The best of Mediterranean France walking light and bucolic trails
Walks in France's Garrigue takes you across one of the most enigmatic yet distinctive regions
where man has chosen to settle – the Mediterranean Garrigue, and the hinterland of Nimes. You can literally smell
that you are in the south of France, where plant-life is especially adapted to the hot, dry climate and radiates perfumed oils – lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme and artemisia. Come and smell the difference in France walking undulating lowland that’s perfect for hiking all year round.
Fact File:
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All-inclusive transport, starting in Ales and finishing in Nimes.
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Hike lengths to suit, with flexible transfers.
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Self-guided, light walking.
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Seven nights, with arrivals any day all year round.
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Theme
Walks in France's Garrigue takes you on a journey across undulating lowland from Ales, at the foothills of the Cevennes mountains, to Nimes, the Gallo-Roman capital of southern France. It is perfect France Walking for those passionate about horticulture, Mediterranean food and healthy living. You enjoy fine bucolic hikes to both work up an appetite and off-set the self-indulgence.
The attractions are manifold:
I. Garrigue summers are intensely hot and dry - often uncomfortably so, making light hiking more of a physical challenge. However, the climate is particularly amenable to hiking out of season, so you can enjoy the special experience in temperatures that are perfect for lowland walking.
Winters are particularly mild, so whilst the rest of Europe has its skis and snow boots on, you can walk the long and fine, sunshine-drenched autumn and winter afternoons in relatively-light clothing.
II. The terrain is undulating lowland, perfect for hikers who enjoy a good walk without the unnecessary challenges set of excess ascents and descents. You rarely get above 200 metres and hike a series of hill-top villages stretched out along the Gardon Valley.
III. This is Huguenots territory and some of France’s oldest Protestant churches are to be found here – now under the tutelage of the French state – as well as fascinating stories of battles lost and won. The St-Giles Way passed along The Gardon Valley en route to the Promise Land.
IV. It is an intensely human environment: in contrast with many of the walking holidays in France that we offer, which provide access to relatively remote parts of France, the Garrigue has always been and remains a quintessentially human environment. The landscape of the Languedoc Garrigue is agricultural-led, dominated by vines and olives, with the hillside grazing of sheep and goats to a large extent relegated to history. For lovers of aromatic shrubs, lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme and Artemisia are to be seen and smelt throughout your hike, as well as chamomile, cactus, myrtle and broom.
For those hikers who like to enjoy the fruits of the countryside whilst remaining intimately attached to civilization, Walks in France's Garrigue is the perfect France walking trip for you.
¹ Bar the seasonal rains, that normally fall in late October/early November.
Further Information
Walking the Cevennes Railway and
c) Model tour: Walks in France's Garrigue
Day 1. Arrival in Alès.
Briefing in Alès, the gateway to The Cevennes and an interesting medium-size market town.
Night in Alès.
Day 2. Garrigue Panorama. 8 miles-12 kms
Transfer to the start of a fascinating trail that loops its way around western Alès with 360 degree views of much of Le Gard, including The Cevennes and Le Garrigue. The ascent/descent is the exception that reinforces the rule, but it's a fine start to your walking tour that offers the option to visit a fine Huguenots Museum.
Second night in Alès.
Day 3. Alès to Vezenobres. 8.5 miles-13 kms.
You follow the Gardon river before visiting St Hilaire en route to the Garrigue's finest medieval village.
Night in Vezenobres.
Day 4. Vezenobres to Moussac. 9.5 miles-14.5 kms.
The Gardon is extraordinarily wide at Ners with many a story to tell, and the fortified hamlet of Lascours has to be seen to be believed. The views over the Garrigue are splendid and the wine very much AOC.
Night in Vezenobres.
Day 5. Moussac to Russan. 9.5 miles-14.5 kms.
You continue your journey along the multi-faceted Gardonenque, and across the Bourdic, a source of fine local wines. You climb to Castellas before descending to the delightful village of Russan, on the Gardon Gorge.
Night in La Calmette.