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Hiking in France along Huguenots trails with like-minded hikers.
Walking with the Camisards is your chance to re-visit the main events and locations, and learn about the principal personalities in play, during the course of the 18th century 'Camisard War' between the Protestant Huguenots and their Catholic opponents.
A variation on standard group walking holidays in France, there is a tour leader who transfers you around between walks and hotels, but there is no walking guide as such. You stay in the same hotels, walk the trails as a group with full informatiion to hand, and have full back up with our vehicle throughout the walking tour. Briefings and assistance are thus ongoing. Walking with the Camisards is thus the only one of our hiking tours in France that is an open-enrolment group walking tour.
Fact File:
a) 5 to 12 April, or
b) 12 to 19 April 2009, or
c) 4 to 11 October, or
d) 11 to 18 October 2009
Please click through these points or scroll on down the page.
a) Theme
a) Theme
Walking with the Camisards is an exciting opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Protestants who fought a short and bloody war for 'religious freedom' in The Cevennes mountains at the beginning of the 18th Century.
Three centuries ago, The Cevennes was the location for the world’s first guerilla war and resulting mass deportations. The fight for religious freedom from the centralising tendencies of the French Catholic State pitted the Royalist ‘Black Dragons’ of Louis XIV against the rebel ‘Camisards’ of Jean Cavalier. For some, the scars and memories still remain and continue to mark life in the Cevennes today.
You will be hiking France's hilltop trails, seeing the monuments, sanctuaries and vestiges, visiting the battlegrounds and reliving the life and times of the main characters that made news all over Europe three hundred years ago. It is one of those essential walking holidays in France for both the informal and trhe passionate historian.
b) Further Information
The Cevennes: a Labyrinth of Hills
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- Walking with the Camisards is also available as...
c) Model Programme: Walking with the Camisards
Day 1. Arrival in Ales.
Hotel check-in and welcome meal. Night in Ales.
Day 2. The Jouany Trail. 12 miles-18 kms.
Morning transfer to Genolhac, the home and resting place of Jouany, the Camisard Chief for The High Cevennes. Then hike a memorable Camisard trail and visit two villages with many a tale of persecution to tell.
Night in Genolhac.
Day 3. War Breaks Out. 7 miles-10.5 kms.
Transfer to Pont de Monvert. The Abbot of Chaïla was assassinated here on July 24, 1702, marking the beginning of the war. Visit the location after a stimulating hike over hill, through vale and charming hamlet.
Night in Pont de Montvert.
Day 4. The Battle of Chompdomergue. Options from 10 miles-15 kms.
Morning transfer and walk the battlefield where Jean Cavalier, future leader of the Camisards, won his spurs and visit a village that was cleared of its inhabitants even before battle commenced.
Night near Anduze.
Day 5. La Piéce de Résistance. 8 miles-12kms.
A fine hike through Camisard Country culminates in a visit to one the key heritage sites of Cevennes culture - Mas-Soubeyran or Le Musée du Désert, home to ‘ Roland ’, leader of the Camisards.
Second night near Anduze.
Day 6. Sauve Falls. 6.5 miles–10kms
On 27 Decembre 1702, the Protestants took the town of Sauve. When you witness its size, you will start to understand the magnitude of the conflict.
Night in Vezenobres.
Day 7. The Fight for Martignargues. 9.5 miles–15 kms
On 14 March 1704, The Camisards won a crushing victory here over the crème de la crème of Royal troupes. This visit is just part of a splendid hike.
Second night in Vezenobres.
Day 8. The Conflict Ends.
And so does one of our most memorable hiking tours in France! Transfer to airport or railway station. Au revoir et à bientôt!
Note: The above France hiking tour is a guide only. As part of our policy of continual review and improvement, we reserve the right to make alterations to our walking
holidays in France.
Access
Your hiking in France commences in Ales. Access is via Nimes airport or TGV railway station. If you drive to France in your own car, you can leave it near Ales in an enclosed parking area for the duration of the walking holiday.
Note: This group walking tour in France is also available as a self-guided trekking tour or hike-drive trip, each with its own all-inclusive transport solution.
Accommodation
You stay:
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One night in Ales
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- One night in Pont de Montvert
- Two nights near Anduze
- Two nights in Vezenobres
Your accommodation is:
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Five comfortable, 2-star hotels with character
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All are family-run, with en-suite facilities.
What's included in this walking holiday in France: Walking with the Camisards
Included
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7 nights B & B in five different family-run, character hotels
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7 dinners and 6 lunches
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All travel and luggage transfer costs that are integral to the programme, commencing and terminating in Ales
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Pre-tour & post tour briefings, with on-going, daily, local Brtish support
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For those bringing their own car, enclosed private parking is available in Ales*
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France Hiking Insight Notes™ that empower & make orientation easy
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Themed vacation dossier
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Comprehensive travel notes & logistical information
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Emergency telephone help-line service with local British backup
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Loan of mobile phone for non-European customers where required - subject to availability
* parking is at owner's risk.
Not included
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Remaining meals - i.e., dinners and packed lunches in Ales and Besseges, where you have ample, convenient choices to choose from according to your personal preferences and budget.
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A walking guide
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Single rooms – unless booking at single person rate
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Any entrances to optional cultural visits and sightseeing programme
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Travel, walking and personal insurance
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Personal expenses
Prices: 2008 walking holidays in France: Walking with the Camisards
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Price per person based on 2 persons sharing |
£595.00 or €865.00 or $1190.00 |
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Single person rate |
£740.00 or €1110.00 or $1480.00 |
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Extra nights |
On Request |
See our full range of hiking tours in France |