schnauzer

I would love to walk through the Gorge du Tarn and have been researching guided/assisted walking holidays. I do not want to carry all my luggage everyday with me so I am looking at someone who will take the luggage from place to place for me and maybe organise accommodation. I have come across Sentier holidays and they have the exact walk that I would like to do. I did a review check on Trip Advisor; there is one really bad review and one of course completely opposite.

Has anyone done any walking through the Gorge du Tarn and if so how did you do it? And of course if you have had any experience with Sentiers I would love to hear from you as well.

Many thanks
Schnauzer

schnauzer

That would be Sentiers with an s!!

schnauzer

ttt, help, anyone!!!

schnauzer

KathyWood

Hi Schnauzer,

Our family of three has done two walks with Sentiers de France. Our first walk was in early/mid June 2008 and we did their Robert Louis Stevenson walk in the Cevennes. We added an extension on either end and began with two nights in Le Puy-en-Velay to make a two week walk.

This past summer (mid/lateJune 2009) they worked with us to put two walks together for a 13 night walk beginning in Montignac in the Dordogne and ending in Bretenoux in the Lot.

We elected to take their 2* hotel trips (La Caminade) to make the trips more economical. With one exception on the second walk, most of the accommodations were fine and some were great. Most of our dinners were included, and we had very good (sometimes excellent) meals. We had some taxi transfers, and our luggage was transferred efficiently by taxi. The trip notes/maps were in English and we didn't have any problems.

They e-mail you info on your first night accommodation a few weeks before the trip and your detailed packet is waiting at the first hotel. The first walk I was a little anxious about this, as with other walking companies, we've had info mailed to us in the USA weeks in advance. There is a little bit of a leap of faith involved, but I can testify that this is a credible organization that offers well-organized trips.

We loved the Stevenson walk. This is a very isolated, interesting and incredibly beautiful part of France. We especially enjoyed the interaction with other walkers (almost all French) who were also doing the Stevenson walk, mostly carrying backpacks.

It was unseasonably hot during the time of our Dordogne/Lot walk this summer, which made this walk much more difficult. Be careful about the timing of any walk in the southern part of France. You won't find A/C in many places and often not even a fan-- though perhaps a pool.

This summer was our 7th walk in Europe. We really like the self-guided approach and have used two other companies. Since our walks have always been done in conjunction with other travel, we need the baggage transfer. I've also felt the planning help/accommodations arrangement is worth the extra cost.

I feel sure we will use Sentiers de France for future walks in France. I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Kathy

schnauzer

that is great info Kathy, thanks so much. We are still in the throes of planning. But I do appreciate that they are a reputable company etc.

Have you ever done any walking in Normandy?

Schnauzer

KathyWood

Schnauzer, I was hoping you'd get back to find my post.

We spent a week in Honfleur, Normandy a couple years ago (beautiful area), but haven't done any walking there. We looked at putting together a Sentier de France walk around the coast of Brittany last year, but decided we'd rather spend more time in the Dordogne and the Lot.

Kathy

tod

Hi there! Can't vouch for Sentier but I did the most fantastic walk with The Wayfarers through The Loire Valley. Very upmarket organization with beautiful forest picnics morning and afternoon to refresh us while walking, beautiful Chateau's and hotels for accommodation with cuisine to match. No luggage carrying what-so-ever, not even to or from ones room!
Folks from New Zealand & Oz, Canada, and USA in our group of 16. Mostly doctors, engineers, etc. They keep groups small and take a personal interest in you as an individual. Heres the link: http://www.thewayfarers.com/

Julie49

Schnauzer, just saw your posting and felt compelled to reply ASAP. I hope you haven't given up on working with Sentier. I fully agree with Kathy's comments about accommodations, information, ease of taxi transfer etc. Yes, the waiting until you are in France to get ALL of the trip information is a leap of faith. I discussed this in my review on Trip Advisor.

I am the person who wrote the positive Trip Advisor report for Sentier. When I wrote the review my husband and I were considering completing the Way of St. James and again using Sentier. Since then we did work with Sentier for a 3 week trip from Cahors to St. Jean Pied de port. I wrote a Fodors trip report titled, Walking & eating through SW France July 2009. In it I mentioned Sentier.

I continue to hold this company in high regard. They delivered exactly what they advertised. I found them easy to work with and quite accommodating to my requests. I believe the price they charge for the service to be fair. Only a few times did I believe the accommodations or dining experiences provided to be inadequate. If you review my trip report I named some of the accommodations provided for us. If you look at each of these places websites I think you will be able to determine for yourself if they would meet you needs.
Truth be told though, over the course of 3 weeks of travel I can guarantee there would have been more than just 2 bad meals or hotels had I been the one doing the planning!

I'll look forward to hearing about your walking trip and a positive report on Sentiers service.

Kathy, your comments about the Stevenson Trail have inspired me to consider it next. We were completing our walking trip 4 - 21 July this summer. Yes it was hot, and rarely was there a/c but most evenings in the Gers Department and Pays Basque it didn't present a problem.

Happy travels and walking,
Julie

NottinghamMilli

Hi Schnauzer,

The Robert Louis Stevenson trail is rated by Forbes Traveler as a top-ten World’s Most Famous Travel Adventure. See:

http://www.forbestraveler.com/advent...hisSpeed=25000


It’s a fabulous trek and one I’ll never forget. I hiked it with the locally-based and native English-speaking experts on the trail, The Enlightened Traveller, at:

http://www.enlightened-traveller.co....cfe3&pgId=1001

They’ll even personalize it to your needs as they did for me on a couple of long days that this ‘girlie’ thought would be too demanding – I’m glad I shortened them!

I like my creature comforts and so didn’t fancy camping, but you can backpack it with Walking Holidays in France at:

http://www.walking-holidays-france.c...rail-GR70.html


The choice is yours!

Milli

taylor125

Thanks so much for your input, Kathy. I contacted Sentiers about their Gorges du Tarn trip and was looking for comments about them. I'm 60 but in pretty good shape but I like the idea of NOT carrying all my stuff. Does the terrain involve a lot of steep up-and-down? I'm trying to figure out if 11 miles in one day (the longest day on that trip) is too much for me. It would be if I had a heavy pack with lots of steep inclines and descents but I don't know the terrain of the actual trail. Did you find their maps easy to follow? Since I'm by myself this is extra important to me. Is the "single supplement" customary?

Taylor125

adrienne

taylor - this post is 3 years old and Kathy may not see your comment. You might want to email her directly with your questions. Click on her name to view her profile with her email address.

taylor125

Thanks so much for your input, Kathy. I contacted Sentiers about their Gorges du Tarn trip and was looking for comments about them. I'm 60 but in pretty good shape but I like the idea of NOT carrying all my stuff. Does the terrain involve a lot of steep up-and-down? I'm trying to figure out if 11 miles in one day (the longest day on that trip) is too much for me. It would be if I had a heavy pack with lots of steep inclines and descents but I don't know the terrain of the actual trail. Did you find their maps easy to follow? Since I'm by myself this is extra important to me. Is the "single supplement" customary?

Taylor125