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Cevennes

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Cévennes: a Labyrinth of Hills

Cevennes is located in south-central France. Whilst in an administrative sense it does not constitute a region, to all intents and purposes it possesses a singular identity. Thus the ‘La Cevenne’ reference in the works of its most famed writer, Jean-Pierre Chabrol. (see Quand la Cévenne se soulevait/When the Cevennes rose up).

Cevennes is a fine location for hiking and few areas offer the beauty or variety of The Cevennes, ranging from granite tors to deeply incised river valleys and some of Europe's most dramatic limestone gorges and caves. The latent geologist inside us all will delight in walking the granites of the Mont Lozere massif, the limestones of the Causse Mejan and Sauveterre, and the metamorphic schists and slatestone around Mont Aigoual and in the Cevenol valleys.

Cevennes is a range of hills, not mountains, making them much easier to climb than The Alpes or The Pyrennees. The ascents and descents are frequent rather than long and significant. However, the area is far less trodden and much more remote than either The Alpes or The Pyrennees, which makes Cevennes the perfect walking get-away.

Cevennes’ highest peak, Mont Lozère (1702 metres), lies on the France hiking trail affectionately referred to as Stevenson Trail- AKA the GR 70, a long-distance path perfect for those who enjoy hiking in France along a 'straight-line route. It stretches from Le Puy en Velay in Haute-Loire to St Jean du Gard in Le Gard. In his book, “Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes,” a much-lauded and ground-breaking work of the travelogue genre, Robert Louis Stevenson likens hiking in Cevennes to “that undecipherable labyrinth of hills.” On Mont Lozere he noted that, “in clear weather [it]commands a view over all lower Languedoc to the Mediterranean Sea.”

Another peak of repute is Mont Aigoual (elevation 1567 metres or 5141 feet), lying to the north of Le Vigan and reachable from Vallerauge by the “trek of 4000 steps”. It boasts a relative height vis-à-vis the surrounding uplands of 730 metres, making it particularly prominent as a continual point of reference to hikers as they climb and descend the myriad hills en route to its eagle-nest-of-an-observatory, the last remaining inhabited weather station in France. Mont Aigoual forms part of the watershed between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, where rainfall can measure up to 2250 mm (over 7 feet), making it the wettest place in France. For those who brave the wind and the rain, the views are spectacular.

Click here to continue onto Cevennes, Part Two

Have you considered walking in Provence?

See our background information on Hiking in France

© The Enlightened Traveller 2007

France hiking vacations - suggestions

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Walking in the Maquis, with the Cevennes in the distance - photo taken Xmas 2007.

When it comes to France hiking vacations, “Vous avez l’embarras du choix.”

You are spoilt for choice. The French take their walking holidays in France. This is not a case of the traditional “chauvinisme economique” - quite simply, France has everything a hiker needs within its own borders, so why go hiking elsewhere? The Hexagon, with its superb portfolio of mountain ranges, central plateau and volcanic interior, Mediterranean Garrigue and coastal trails, is quite simply a hiker’s sweetshop.

So the main difficulty when considering France hiking vacations is deciding precisely whereabouts to go hiking in France. The aim of this section is to assist you in your decision-making process via a series of articles on themes to explore when walking in France. We hope they serve as a starting point for further research as well as provide you with backpacks of inspiration.

This page is being continually updated and populated, so please return again for new themes to enthuse your hiking and trekking in France.

Please click on the article title below to access the relevent piece.

1. The Protestant uprising in The Cévennes
The Cevennes hills were the context for a bloody uprising in 1702 that changed the face of the world as we know it. Those Protestants who stayed were harassed and butchered, whilst those that fled thrived economically in Northern Europe and the New World. Learn about the plight of the Huguenots whilst hiking in their home territory.

2. La Grande Motte
If it’s centre-based walking in France you seek, and you have a penchant for coastal walking, this thriving, all-year-round coastal town is the ideal base, ideally located to the west of The Camargue.

3. The Regordane Way

4. Walking French history along the Régordane
This national treasure trail is being resuscitated after lying dormant for 300 years. These two articles serve to bring it to life, and whet your appetite for some fine inn-to-inn trekking in France and an essential French history lesson.

Hiking with the Camisards - December 28th 2006

5. The Cevennes Railway

6. Sustainable hiking in France endangered
The Cevennes railroad is France’s last real working mountain railway. It needs your support if it is to stay in business in the 21st century and continue to act as the main eco-friendly artery for hiking in France’s remote interior.

7. Hiking in France by Train - a hiker's account of this most eco-friendly of hiking tours in France.

8. Reflections on the 130th anniversary of France’s Stevenson Trail - Part One
9. Reflections on the 130th anniversary of France’s Stevenson Trail - Part Two

It’s official, not only is this celebrated hike, forerunner of the whole hiking movement as we know it today, one of the top-ten rated French hikes, but now considered by Forbes Traveller as one of the World’s most famous travel adventures - click for details. Here’s some vital background reading before you book your place and enjoy some fine trekking in France.

See also:
Part 1: Responsible Travel – just another business bandwagon?
Part 2: Responsible Travel – just another business bandwagon?
Some insights into the world of responsible travel from the perspective of an eco-friendly business that is simply not prepared to compromise for the sake of profit.

Further suggestions for hiking in France can be gained from consulting our France Walking Guide.

France train tours

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Fascinating hikes laced together by short train rides

France train tours are eco-friendly holidays that fuse great walking with enjoyable train rides. So leave the car and the plane behind, take to the rails and join us in southern France.

France train tours are a clean, comfortable and convenient way to access the countryside. Moreover, if you enjoy country walks and believe that there is no better way to learn about France than through walking, then a rail-hike tour sounds like your sacré ensemble. The train windows act like giant video screens that provide a sneak preview of what you are about to hike upon your arrival at the next stop!

France rail tours are of course environmentally friendly: common sense tells us that it’s sustainable transport that minimizes our impact on both the natural and the cultural milieu; by using it we encourage local people to stay in remote areas and provide vital services that would otherwise close; and by preserving these vital arteries we are part of the solution, not the problem.

Our France train tours are flexible and come packaged with great hikes that can be customized to suit your requirements. If it’s short walks and long lunches you want, you’ve got it right here; while those seeking a higher level of physical challenge will prefer to opt for moderate walk options. In fact, on many days you can make the choice according to how you feel and the latest weather outlook.

The two tour options below comprise model itineraries that can be tailored to suit.

Walking Cevennes by Rail
An eco-friendly journey by rail and on foot.

Highlights:
• Ride the 'line of 100 tunnels'
• Traverse the viaduct right

• Walk the Medieval Regordane Way & a fine Camisard trail.
• The Chassezac Gorge and an optional hike into its bowels.

• Enjoy two nights on the banks of Lake Villefort.

Prices sharing:
£695.00 or €770.00

Key Details:

• 7-nights, start any day, from mid April to mid-October
• Light to moderate tour, with options according to taste

France on Foot and by Rail

Hike southern France by train along a fascinating Mountain Railway

Highlights:
• Ride Le Cevenol mountain railway
• Traverse France's highest viaduct

• Hike the St Giles medieval pilgrimage trail

• Follow in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson to Notre Dames de Neige.

• Walk Lake Villefort and Castanet Castle.

Prices sharing:
£415.00 or €465.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day from mid April to mid-October
• Light hiking within the capacity of any healthy person.

For more on this original rail-hike concept see Hiking in France by Train, or

Visit our Walking holidays in France directory

France walking trails - a comprehensive listing

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These France walking trails are a broad-ranging and complete selection of walking opportunities that will delight the needs of most hikers, except for those who seek extreme challenges or wish to 'hike-n-camp'.

Our range is continually being augmented and improved and so do bookmark the page and return at a later date.

The France walking trails are listed alphabetically, but to further simplify your search:

Trails are grouped together according to the level of challenge they pose. These range from easy or light walks to moderate hikes through to quite challenging walking and trekking. However, there are no absolutes in play here, and one man’s challenge is another woman’s stroll. Moreover, most walks can be personalized and some allow for the option to push the tour grading up or down a notch.

Search the France hiking trails according to the level of challenge by placing your cursor over the three photos at the bottom of the page and clicking on the desired one.

