How Hard Exactly Is This Walk Going to Be?

Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………….. 1 Step 1: Choose a walk…………………………………………………… 3 Step 2: Plan your itinerary…………………………………………….. 7 Step 3: Book your accommodation……………………………….. 9 Practical tips for long-distance walking…………………………. 10 Where will I stay?............................................................. 10 What’s my TopoGuide?.................................................... 11 How hard exactly is this walk going to be?....................... 11 How far will I walk each day?............................................ 12 Camping or a little luxury?................................................ 12 Is this safe?....................................................................... 13 When is the weather at its best?...................................... 14 Walking safely and considerately………………………………….. 16 What do I need to take? 16 essential items…………………… 17 Let’s get started……………………………………………………………. 18 Dream, plan, go! Long-distance walking in France © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Avignon—and while avoiding the major highways, I discovered Hey, I’m Melinda that rural France is filled with gorgeous villages and stunning I am a keen long-distance walker who enjoys nothing more than countryside. spending a week or two wandering through the picturesque And what better way to experience all the delights of rural villages and glorious countryside of rural France—always France than to walk one of the hundreds of well-marked walking finishing the day with a delicious meal and a verre de rosé. I’m paths—all part of a network overseen by the Fédèration not particularly fit, older than you might think and I want you to Française de la Randonnée Pédestre (FFRP). experience the joys of long-distance walking too. Several of my friends also thought this sounded like a mighty If you’ll provide the boots, I’ll provide the inspiration and all the fine idea and as I started to do a little more research, I had many practical tips needed to set out safely and confidently each day! questions— ➢ How far would we need to walk each day? Would there be accommodation at frequent intervals or would we have to walk thirty kilometres (twenty miles) every day? ➢ Would we always be sharing a room with a dozen snoring strangers? ➢ If one of us was injured, was there a local taxi we could call? ➢ Would we need a picnic lunch every day or would we pass a café? ➢ If it rained or we got distracted by too many historical monuments, could we catch a bus to the next town? ➢ Did we need to start out with 200 bandaids or would we My love affair with France began in 2006 when I spent one buy more easily along the way? month travelling extensively throughout the country on my own. ➢ What would the countryside be like—lush green hills, Motivated primarily by a fear of driving through large cities (and vineyards, mountainous terrain? around the Arc de Triomphe in particular), I stayed in smaller towns—Bayeux, Chenonceaux, Vézelay, Pérouges, Annecy and ➢ What would we need to take? 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 1 Maybe you have these questions too? Or if you didn’t already, you do now! Walking in France is such a fabulous experience that I can’t bear for it to end up in the ‘too hard basket’ so my goal is to make it oh so easy for you to— 1. Choose a walk Find the walk that captures your imagination—whether that includes fairytale castles and tiny villages; wide open spaces or rugged coastlines; or an easy, flat walk along a canal towpath. 2. Plan your itinerary Put together a schedule that allows plenty of time to explore those fairytale castles; includes a rest day—or a lazy afternoon— in one of France’s most beautiful villages; and coincides with the local market day. 3. Book your accommodation Whether you set out each morning and walk as far as feels comfortable or you have your luggage transferred and need your accommodation booked in advance, it’s always nice to know where your next bed is and how to contact your host! Plage de Kervel, GR 34, Brittany 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 2 People walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques for a variety of Step 1: Choose a walk reasons—sometimes for the physical challenge, sometimes as a Walking is almost a national pastime in France and tens of walking meditation, often for religious reasons. If you are not an thousands of kilometres of paths criss-cross the country. This experienced long-distance walker this is the perfect walk to cut can make choosing one almost impossible. your teeth on. There is almost always another walker in sight— someone to chat to and compare blister stories with… And, of But it also means there is a walk with your name on it—a walk course, there is no need to complete all 750 kilometres (470 that incorporates all the magic you are dreaming of, whether miles) in a single trip—take it as fast or as slow as you like. that be fairytale castles and tiny villages; wide open spaces or rugged coastlines; or an easy, flat walk (or cycle) along a canal