin of safety is to carry our smallest tent (the coffin) and a couple of our lighter sleeping bags. The combination would add about 4 lbs. each to our packs, still far under what we are accustomed to, but 4 lbs is 4 lbs. That combination with our standard winter hiking gear would keep us reasonably comfortable and safe if we needed it. Given the time of year and that we don't have any experience with the area, we think that margin of safety is the penance we might have to pay.

At the moment we are still thinking GR 65 to Santiago de Compostela, bypassing the Massif Central and starting either at Cahors or, more likely, further north so that we can come down through the Dordogne area. We would skip some of the plains areas in Spain to give us the time needed. But the idea of incorporating some or all of the Canal du Midi into the scheme is a serious temptation having just finished some research on the Canal walk. As we get more specific, we will pass it on.

– Answer from Pierre L., Lyon, France, 13 December '00 - As concerns your January and February long walkers, their choice of south-west seems very reasonable...

I would not recommend browsing through Dordogne: there is a heavily wooded stretch which covers south of Charente, most of Dordogne, northwest of Lot which can be a bit depressing when totally leafless in winter. Just this week-end, I walked a bit of GR 652 between Agen and Villeneuve sur Lot, and it was striking how the landscape was better suited to winter next to Agen (rolling empty fields, like in the Gers) than approaching Villeneuve (sad bald woods).

The idea of adding a stretch of Canal du Midi is better: an interesting (but too long) solution using the GR network might be to follow GR 77 southwards beginning in Prémian (reachable by bus from Montpellier), keep walking southwards on GR 36 until its crossing of Sentier Cathare, then turning westwards. Depending on weather conditions, more or less will be forbidden by snow, but certainly not all, and northern Ariège will be splendid with views to the Pyrénées. There, they could interrupt this first walk and begin again in Toulouse on GR 653 or somewhere on GR 65 (or reach Toulouse by foot, through rather ordinary countryside).

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GRs 36 & 46 IN THE AVEYRON VALLEY - We are thinking of walking in the Aveyron valley, (GRs 36 and 46). Has anyone walked this leg? What is the terrain and scenery like? Thanks.

– Jeff D., 10 October '00

– From BLeF - If you read French it might be worthwhile perusing what comes up on for "Aveyron" on the "Google" search engine. There's a lot there about gastronomie, tourist attractions, etc but, unfortunately, very little specific info about walking, though checking out www.worldwalk.com/aveyron.htm might give you some ideas. Right off the top of my head I know of no other resources for info. Neither Chamina nor the FFRP have a topo-guide for the area you're headed for, though one FFRP map seems to indicate that at one time at least they may have had a guide titled Tour des Gorges de l'Aveyron, but it doesn't come up in their present online or print catalog.

– More from Jeff D., 11 October '00 - I do read French, and have done several google searches for Aveyron, Tarn, etc. I have found some guided tour companies that offer walks (Worldwalk, Sherpa, etc), and am probably going to use their itineraries as a base for further research.

We're thinking of walking from Cahors to (in no geographic order of reality) Najac, Castenau, Cordes, Villefranches, etc.

We have picked up the Cadogan guide for the Dordogne and Lot (which has a few pages on the Aveyron) and the Tarn Gorges Michelin looks promising. Do you know of any other books that cover the region?

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WALKING THE FOOTHILLS OF THE PYRENEES FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE MEDITERRANEAN - Do you know if it is possible to walk all the way across the width of France on a GR and go village to village in the foothills of the Pyrenees? I think the GR 10 goes along the crest. Is there a lower version that goes across also? And, I saw something about circular hikes from train stations along the train line between Nice and Digne. Do you think that might be an interesting option? I bought your book France on Foot and thoroughly enjoy it.

– Chuck, 8 August 2000

– Answer from T.K. in Germany, 13 September '00 - I´m a German hiker, (who) lives in Freiburg (Black Forest), near the French border and I´m enjoying since years to walk several regions in France on the GR paths.

So I did on the GR 10. There are exactly three paths that lead from coast to coast: GR 10, GR 11 on the Spanish side and the so called HRP (which is Haute Randonée Pyrenéenes). The GR 10 is not leading along the crest, the highest point gets up to 3200 m. Surplus you can do it nearly without tent, accomodition in gîtes d´étapes is possible and cheap. The paths are not difficult to walk, though there are several 8 - 10 hour walks a day. If you like to, it´s often possible to change to higher regions by changing to the HRP and return to civilisation after two, three or four days. HRP is the real crest rail.

All available GR 10 guides describe the trail from west to east, so if you start at the Atlantic shore you walk the first four or five days through the pays Basque, which is a nice beginning but got bad weather often. Further on after 2/3 of the trail it´s sometimes difficult to find accommodation on the trail. But as always: bring a smile on your lips, ask someone you´ll meet and doors will open.....

In October I will finish my GR 59 walk (Ballon d´Alsace - Besancon - Bourg - Lac d´Annecy) and would like to report.

– Answer from P.L. in Lyon, France, 21 August '00 - A large amount of paths allow walking the Pyrénées lower than GR 10 ; a book about a complete itinerary (four volumes) was published by Georges Véron in the begginning of the '80s, now out of print ; it can still be found in some public libraries.

The good maps to use for such a project are the 1/50 000 maps of Rando Editions (formerly Randonnées Pyrénéennes): same kind of maps as Didier Richard, but covering the Pyrénées. A rather small proportion of the paths are marked in colour on the map—which means a marked path is really usable—but you should not restrain on trying to follow a small dotted line when it seems more suitable.

On the eastern part of the Pyrénées (grossly one third), the "Sentier Cathare" (which is a GR, strangely with a special name) answers your problem.

On the western part, I began such a walk as a sectional walk, now completed from Biarritz to vallée d'Aure (near Lannemezan) ; my route was as follows : Biarritz, mont Ursuya, mont Baïgura, col des Palombières, Hosta, massif des Arbailles (an absolute must), Tardets, Aramits, Sarrance, Bedous, Laruns, Ferrières (this section also outstanding), Ayzac-Ost (near Lourdes), Bagnères-de-Bigorre, the small villages of the Baronnies (done in April this year, one of the best days of the walk).

WEBSITE FOR WALKS IN THE ARIEGE IN THE CENTRAL PYRENEES - I've run across a very complete website that covers in great detail—hotels, trail options, farmers markets, hot springs, etc.—walks in the Ariège region of the Pyrenees chain. If you're headed in that direction, check out www.ariege.com/what_to_do/outdoors/walking.html. It's a well done site.

– BLeF, 30 June '00

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

Bordeaux vineyards guide
Cerdagne region, lodging, restaurants, info
Circuits Pedestre guidebooks
Emergency phone numbers


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

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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

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