‘Rambling’ indicates strolls around urban milieu and their hinterlands.

Finally, for a more detailed search according to your own specific criteria, please visit our French Walking Database.

Happy browsing, Happy Hiking!

Hiking in France

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Research your hiking in France interests here. There’s a wealth of material to assist you. Hiking is the best way to discover The Hexagon and this comprehensive guide is designed to both stimulate a desire and prepare you for some exhilarating walking in France.

You may enjoy hiking in France along long-distance, inn-to-inn trails. Alternatively, you may seek a shorter hiking trip as part of a longer French sojourn. Some like the challenge of moving on each day, whilst others prefer to stay a bit longer and enjoy the village ambiance. We are all different, the choice is yours and there's plenty to choose from on this site that will suit your preferences and profile.

This section is a resource that undergoes continual improvement and we encourage your input to help us improve it for other visitors. We hope it reads like a ‘Hiker’s view of hiking in France.’

If walking in France for you means getting away from the crowds, we'll show you how and where to go; or if it's gentle hikes with fine cuisine that you seek, you've got it right here, too. Whatever your choice, plan in the knowledge that you are dealing with the experts on your selected trail, who are here to help you 7/7 and well into the evening!

In this section you will find:

Background information on France
Help with choosing your France hiking tour
Good advice on walking in France, including legal aspects, and
Reasons why you can rely on us to look after you.

You can access the information immediately via the red and white tabs across the top of the page, or read on below.

There are twenty-million self-confessed hikers in France, that’s one-third of the population. Where do they go hiking? In France, bien sûr! Okay, the French invented ‘chauvinism,’ but when it comes to hiking, France can rightfully claim to have it all: 120,000 miles (180,000 kms) of trail at your disposal, much of it maintained by volunteers, spanning the whole of the country and designed to satisfy all hiking-types. Your biggest problem is deciding which slice of the action is right for you. So not, “Shall I consider hiking tours in France?” but, “Where in France shall I go"? and "Which hikes in France shall I consider?”

Topics covered in Background Information include French customs & habits, Communication & language, Food, Travel & Getting around and Weather.

When you have an embarrassment of choice, selection can be time consuming. Thus we offer advice on ‘Choosing your tour' which we hope simplifies your task. It allows you to consider your aims & objectives, the desired level of difficulty or challenge, options for getting around between hikes and the question of trail remoteness.

Part Three proffers good advice: the Dos and Don’ts and the law; what to do in emergencies; insurance matters and medical issues.

Finally, you'll learn something about our philosophy and why you can rely on us when booking your hiking in France. Issues covered are: the innovative and original nature of our trips; our policy of tour personalization; our 24/7 availability and ongoing support; our expertise and the importance of local knowledge; value for money and how your money is safe when booking with us.

You may contact us seven days a week or ask us to call you back at a time to suite you* All feedback is responded to and please let us have your ideas on what else we should include in this section.

* Free call-back is only available in North America and Europe at present, why not Skype us on theenlightenedtraveller?

More ideas for walking in France can be perused by clicking the following options:

Walking holidays in France directory
Walking trails in France listing
French walking database
Regional introductions to hiking Cevennes, Languedoc and Provence
Walking in France guide for that inspiration
France hiking vacations based on themes.

Continue onto Hi king in France - Background Information

Home: walking holidays in France

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Walking Holidays in France is our name and speciality, The Enlightened Traveller© our brand name and objective. Our trip portfolio comprises the best of independent, self-guided walking tours in France. Concentrating on The Hexagon gives us a corporate competency and ‘savoir faire’ that you can rely on. Benefit from purchasing direct from us, the Anglo-French tour providers; get local support when you need it, including evenings and weekends; and add value by personalizing your tour. All trips are designed for travelers hiking with family, friends or alone.

Our range of walking holidays in France feature the best of long distance trails [GRs] as well as regional and local paths; and you can opt for a full walking holiday or a shorter walking tour. Whichever your preference, you will find much here to whet your appetite; and whether seasoned hiker, cautious beginner or somewhere in between, you are empowered by our comprehensive walking notes, enlightened by the insightful trip dossier and relaxed in the knowledge that we move your luggage onto the next hotel whilst you carry just a day pack.

These walking tours in France appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. Each tour is an adventure enabling you to discover parts of The Hexagon that few get to see. You enjoy the journey as much as the trip and appreciate that pleasure is commensurate with personal effort. Our dossier sets the scene and your inquisitiveness is handsomely rewarded. You return home a more enlightened traveler, where your learning curve continues; and your next walking holiday in France starts from a higher level of understanding. That’s The Enlightened Traveller’s ‘walking dialectic'.

When it comes to walking, France has it all: 120,000 miles of varied trails covering the whole of the country. There really is something for everyone, so where will you go? May this site be your guide! We recommend the south of France: better weather and some all-year-round hiking opportunities. So the most propitious conditions are already in place and our expertise and know-how means you can rely on us to lay the foundations for your great escape.

We use a tripartite classification for our walking

holidays: light, moderate or quite challenging - see blue boxes across top of page. Some trips are available at two different levels of challenge. Download tour pdfs via the red pdf link below, or...
1. Search our France walking database.
2. Visit the Walking Holidays in France directory. 3. Learn about hiking in France.

4. Get inspired by our Walking in France Guide,

5. Peruse our themed France hiking vacations, or
6. Select a blue box across the top of the page.

The Enlightened Traveller: delighting mind, body and sole!

Site last updated 6 February 2012

Light French walking tours

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Welcome to our range of French walking tours that are classified as light or easy. In other words, gentle and within the capability of most healthy adults.

Please scroll down to discover our range of light walking tours. Key details of each programme are listed below and you can click each photo or tour title to visit the full tour page or simply download the relevant pdf.

We use a three-point scale for grading tours: light, moderate or quite challenging. However, this is an overall estimation of the nature of the walks that comprise a tour and is not based on any scientific analysis as such.

All French walking tours differ and a light walking tour is no exception. We all walk at different speeds; some of us find descents easier than ascents and vice versa; some stretches might be considerably more challenging than others; and the type of terrain can make a big difference to its difficulty, particularly in adverse weather or intense heat.

Whilst a light walking tour may comprise one or two days that could be considered 'moderate' by some, they would never comprise any 'quite challenging' walks. At the end of the day, we advise you to look carefully at the tour itinerary, distances and elevation gain/loss details if available. Any queries please just ask us for advice. We’ll be delighted to guide you further.

Finally here, our light French walking tours may be either an inn-to-inn tour or a multi-centre programme. Either way, we move your luggage along from one hotel to the next.

Part A] features our 7-night tours or longer, whilst Part B] covers our short tours.

A] One-week tours or longer

1. Walking Provence-West

Walking Provence's sun-drenched gorges, valleys and villages

Highlights:
• Megalithic Man's footprint: dolmen and south-eastern France's tallest menhir.

• Ardeche and Cèze Valley gorges, The Concluses de Lussan & The Sautadet Falls.

• Fascinating hill-top villages.
• Superior countryside accommodation and The Chartreuse Monastery.

Prices sharing:
£620.00 or €695.00

Single traveller rate:
£895.00 or €995.00

Key Details:
• 8-nights, and start any day from April to end of September.

• light or moderate options on two days.

• click to download pdf.

2. Walk France's Garrigues

The best of Mediterranean France, walking light, undulating bucolic trails.

Highlights:
• Discover the rich geography, geology and history of the lower Gardon Valley
• Enjoy the best of authentique, family-run accommodation
• Hike an ancient Roman trail linking fascinating, historic hilltop villages from Ales to Nimes
• Savour the ambiance, local foods and wines of the unmistakable French Garrigue

Prices sharing:
£540.00 or €595.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Gentle ascents & descents

• click to download pdf.

3. Walking Cevennes by Rail
An eco-friendly journey by rail and on foot.

Highlights:
• Ride the 'line of 100 tunnels'
• Traverse the viaduct right

• Walk the Medieval Regordane Way & a fine Camisard trail.
• The Chassezac Gorge and an optional hike into its bowels.

• Enjoy two nights on the banks of Lake Villefort.

Prices sharing:
£695.00 or €770.00

Key Details:

• 7-nights, start any day, from mid April to mid-October.
• Light tour, with options for moderate days according to taste.