towpath. Perhaps you’d like… The Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy has been guiding pilgrims from Le Puy-en-Velay towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (the starting point of the Spanish Camino) since the tenth century. Today, tens of thousands of walkers make the journey every year—crossing the wide open spaces of the Aubrac region, climbing the foothills of the Pyrénées and passing through eleven of France’s most beautiful villages (and the opportunity to dine at three Michelin-starred restaurants!). Learn more about walking the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 3 For a journey with more than its fair share of fairytale castles and picturesque villages, it’s hard to go past the 130-kilometre (80-mile) walk from Martel to Rocamadour. Passing through six of France’s most beautiful villages—Turenne, Collonges-la- Rouge, Curemonte, Autoire, Loubressac and Carennac—this walk also offers the opportunity to visit the underground lakes and caves of Gouffre de Padirac and explore the châteaux at Montal and Castelnau-Bretenoux. After seven days of walking, you’ll arrive in Rocamadour, (considered the second most important religious site in France after Mont-Saint-Michel) where Zaccheus, a servant of the Virgin Mary, came to live in the caves as a hermit in the years following the death of Jesus. In September 1878, the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson left the village of Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille accompanied by his donkey Modestine. Over the next eleven days, the pair travelled south through the Cévennes (one of France’s most loved National Parks) and arrived in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, having walked a little over 225 kilometres (140 miles). Now extended at both ends to link Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès, the Chemin de Stevenson, or GR 70, is a spectacular walk—of gentle slopes, endless ridges, relentless hills and majestic landscapes. Learn more about walking the Chemin de Stevenson Learn more about walking from Martel to Rocamadour 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 4 If you are looking for a flat, easy walk with almost no chance of The Midi Canal from Toulouse to Carcassonne offers a more getting lost, canal towpaths offer a glimpse into rural France tranquil experience as it meanders through overhanging trees more commonly viewed from a boat. and opens up into fields of sunflowers. But this one of the most popular holiday destinations in France for boating enthusiasts so you are never too far from a friendly face! A few days in Toulouse before you start walking will be quickly filled with visits to museums and art galleries or day trips to Lourdes or Albi and five days of walking is rounded off nicely with a visit to the medieval city of Carcassonne. There are several opportunities for fine dining on this walk with Michelin-starred restaurants in Toulouse and Carcassonne—so reward yourself for a walk well done, no matter which direction you go! Walking (or cycling) along the Burgundy Canal, you’ll find yourself within walking distance, or a shuttle bus ride, of eight châteaux, eleven churches, one abbey, three of France’s most beautiful villages, countless picturesque lock-houses and the historic city of Dijon. Many Tourist Offices along the canal provide a bike rental service and if you’d like to mix it up a little, you can pick up a bicycle in one town and return it a day or two later further along the canal. Learn more about walking along the Burgundy Canal Learn more about walking along the Midi Canal 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 5 Rugged headlands and dramatic cliffs, swathes of dancing Described by locals as très sportive, the Échappée Jurassienne wildflowers, wide sandy beaches and quaint fishing ports—the follows the GR 59, GR 559 and GR 509 paths from Dole to Saint- coast of Brittany has it all! Claude. Set in the heart of the majestic Jura region, this 270- kilometre (170-mile) walk passes through farmland, vineyards and lush forest before reaching the alpine ski slopes close to the border with Switzerland. Along the way it visits two of France’s most beautiful villages—Château-Chalon and Baume-les- Messieurs—and the spectacular waterfalls of Cascades du Hérisson. Although the 160-kilometre (100-mile) section of the GR 34 between Camaret-sur-Mer and Audierne is challenging in some areas, and not always a good choice for anyone with a fear of heights, the scenery is spectacular and on a sunny day, with a gentle breeze, I would rate this (and continuing along the GR 34 to Lorient) as my favourite walk in France! Learn more about walking along the Coast of Brittany When you’ve finished exploring, let’s continue… 3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Long-distance Walk © www.ILoveWalkingInFrance.com Page 6 So, make a list of the places where you know you’ll want to Step 2: Plan your itinerary linger and give yourself an extra hour or two, perhaps an afternoon or even a rest day.

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