• click to download pdf.

4. RSL EXTRA
Shorter days, so more time to enjoy Robert Louis Stevenson's journey into Cevennes.

Highlights:
• Critically-acclaimed inn-to-inn walking tour based on the Classic travelogue
• Traverse four natural historic regions

• Walk from the Massif Central's volcanic plateau into the Cevenol Hills & Valleys
• Enjoy sub-Alpine to Mediterranean flora

• Stay in the best accommodation en route.

Prices sharing:
£1260.00 or €1395.00

Key Details:

• 13-nights, start any day, from mid-April to mid-October.
• Light-to-moderate tour.

• click to download pdf.

5. Stevenson Trail - Part One
The first half of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic French hike across Velay and Gevaudan.

Highlights:
• Start in Le-Puy-en-Velay and finish in La Bastide.
• Traverse two natural historic regions

• Walk the Upper Loire Valley and the Massif Central's volcanic plateau
• Enjoy staying in the best accommodation en route.

Prices sharing:
£725.00 or €795.00

Key Details:

• 7-nights, start any day, from mid-April to mid-October.
• Light-to-moderate tour of 93 kilometres or around 58 miles, averaging 10 miles per day.

• click to download pdf.

6. St-Giles Pilgrimage Part Two

Walk Garrigues, Costieres, Camargue & Coast along one medieval French Pilgrimage trail.

Highlights:
• Start in Alès, near Nimes and finish on The Mediterranean Coast at magnificent Aigues-Mortes.
• Enjoy the best of authentique, family-run accommodation
• Hike a fine Roman trail linking fascinating, historic hilltop villages
• Savour the ambiance, local foods and wines of the unmistakable French Mediterranean hinterland.

Prices sharing:
£730.00 or €820.00

Key Details:
• 8-nights, start any day, all year round
• Gentle ascents & descents

• click to download pdf.

7. Rambling in France's Languedoc
A light-hiking tour in Montpellier, Nîmes and Uzès.

Highlights:
• Fine countryside around the Alzon Gorge

• Historic centres of Montpellier, Nîmes and Uzès.
• Roman trail into Nimes
• Exotic gardens in all three centres

Prices sharing:
£675.00 or €750.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Light tour, with trains and transfer included.

8. Rambling in Provence

Cultural hiking in Gallo-Roman France.

Highlights:
• Discover the rich architectural and cultural history of Avignon, Orange and Villeneuve-les- Avignon

• Enjoy a fine bucolic hike in the hinterland of Avignon and alongside the Rhone River
• Hike a fine art trail around a classic Provençal village
• Excellent, family-run accommodations.

Prices sharing:
£720.00 or €795.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Leisurely cultural

B] Short tours

9. Trails of the French Garrigues
Walking France's essential Mediterranean lowland

Highlights:
• The fine countryside and rich history of the Gardon Valley
• Authentique, family-run accommodation
• Hike an ancient Roman trail
• Savour the ambiance, cuisine and culture of the Garrigues

Prices sharing:
£420.00 or €465.00

Single Person rate:
£685.00 or €760.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, all year round
• Gentle ascents & descents

• click to download pdf.

10. Pont du Gard walking
Gastronomic hiking in Uzège

Highlights:
• Walk the Gardon Gorges
• Pont St Nicholas, the Pont du Gard and its hinterland
• Explore a fascinating limestone cavern
• Superior accommodation

Prices sharing - 5-night Light tour:
£460.00 or €510.00

Key Details:
• 5-nights, any day all year round.

• click to download pdf.

11. The Ass-ential Stevenson
A 3-day donkey trekking adventure

Highlights:
• A green hiking break with a long-eared friend
• Three fine days hiking, with the donkey carrying your luggage - max 30 kgs
• Enjoy a section of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson trail
• Comfortable accommodation for you and your companion.

Prices sharing - 4-night Light tour:
£485.00 or €540.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, mid-April to late September.

• click to download pdf.

12. France on Foot & by Rail

A green hiking tour by mountain railway

Highlights:
• Ride the 'line of 100 tunnels'

• Walk a section of the Medieval St Giles Way.
• Hike to Notre Dames des Neiges abbey.

• Enjoy a night on the banks of Lake Villefort and hike to Castanet castle.

Prices sharing:
£415.00 or €465.00

Key Details:

• 4-nights, start any day, from mid April to mid-October.
• Light tour, with options for moderate days according to taste.

• click to download pdf.

13. Hiking in Provence
Hiking Provence's remarkable lower Cèze valley.

Highlights:
• The Ardeche gorge
• Valbonne forest & its Carthusian monastery
• The Sautadet Falls & fascinating hill-top villages.
• Superior countryside accommodation.

Prices sharing:
£325.00 or €360.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, and start any day from April to end of September.
• Light walking along undulating rustic trails.

• click to download pdf.

14. Languedoc Rambling
Fine walks in Urban and Suburban milieu

Highlights:
• Discover the best of Montpellier, Nîmes and Uzès
• Fine historic centres & classical architecture
• Exotic gardens and a fine gorge
• The region’s best Saturday market

Prices sharing:
£395.00 or €435.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, all year round
• Light urban and suburban discovery.

15. Provence Tour
Gallo-Roman Provence.

Highlights:
• Discover the best of Avignon, Villeneuve Les Avignon & Les Angles
• Superb historic centres & magnificent architectural heritages
• Walk a unique art and bucolic trail

Prices sharing:
£395.00 or €440.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, all year round
• Light urban and suburban discovery on this French walking tour.

Click to visit our Moderate walking tours in France or

our Quite challenging French walking tours

Quite challenging French walking tours

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These France walking tours are quite challenging. They are eminently walkable by most fit adults who lead an active and healthy life-style. Walks are designed to last the full-day and feature significant ascents, descents or distances.

Please scroll down to discover our range of quite challenging French walking tours. Key details of each programme are listed and you can click the photo or tour title to visit the full tour page or simply download the relevant pdf.

We use a tripartite classification system, rating our tours as either light, moderate or quite challenging. Nevertheless, this is not based on any scientific study, but is a judgment based on our business as professional walkers.

Every French walking tour differs and our walking tours in France are no exception. We all walk at a different tempos; might find climbs tougher than descents or vice versa; consider some sections more challenging than others; and the ground underfoot can add to the test, most notably when climatic conditions are at their least propitious.

Our quite challenging France walking tours may comprise a day that could be considered as moderate by some. We advise you to carefully read the tour itinerary, distances and daily elevation gain/loss details where available. If you require any further information, please just ask. We’re here to help.

Finally here, these quite challenging French walking tours may be either inn-to-inn tours or multi-centre programmes. Either way, we move your luggage along from one hotel to the next. They are all short tours of 4-night duration.

1. Cèze Valley Walking
Explore the valley that time forgot.

Highlights:
• Ancient drovers trails & hill-crests
• Cheylard castle & Senechas dam
• Eco-homesteads, hippy lifestyles & organic farming
• Villages untouched by time

Prices sharing:
£415.00 or €460.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, from mid-March to late-October
• Quite challenging tour, with notable ascents & descents on two days

• click to download pdf.

2. Very Best of Stevenson Trail
The three best days of a top-ten Travel Adventure.

Highlights:
• Cross Mont Lozere at 5573 ft/1699 m.
• Marvel at the ‘chemin des crêtes’
• Enjoy fine villages and authentique, family-run accommodation

Prices sharing:
£380.00 or €415.00

Single Person rate:
£480.00 or €515.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, mid-April to mid-October
• Quite challenging – the three most challenging days of the RSL trail

• click to download pdf.

3. Walking Tour Mont Blanc [TMB]
Half the effort, all the delights of the Tour du Mont Blanc

Highlights:
• Two days' walking in France, Italy & Switzerland
• Savour the fabulous Balcon du Sud
• Superior '2-star standard' accommodation, with private rooms - i.e., no dormitories
• We transfer your luggage.

Prices based on two sharing:
£835.00 or €925.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, late-June to mid-September
• Moderate walk lengths, with quite challenging ascents and descents.
• Options to reduce the challenge on demand.

• click to download pdf.

4. Be st o f Walk ing Auv ergne
Walking France's volcanic uplands

Highlights:
• Four peaks over 5000', including Puy Mary (5848') & Plomb du Cantal (6084')
• Brèche de Rolland
• Ancient Roman trail
• Fine Cantal villages & two scenic valleys.

Prices sharing:
£395.00 or €445.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, from mid-May to mid-October
• Graded quite-challenging for the ascents

• click to download pdf.

Click to visit our Light French walking tours or

our Moderate walking tours in France

Self-guided walking in France - tour pdfs

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Pdfs for many of our tours are to be found here in alphabetical order. If you cannot find what you want, please send us an email with the name of the pdf you need and we'll email it to you by return.

Please return again in the future for updates. Thank you!

Short walking tours of France

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Walking breaks in France

Our short walking tours of France allow you to enjoy better weather whilst savoring the delights of southern France on foot. Consider it as intensive cultural immersion designed to delight, excite, refresh and relax you.

These walking breaks are within easy reach of Lyon and Paris by fast train [TGV], or by international flights, many of which are now low-cost. Half of our customers fly in especially for their walking trip, while the rest incorporate some hiking into a longer and varied sojourn in The Hexagon.

Our range of short walking tours of France tend to be four-night stays. You get to the start of the tour within one day’s travel, meaning you start the fun the next morning and enjoy three full days of stimulating walking. Luggage transfers are included as well as all transport that is integral to the programme. Trips always include breakfast but, depending on the chosen tour, may not package up lunch or dinner if the location and trail offers customers sufficient choice along the way and at the overnight resting place.

Walking breaks are designed to offer you:

• Availability that’s either all-year-round or of long duration– walk when you want to in our amenable climate.
• Convenient access from Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Montpellier and Nimes airports or SNCF railway stations.
• Flexibility – breaks start from as short as 4 nights, but may be lengthened on demand.
• Good value for Money – B & B in Provence starts from £325.00 or €360.00 (sharing), whilst all-inclusive options with full board and all transport commence from £370.00 or €410.00 (sharing) and £465.00 or €515.00 (single).
• Personalization – some tours come with variable walking lengths allowing you to choose your option on the day; while most others can be adapted to suit specific needs. Please enquire.
• Walking for all – choose from light hiking and rambling through to moderate walking and quite challenging trekking.

Our short walking tours of France are listed below in no particular order. Please click the photo to visit the main tour page for full details.

Hiking Tarn Gorges trails
Hike the best of France's mythical canyon.

Highlights:
• Troglodyte ruins
• Fabulous 'balcony' trails
• Light or moderate walking options to choose from on the day
• Standard or Superior accommodation, incl. a 17th century chateau

• Stay in four fine villages, incl. sumptuous Ste-Enimie.

Prices sharing:
Standard accommodation: £375.00 or €445.00

Superior accommodation: £425.00 or €495.00

Prices single:
Standard accommodation: £490.00 or €580.00

Superior accommodation: £565.00 or €670.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, and start any day from April to end of September.
• Light walking along fine, undulating riverside trails.

Hiking in Provence
Hiking Provence's remarkable lower Cèze valley.

Cèze Valley Walking
Explore the valley that time forgot

Highlights:
• Ancient drovers trails & hill-crests
• Cheylard castle & Senechas dam
• Eco-homesteads, hippy lifestyles & organic farming
• Villages untouched by time

Prices sharing:
£415.00 or €460.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, from mid-March to late-October
• Quite challenging tour, with notable ascents & descents on two days

Hiking Cévennes Heaven
Explore the waves of blue rolling hills.

Highlights:
• Character, countryside hotels with swimming pools
• Hill-top trails & the upper Gardon river valleysw
• Huguenots Museum & Camisard country
• Taste the RL Stevenson trail

Prices sharing:
£395.00 or €440.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, from mid-March to late-October
• Moderate tour, with reasonably challenging ascents & descents on two days

Trails of the French Garrigues
Walking France's essential Mediterranean lowland

Highlights:
• The fine countryside and rich history of the Gardon Valley
• Authentique, family-run accommodation
• Hike an ancient Roman trail
• Savour the ambiance, cuisine and culture of the Garrigues

Prices sharing:
£420.00 or €465.00

Single Person rate:
£685.00 or €760.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, all year round
• Gentle ascents & descents

Very Best of Stevenson
The three best days of a top-ten Travel Adventure.

Highlights:
• Cross Mont Lozere at 5573 ft/1699 m.
• Marvel at the ‘chemin des crêtes’
• Enjoy fine villages and authentique, family-run accommodation

Prices sharing:
£380.00 or €415.00

Single Person rate:
£480.00 or €515.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, mid-April to mid-October
• Quite challenging – the three most challenging days of the RSL trail

Best of The Regordane
One of the great French trails

Highlights:
• Walk the finest sections of the Medieval route
• The Chassezac Gorge and Garde Guerin
• Luc Castle and Lake Villefort

Prices sharing:
£370.00 or €410.00

Single Person rate:
£465.00 or €515.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, mid-April to mid-October
• Moderate challenge in terms of ascents, descents and walk lengths

Taste of Hiking Mont Blanc
A 4-night sampler of the delights of the Tour du Mont Blanc

Highlights:
• Walk from Switzerland into France
• Savour the fabulous Balcon du Sud
• A memorable overnight stay on the shores of Lac Champex
• Good standard of accommodation.

Prices sharing:
£470.00 or €520.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, start any day, late-June to mid-September
• Moderate walk lengths, averaging 5½ hours per day, with significant ascents and descents

Pont du Gard walking
Gastronomic hiking in Uzège

Highlights:
• Walk the Gardon Gorges
• Pont St Nicholas, the Pont du Gard and its hinterland
• Explore a fascinating limestone cavern
• Superior accommodation

Prices sharing - 4-night Moderate tour:
£380.00 or €420.00

Prices sharing - 5-night Light tour:
£460.00 or €510.00

Key Details:
• 4 or 5-nights, any day all year round.

Best of Walking Auvergne
Walking France's largest volcano

Walks in Provence
The sun-drenched Ceze valley and its Gorge

Highlights:
• Megalithic Man's footprint: dolmen and south-eastern France's tallest menhir.
• Cèze Valley gorge, The Concluses de Lussan & The Sautadet Falls.
• Fascinating hill-top villages.
• Superior countryside accommodation.

Prices sharing:
£370.00 or €415.00

Key Details:
• 4-nights, and start any day from April to end of September.
• moderate walking, with flexible options on two days.

Languedoc Rambling
Fine walks in Urban and Suburban milieu

Provence Tour
Gallo-Roman Provence.

Visit our Walking holidays in France directory

Trekking in France

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Inn to inn self-guided walking

Trekking in France with The Enlightened Traveller comprises full-day hiking from hotel-to-hotel or inn-to-inn. You walk along a mix of long distance trails [GRs], regional routes [GPRs] or local paths [PRs]. Essential meals are included for your convenience, where no alternatives exist, as too are luggage transfers, unless you would prefer to omit these and backpack.

Trekking in France embraces longer, inn-to-inn walking tours that require higher levels of endurance and obviously more time. You may wish to include the odd rest or recuperation day with the latter challenges. Shorter, mini-treks of three days duration or more can be found under Short Walking Tours in the blue box at the top of the page.

Trekking France is great fun and the walking 'window of oportunity' for the tours featured on this page is quite long. Key details of each trek are listed below and please click each photo to visit the relevant full tour page.

Stevenson Trail
The World’s Original Recreational Hike.

Highlights:
• Literary trail across four natural regions
• Seven castles and a multitude of churches
• Mont Lozere, the highest point in the southern Central Massif, at 1699 ms altitude
• Sub-alpine to Mediterranean flora
• Volcanic plateau to schist valley topography
• Fine introduction to the Cevennes, its history and themes.

Prices sharing:
£975.00 or €1080.00

Single traveller rate:
£1195.00 or €1295.00

Key Details:
• 10-nights, start any day, from mid-April to mid-October
• Graded as a moderate challenge, but some longish days and relatively-challenging ascents & descents – various options for personalization exist.

Regordane Way
Hike a thousand years of French history.

Highlights:
• Key middle ages north-south trading route
• Geological fault-line and natural breach in the Cevennes
• Trail walked by Crusaders, Kings, Pilgrims and Popes
• The Reformation route that proselytized The Cevennes

Prices sharing:
£665.00 or €740.00

Single traveller rate:
£840.00 or €930.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, from mid-April to mid-October
• Moderate challenging, with modest ascents, descents & distances

Walking the Cantal Volcano
Walk Europe's largest dormant volcano & its surrounding area.

Highlights:
• Five peaks over 5000', including Puy Mary (5848') & Plomb du Cantal (6084')
• Brèche de Rolland
• Scenic Compostella Variant
• Ancient Roman trail
• Fine Cantal villages & The Cère & Jordan valleys.

Prices sharing:
£535.00 or €595.00

Single traveller rate:
£720.00 or €795.00

Key Details:
• 6-nights, start any day, from mid-May to mid-October
• Graded quite-challenging for the ascents and descents rather than the distances covered.

St Giles Way
A two-part journey along a forgotten pilgrimage from the Massif Central to Camargue.

Highlights:
• France’s pilgrimage trail par excellence
• Medieval Christendom’s fourth most important pilgrimage
• Cross 4 natural regions: Volcanic Massif,
Cevennes valleys, Mediterranean Garrigues & Costieres/Camargue.

Prices sharing:
Part One: £695.00 or €790.00
Part Two: 645.00 or €715.00

Key Details:
Part One is…
• 8-nights, start any day, from mid-April to mid-October
• Moderate tour, with few challenging ascents & descents

Part Two is...
• 7-nights, start any day, from March to mid-October
• Light to moderate tour, with some longer days, but no challenging ascents & descents

Tarn Gorges Walking
and the roof-top of France

Highlights:
• Tarn and The Jonte gorges
• Grands Causses of Mejean and Sauveterre
• Geological marvels of Le Balcon de Vertige
• Isolated troglodyte and gorge-side settlements
• Majestic vultures and other raptors
• Standard and superior accommodation options

Prices sharing:
£595.00 or €675.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day from April to late October
• Moderate ascents & descents, high narrow ridges and light options on two days

Trekking France from Inn-to-Inn

Trekking France with The Enlightened Traveller is both empowering and educational. Choose from our fascinating range of themed tours. You gain added value and interest in the form of a contextualized learning experience that takes place en route with the assistance of our comprehensive dossier and Insight Notes™.

Our model programmes encapsulate the experience to be had, but all tours can be customized to your individual requirements; so do not hesitate to ask us about options for reducing or increasing the duration of each day’s walking to suit your own requirements.

Our treks comprise…
• walking that starts and finishes from your own hotel for your convenience and comfort.
• trails that can often be shortened or lengthened, according to the availability of accommodation or transport along the trail. This tailors the day’s walking to meet your particular needs, empowering you and enhancing enjoyment levels.
• walking that lasts the best part of the day. You maximize your out-door enjoyment in the knowledge that your overnight accommodation is ready and waiting for your arrival and the attendant logistical issues arranged on your behalf.
• welcoming accommodation that includes all meals where no alternatives exist. If options exist, and we feel you will have the time to explore them, then we leave you free to choose according to your budget and tastes – all relevant information is featured in your personalised dossier.

Backpacking

A discounted rate is available for those wishing to backpack. We are happy to let you carry your own luggage with you if that's what you prefer.

Browse our range under Backpacking France

Walking Holidays in France directory

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Walking in France Guide

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Admiring the view of the lower Ceze Valley - photo taken October 2006.

Our walking in France guide hopefully achieves its objective: to enlighten our hiking-hungry readership as to just some of the opportunities available to those hiking with The Enlightened Traveller.

The walking in France guide delights in bringing you an abundance of information to help you make the right choices when you are planning your walking trip. The articles below are designed to whet the appetite and provide the all-important cultural and geographical context for some fine walking.

We offer a variety of walking tours in the following regions: Auvergne, Camargue, Cevennes, Languedoc, Provence and Rhone-Alps. The articles provide excellent background reading for those wishing to explore The Hexagon on foot.

The France walking guide is regularly populated and updated, so please return again in the future for further ideas on where to walk during your annual hiking holidays as well as those all-year-round long weekends, perfect for short walking breaks.

Please click on the titles below to access your chosen article.

I. Walking in Languedoc-Roussillon
Ideas for hiking vacations are in abundance in this region, with its amenable climate and varied terrain. The Regordane Way, The Robert Louis Stevenson Trail, The Via Domitia and the French Compostella trail are just four inn-to-inn trekking trails that you can place on your wish list. Add to that the abundance of fine circular walks, many available all-year-round, and you see why Languedoc is in a class of its own in respect of options for hiking tours in France.

II. Hiking in The Gard
France’s quarry for the ‘vrai Pierre,’ you will delight in your Cevenol hikes or your rambles in western Provence.

III. Camargue
For lovers of wildlife, especially of the winged variety, the Camargue is your nesting ground. Not to forget the ubiquitous black bulls and white horses...

The perched village of Cornillon from a garrigue vantage point - photo taken January 2007.

IV. Cevennes
In the renowned 'blue waves' of rolling hills, nature has created a walkers’ paradise. You simply need some advice as to the best way in according to your hiking experience.

V. Walking Nimes and its Garrigue
Walking breaks are available throughout the year in the Mediterranean Garrigue. It’s light hiking of variable lengths to suit and the chance to enjoy some fine views as you immerse yourself in the magical aromas of the Garrigue.

VI. Hiking the Piedmont Cévénol
Under construction – please look back in the future!

VII. Trekking the Rhône Valley
Under construction – please look back in the future!

VII. Walking in Uzege
Uzes and the surrounding villages offer some of the finest opportunities for light rambling in France, and some excellent hotels, to boot. Relax in fine surroundings and enjoy fine cuisine at the end of your forays.

VIII. Hiking in Valcèzard

The lesser-known trails of the triangular area between the Ardeche, Rhone and Ceze valleys have some of the garrigue’s prettiest villages and hiking trails.

IX. Walking in Provence

From the Alps in the north east, to the Calanques and Camargue in the south via the Arpilles in the centre, opportunities abound for some fine walking.

The tallest menhir in the south of France - photo taken early Feb., 2009

Other suggestions for hiking tours by theme can be found under France hiking vacations.

Walking in Provence

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Provençal canals are part of our Walking Provence-West tour

Walking in Provence is understandably a very popular activity due to the region’s rich cultural heritage, and mélange of favourable climate, fine cuisine, and diverse walking trails. The Provence of Classical Antiquity stretches as far east as Ales in the Cevennes foothills, creating the Garrigues area to Nimes and the Pont du Gard that is propitious for all-year-round walking.

This walking in Provence section is intended for those who enjoy gentle walks, fine cuisine and plenty of local insight into the area through which you hike. If you plan to go hiking in France only once, Provence is likely to be your destination. Here is an appreciation of walking Provence based on its 'natural' regions.

Walking in Provence's natural regions

The regions that our discussion covers are the following: the Mountains of Provence, The Calanques, The Camargue, Nimes & its Garrigues and

Valcezard.

The Mountains of Provence

For Provence Walking tours purposes, we consider the Maritime Alps as part of Provence. They thus form the highest peaks in the 'Region' - Cime du Gélas is 3135 ms or 10286 ft and Mont Pelat measures 3053 ms, 10017 ft.

Outside of the Maritime Alps, Mont Ventoux (1909 ms or 6263 feet), is the highest peak in Provence and great hiking territory. Whilst geologically part of the Alps, it is considered to be separate from them due to the lack of any intervening mountains of similar height. Located 20 km north-east of Carpentras, it is nicknamed "The Bald Mountain" as its ‘table-top’ is bare, white limestone bereft of flora. This gives it an all-year-round snow-capped look, whereas snow cover actually lasts from December to April only.

For shorter Provence walking tours, The Alpilles is perfect. A mountain-chain about 20 kms south of Avignon, the landscape is one of arid limestone peaks separated by dry valleys. Although not particularly high, measuring only 387 m (1,270 ft) at their highest point, they rise abruptly from the surrounding Rhône valley.

Montagne Sainte-Victoire is probably the best-known mountain in Provence, thanks to Paul Cezanne, who painted it frequently. It is a limestone ridge extending over 18 kilometres, with its highest point, Pic des Mouches, lying at 1011 metres (3316 ft).

Coastal Provence - The Calanques

Les Calanques are a dramatic feature of the Provence coast, a 20-kilometre-long series of narrow inlets in the cliffs of the coastline between Marseille, to the east, and Cassis to the west. The highest peak in the massif is Mont Puget at 565 metres.

There are some fine hiking trails to explore along the coastal strip, on either short hiking tours or as part of a longer walking holiday in France. Calanques are remains of ancient river mouths formed mostly during the Tertiary Period. They were further deepened by glaciation and then flooded by the sea to become ‘calanques’.

The Camargue

Provence walking tours of a different genre can be enjoyed in Camargue, an area of over 930 km² (360 sq. miles) and western Europe's largest river delta. It is a vast plain comprising large salt lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes. These are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area. France produces forty per cent of its own rice and all of it is grown in The Camargue.

The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds, including the greater flamingo. The marshes are also a prime habitat for the famous black bulls and their equally-famous Camargue horses.

If you like walking that features light hiking plus bags of sea air and sunshine, the Camargue is hard to beat.

Read our article on The Camargue.

Nimes & its Garrigues

Many readers will be familiar with the Roman city of Nimes or Nemausus with its fine Roman architecture, extraordinary gardens and rich history. Located on the Mediterranean’s fertile coastal plain that runs in a parallel band from north-west Italy to north-eastern Spain, fewer will be conversant with this area of undulating lowland itself, so multi-faceted that the locals refer to it in the plural - Les Garrigues.

This sweeping area of low-altitude limestone terrain boasts an amenable climate, picturesque countryside and well-drained soils. It’s home to the fruits of Mediterranean cuisine such as the fig, olives and the ubiquitous vine. Walking its undulating topography makes for the ideal, light hiking tour that you can enjoy all year round either on your own or in the company of friends and family.

And don't think the terrain is flat. Similar in shape to Mont ventoux, Mont Bouquet stands at 629 ms (2,063 ft) and towers above the Garrigues half-way between Nimes and Ales.

Read our article on Walking in the Garrigues.

Valcèzard

Provence walking at its best is to be found in the land lying between the Valley [Val] of the Cèze [Cèz] and the Ardèche [Ard] - a fascinating territory indeed.

Its geographical location and cultural roots naturally predispose it towards Provence rather than Languedoc; and its relative isolation means in remains an underdeveloped sector of a generally over-commercialised greater Rhone Valley.

Whether you enjoy gorge walking, hopping between hill-top village or following man’s Megalithic trail, Valcèzard is an ideal corner for some light and enchanting hiking.

Read our article on Valcèzard.

Click to continue onto Walking in Provence France: Part Two

Walks in France - Multi-centre

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Walks from several bases - you don't change hotels every night

Walks in France provides you with lots of useful information on day walks that we have linked together from two or three bases. You thus walk for the best part of the day and enjoy an optimum mix of inn-to-inn and circular walks.

Walks in France are multi-centre, and you benefit from not having to change hotels every night. Some hikers love the challenge and routine of getting up early, meticulously organizing that backpack and then moving on to pastures new. Others don’t, and these pages are for you others.

Walks in France are arranged in such a way that you will find yourself spending a couple of nights in a few places en route. These are generally villages of particular interest where we feel you will simply enjoy being in the evenings after the hiking day. The circular walking options are so good that to leave one out would fail to do justice to the location in question.

Now scroll down and discover our multi-centre tours. Please click the tour photo to access full details of the respective tour.

Walking Provence-West

Walking Provence's sun-drenched gorges, valleys and villages

Highlights:
• Megalithic Man's footprint: dolmen and south-eastern France's tallest menhir.

• Ardeche and Cèze Valley gorges, The Concluses de Lussan & The Sautadet Falls.

• Fascinating hill-top villages.
• Superior countryside accommodation and The Chartreuse Monastery.

Prices sharing:
£620.00 or €695.00

Single traveller rate:
£895.00 or €995.00

Key Details:
• 8-nights, and start any day from April to end of September.

• You stay two nights in three different and fine locations.

• light-to-moderate walking, with flexible options on two days.

Walking the Cèze Valley
An enchanting valley that Time Forgot, amidst alternative & eco-lifestyles.

Highlights:
• Ancient drovers trails & hill-crests on GRs & GRPs
• Cheylard castle & Senechas dam

• Eco-homesteads, hippy lifestyles & organic farming
• Villages untouched by time

Prices sharing:
£530.00 or €590.00

Key Details:

• 6-nights, start any day, from mid-March to late-October
• Moderate tour, with quite challenging ascents & descents on two days

• You stay three nights in Besseges ands two nights in remarkable Aujac.

Walking in Cévennes
A multi-thematic walking extravaganza in the Cevennes hills.

Highlights:
• Fine countryside hotels with swimming pools
• Hill-top trails & the upper Gardon river valleys
• Huguenots Museum & Camisard country
• Taste the RL Stevenson trail

Prices sharing:
£545.00 or €595.00

Key Details:
• 6-nights, start any day, from mid-March to late-October
• Moderate tour, with quite challenging ascents & descents on two days

• You stay two nights in three different locations.

Walks in France's Garrigue

The best of Mediterranean France, walking light, undulating bucolic trails.

Prices sharing:
£540.00 or €595.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Gentle ascents & descents

• You stay three nights in fabulous Vezenobres and two in La Calmette.

Rambling in France's Languedoc
A light-hiking tour in Montpellier, Nîmes and Uzès.

Highlights:
• Fine countryside around the Alzon Gorge

• Historic centres of Montpellier, Nîmes and Uzès.
• Roman trail into Nimes
• Exotic gardens in all three centres

Prices sharing:
£675.00 or €750.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Light tour, with trains and transfer included.

Rambling in Provence

Cultural hiking in Gallo-Roman France.

Highlights:
• Discover the rich architectural and cultural history of Avignon, Orange and Villeneuve-les- Avignon

• Enjoy a fine bucolic hike in the hinterland of Avignon and alongside the Rhone River
• Hike a fine art trail around a classic Provençal village
• Excellent, family-run accommodations.

Prices sharing:
£720.00 or €795.00

Key Details:
• 7-nights, start any day, all year round
• Leisurely cultural

Our circular or looped walks are of course linked together in an imaginative way, very often by a route de Grande Randonnee or GR. However, we have learnt from living and walking in France most days that these long distance trails that comprise the French trail system are historically the quickest ways to get from A to B, and not often the most scenic. They have also evolved through time, constrained by the exigencies of home and road building as well as property ownership changes. As time has progressed, many of them have lost their original interest. Our knowledge of the GPRs and PRs, more recently developed and with the aesthetics foremost in mind, means that you get the absolute best from your hiking tour in France.

The main benefits of our multi-centre walks in France can thus be summarized as…

• start and finish from your own hotel, or after a short morning transfer, for extra convenience and comfort.
• Stay a couple of nights in one cosy location – no need to move on to a new base every night.
• Walking has been designed with your enjoyment in mind, or maybe a theme, and not just the imperative of walking from hotel A to accommodation B.
• Many walks can be shortened or lengthened to suit - take the slog out of hiking in France or facilitate a greater sense of physical challenge.

There are of course thousands of circular walking opportunities and GRs, and all of them will give you a physical work-out. But you seek more than that, don’t you? The skill lies in selecting the best walks – achieving the optimal balance between the physical and the aesthetic, arranging them under an interesting theme, and doing so in a manageable way that ensures you do not loose your bearings. This is the hallmark of all our walking tours in France.

Click for more help in selecting tours under hiking in France.

Best of Walking Auvergne

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Walking Auvergne’s best trails and France's largest volcano

Highlights:

• Accommodation – carefully-selected, family-run and welcoming hotels.

• We transport your luggage, you just carry a light day pack.
• Cantal’s best landmarks and trails, incl. an ancient Roman trail.
• Fine Cantal villages & glacial valleys.
• Hike Auvergne's highest peaks, incl. Puy Mary (5848'/1782 ms) & Plomb du Cantal (6084'/1854 ms).

Key Facts:

• 4-nights, start any day, from mid-May to mid-October
• Graded quite challenging.
• Self-guided, inn-to-inn trail, incl.one sublime circular walk.
• Start and finish in Murat.

Please click through the red and white tabs above, scroll down the page or click the flyer icon right to download a pdf.

Theme

Some of the best walking in France, this is a walking tour that you simply have to put in your ‘must list’ - Best of walking Auvergne. Quite simply, a superb opportunity to enjoy the best of hiking the Cantal volcano with some complementary and convivial accommodation.

Best of Walking Auvergne takes you to the Cantal volcano, Europe’s largest, measuring more than 40 miles across. At its height, it would have reached about 9000 feet. Subsequent glacial erosion has created a panoramic upland area, with its peaks (or puys as they are known locally) ranging from 4000 to 6000 feet. If you like hiking trips in France, then this is a hikers’ paradise of enchanting summits, upland moors and U-shaped valleys.

The best walking in France should take you across unspoiled countryside and that's what it does – no pylons or overhead power cables are to be seen, as you hike the essential Cantalian heights.

Tour Itinerary: Best of walking Auvergne

Day 1. Murat
Arrive in this pretty market town and check into your comfortable hotel.

Day 2. Lioran to Thiézac.
15 miles / 22.5 kms - 750 m altitude gain & very gradual 1000 m descent; shorter option, is 10.5 miles /16 kms with no ascent.

Transfer to Lioran. You either take the cable car to the top of Plomb du Cantal or scale it yourself. Once there you walk an ancient Roman trail with some mouthwatering vistas on both sides en route to the charming village of Thiézac and your welcoming hotel.

Day 3. Thiézac to Mandailles.
8 miles/12 kms - 750 ms altitude gain & 600 ms descent.

Enjoy a fine day’s hiking as you climb out of the Cère valley and walk some fine ridges en route to Mandailles nestled in the Jordan valley.

Day 4. Mandailles - Circular walk
12 miles-18 kms, 980 m altitude gain & 1190 m descent.

This is what you’ve been waiting for: the Puy Mary experience. You gain access via the Bréche de Rolland and pay homage via Puy Chavaroche. Une sacré balade!

Day 5. Transfer to Murat…
..and the end of a memorable tour. Au revoir et bon retour.

Access

Your tour commences from the delightful Cantalian town of Murat.

By train:

1. From Paris via Claremont-Ferrand to Arvant. Change train at Arvant for Murat [3 stops] or ask us to collect you from Arvant by car.
2. From Lyon via St Etienne and Le Puy to St Georges d’Aurac, from where we collect you by car.
3. From Nimes on Le Cevenol mountain railway to Arvant. Then see 1 above.
4. From Montpellier/Beziers to Neussargues. Change train at Neussargues for Murat [1 stop] or ask us to collect you from Neussargues by car.
5. From Toulouse, train to Brive-le-Gaillard, where you change for Murat.
6. From Rodez, train to St Denis-pres-Martel, where you change for Murat; or Severac-le-Chateau, where you change for Neussargues. Then see 4 above.

Click here for a map of the French central railway system

By Air:
Nearest airports are Claremont-Ferrand and Rodez, with alternatives being Lyon, Montpellier, Nimes, Paris CDG and Toulouse.

By Car:
Ask us about the options for parking in Murat.

Accommodation

Welcoming, comfortable, family-run hotels await you in each of the three locations in which you stay.

• Two nights in 2-star hotels, and

• Two nights in a 1-star hotel.

What's included

Included

•    4 nights B & B
•    2 picnic lunches and 3 evening meals
•    Collection from and return to Murat
•    Luggage transfers and transport integral to the programmme.
•    Cell-phone loan for non-Europeans if required, subject to availability.
•    Hiking Notes, map & themed vacation dossier
•    Emergency telephone help-line service with local British support.

Not included

•    Remaining meals, drinks & any extras.
•    Personal expenses
•    Entrances into optional cultural visits and venues
•    Travel, walking and personal insurance
•    Single rooms.

Prices 2012: Best of walking Auvergne

Price per person based on 2 persons sharing                        £420.00 or €465.00
double room

Single person rate                                                            €665.00 Euros or £595.00 GBP

Further Information

• See our 7-night tour, Walking in Cantal

Back to Walking trails in France listing

Return to Home: Walking in France

Ceze Valley Walking

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

Explore the valley that time forgot

Life in the Cèze Valley has continued as if caught in a time warp. Sandwiched between the Ardeche to the north and the Gardon to the south, Cezarenque has a unique charm and status as the valley that time forgot.

Cèze Valley Walking is, in our opinion, one of the best short walking tours France has to offer. It sees you getting close to the source of the river Cèze and well acquainted with some beautiful countryside on the eastern flank of the Cevennes and Mont Lozere. Late sixties hippies have built alternative lifestyles here, and wooden solar-powered eco-homes inhabit the same valley as the typical stone 'mas', many of which are still bereft of running water.

Fact File:

Four-night, moderately challenging, short walking holiday;
Arrive any day in July and August, or Wednesday to Saturday from early March to late-November;
All-inclusive transport, starting and finishing in Alès.
We transport your luggage, you carry a day sack.

Please click through the red and white tabs above, scroll down the page, or click the flyer image right to download and read the tour in pdf format.

Theme

When it comes to walking tours France's Cèze Valley is special: one of our Operations Manager’s favourite spots for walking holidays. It is the chance to immerse yourself in a charming rural world of isolated homesteads and ‘alternative’ farming. Don’t bring your laptop, this is a ‘Broadband-free zone’ and hillwalking paradise. There is, however, at least emergency mobile network coverage for that extra peace of mind - although you are likely to have the phone turned off to maximise your enjoyment and keep 'normal life'at bay!

As if untouched by time, you have the opportunity to visit the only surviving chestnut-drying house still functioning in France; an organic farm and an organic wine grower of ‘illegal’ Clinton grapes, whose wine still cannot be sold commercially; a water mill being meticulously restored, and search some of France’s purest river waters for cray fish. The imposing Cheylard castle is never far away, keeping a watchful eye from its hilltop vantage point.

Some sixties hippies settled in the area and established alternative lifestyles amidst a movement to re-populate rural villages. Their products are on sale in many of the Valley's markets. Optional activities on Cèze Valley Walking include the chance to visit Le Chateau Cheylard (restricted opening), visit an organic farm or an organic wine grower of ‘illegal' Clinton grapes (by arrangement) or visit La Clede - a chestnut- drying house.

Model Programme: Cèze Valley Walking

Day 1. Alès

Arrive in Nimes by air, by rail or car¹. Check in to centrally-located hotel and a short walk around the town.

Night in Alès.

Day 2. Aujaguet - [9.5 miles-14 kms, approx. 5 hrs, +425 ms -435 ms]

Transfer to Aujac, check in followed by a memorable walk that takes you across a dam, various bridges, past a water mill, into the water itself (optional swim), through two very different villages, to an organic farm, a recently-restored church and all under the watchful gaze of the imposing castle of Cheylard.

Night in Aujac.

Day 3. La Cham Bonnevaux. [9 miles-13 kms, approx. 5 hrs, +570 ms -315 ms]

You are higher up today walking some ancient drovers’ trails and enjoying some fabulous views. You will start by climbing a steep marble-coated path, level off to enjoy the view before plunging into a pine forest, descending into a forgotten hamlet and then, rather unexpectedly, extending yourself once again – but its well worth it - in order to reach the village of Bonnevaux. Is this the smallest 'Marie' in France?

Second night in Aujac.

Day 4. The Crest of the Waves. [10 miles-15 kms, approx. 5½ hrs, +380 ms -710 ms]

This route follows the watershed as you descend 700 metres to Bordezac and back to Besseges along the Cevenol and Upper Ceze Valley GRPs.

Night in Besseges - or collection and transfer back to Ales.

Day 5. End of your short walking tour France.

Transfer to Ales after breakfast and onward journey .

¹ Option by car, leaving vehicle in enclosed parking near Ales at owner’s risk.

Access

This Ceze Valley tour starts and finishes in Ales. Joining this walking break is easy and convenient from either Nimes airport or railway station, with onward train to Ales (40 mins). Access via Avignon, Marseille or Montpellier airports or SNCF are the next best alternatives.

For those wishing to bring their own car, you can leave your car in Ales in an enclosed private parking space at owner's risk. Please ask us for details.

Accommodation

4-night's hiking in France: Cèze Valley Walking

You stay:

One or two nights in Ales
Two nights in Aujac
Fourth night in Besseges subject to availability

Your accommodation is:

'2-star standard hotels
a welcoming walkers' inn with restaurant.

What's included in Cèze Valley Walking

Included

4 nights B & B
2 dinners and 2 picnic lunches - leaving you free to choose your evening meals in Ales &/or Besseges
Luggage transfers
60-minute transfer on Day Two and 45-minute transfer back to Ales
For those bringing their own car, enclosed private parking is available in Ales*
Hiking Insight Notes™ that empower & make orientation easy
Themed vacation dossier
Emergency telephone help-line service with local, native-English-speaking backup
Loan of mobile phone where required - subject to availability¹.

¹ For non-European customers only and subject to availability.
* parking is at owner's risk.

Not included

Any other meals - Ales & Besseges offer options for evening meals according to your preferences
Any entrances to optional cultural visits and sightseeing programme
Travel, walking and personal insurance
Arrival to and departure from Ales
Personal expenses.

Prices 2012: Cèze Valley Walking

Price per person based on 2 persons £395.00 or €445.00
sharing double room

Single person rate POA

Further Information

For a 6-night hiking tour of the same theme, see Walking the Ceze Valley.
See more short walking tours France

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Donkey trekking Stevenson

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:49:18 +00

A classic trek in a light format with perfect company

Tour Highlights

Hike in R. L. Stevenson's footsteps
'Top-ten' literary trail in remotest France
Trek with a donkey & let it take the strain
Light hiking across two distinct historical regions
Visit fascinating hamlets and villages as you complete Part One of this classic trek.

Please click through the red and white tabs across the top of the page, scroll down the page, or click the pdf image above to download the tour.

Key Details

7-night, self-guided, light walking tour accompanied by a donkey
Arrive any day of the week from mid-April to mid-October
Tour starts in Le Puy en Velay and finishes in La Bastide Puy Laurent
Best access: Lyon airport or SNCF, with onward regional train to Le Puy via St Etienne
Good accommodation standard.

Theme

An opportunity to enjoy one of Europe’s top hikes in the company of a trusted and long-eared companion. Remember, you’re the one who’s never hiked this trail before, not the Ass.

Donkey trekking Stevenson is quintessentially green, modern and yet retro. So leave your car or camper van at home and enjoy a walking holiday that reduces your carbon footprint to an absolute minimum. It's also light on your back, as the donkey carries your luggage and backpack - subject to a maximum 30 kgs per mule. Hey, this is an animal-friendly experience as well!

Your holiday commences with a short training session in donkey handling and asinine negotiating skills, and is your first opportunity to meet your travel companion for the next six days. Be firm, but fair! You’ll learn much that will prove invaluable both during and after your ‘guided’ walking adventure across ancient Velay and Gévaudan. Life changing? Just maybe! But don’t worry – full scale maps and comprehensive walking notes are provided and there's local back-up to handle any donkey-related difficulties!

Donkey trekking Stevenson sees you hiking leisurely across 85 kilometres or 56 miles of rich and varied terrain between Le Monastier and La Bastide Puy Laurent; following in the footsteps [and hoof-prints] of Robert Louis Stevenson and his trusted companion, Modestine, à la “Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes” (1879) whilst championing the cause of modern-day, ecologically-friendly adventure travel.

Bid a fond farewell to your long-eared friend at La Bastide and please return next year for Part Two of The RLS Trail – with or without an asinine friend!

Tour Itinerary - Donkey trekking with RL Stevenson.

Day One: Arrival in Le Puy en Velay and hotel check-in.
A visit to Puy merits a day's stay in itself, so much history is there here to enjoy - get there early! Night in Le Puy.

Day Two: Le Puy to Goudet
6.5 miles-9.5 kms, approx. 3½ hrs, +190 ms -325 ms.

Taxi transfer (20 kms) to Le Monastier and the start of the trail. Gently ascend to the volcanic plateau with its myriad ‘puy’ and get acquainted with your new companion. The trail after St Martin is a gem; and the descent into the Loire valley breathtaking. You stay in a walkers’ inn coveted by Stevenson himself.
Night in Goudet.

Day Three: Goudet to Le Bouchet
8.5 miles-12.5 kms, approx. 4½ hrs, +400 ms.

The fine climb out of the deeply-incised Upper Loire gorge and past chateau Beaufort leads you through isolated and picturesque villages on route to Le Bouchet St Nicholas, Stevenson's first overnight stop, with its fine lake.
Night in Le Bouchet.

Day Four: Le Bouchet to Pradelles
12½ miles-19 kms, approx. 5½ hrs, +285 ms -375 ms.

The ascents and descents are less steep today, but the walking is far from flat as you climb to the volcanic plateau from the Arquejol Viaduct before the descent to the fine granite 'City of the High Prairies'.
Night in Pradelles.

Day Five: Pradelles to Langogne.
3.5 miles-5.5 kms, 1½ hrs, -200 ms, plus an optional 3-km round trip to the lake.

Enjoy a walk around this impressive historic village before you continue the short walk down to Langogne. Our lunch spot is on the banks of Lake Naussac.
Night in Langogne.

Day Six: Langogne to Cheylard l’Eveque.
11 miles-16 kms, approx. 4 hrs, +320 ms -150 ms.
You walk the volcanic plateau to the medieval village of Cheylard, replete with church, chapel and abbey.
Night in Cheylard.

Day Seven: Cheylard to La Bastide
12 miles-19 kms, approx. 5 hrs, +240 ms -380 ms
You climb through the Gardille forest and have lunch beside its eponymous lake, before climbing, then descending, to the impressive ruins of Luc castle. Then you follow the medieval Regordane Way alongside the Cevenol railway and cross the Allier River en route to the historic resting place of La Bastide Puy-Laurent.
Night in La Bastide Puylaurent.

Day Eight: End of Tour.
Breakfast and onward journey by mountain railway. Optional return transfer to Le Puy at tour's end - please ask us for details.

We hope you will return to take Part Two of this walking tour.

Access details

Nearest airport or SNCF station is Lyon [3 hrs on TGV from Paris or Lille] with onward train journey to Le Puy via St Etienne.
Next-best access is via Nimes or Montpellier airports, with onward TGV to Lyon - 30 and 60 minute journeys, respectively.
Alternative convenient option is via Clermont-Ferrand airport, with onward regional train to Le Puy via St Etienne.
Alternative Nimes option [for those wishing to leave a car with us in Ales*] is via cross-country train to Langogne and bus to Le Puy. This option takes a whole day's travel from Nimes, arriving in Le Puy at approx. 17.30 - please ask for details.

*Car is left at owner's risk.

Departure by train to Nimes [40 mins.] and onward TGV train north or south, or fly from Nimes airport to London Luton by RyanAir[UK].

Accommodation details

Good level of character and comfort, all with en-suite facilities.
Carefully-selected 2-star standard hotels, chambres d'hotes or auberges.
Generous picnic lunches and diners showcasing regional specialities are available on demand from your hosts.

Climate & Countryside

Warm, dry summers; mild spring and autumn
Undulating volcanic plateau; medieval villages & historic hamlets

What's Included

B&B: 7-nights in 2-star hotels, auberges or equivalent chambres d'hotes.
5 picnic lunches and 6 evening meals - leaving you free to choose where to eat dinner in le Puy and buy packed lunch in Le Monastier - several options are available.
Taxi transfer at the start of the tour, donkey collection at the end.
Donkey hire and induction session in donkey handling.
Up to 30 kgs of luggage transported by your donkey.
Overnight nourishment and accommodation for the donkey.
1:25,000 maps, excellent walking notes & dossier
Emergency telephone back-up & support and emergency assistance for the donkey.
Loan of mobile phone ¹.

Not included

Remaining meals
Personal expenses
Entrances into optional cultural visits and venues
Travel, walking and personal insurance
Single rooms – unless booking at single person rate

¹ For non-European customers only and subject to availability.
Please ask about availability at time of booking.

Prices

Per person based on two persons in shared room: €945.00 Euros or £850.00 GBP