walking holiday in France
 

I'm making plans to be in France in early October, with 4 friends. After we spend some time in Paris we have approx. 7-9 days in which we want to do a walking holiday. We have some ideas for where this could work well but now we are considering the possibility of going to the Riviera area (somewhere between Antibes to Menton)for the walk. To clarify what I mean by 'walking' : going from village to village, walking 10-15 km. per day. Hilly terrain is O.K. but not like mountain hiking all day.Like a level 1-2. I would say about 70% gentle, rolling terrain to 30% hills.I've actually not seen too much information on walking in the Riviera. Is there a reason for this? We'd like to know what others have experienced.

I know from my research that the various "randonees", or long distance walking trails, go through the riviera.

However, I agree that one doesn't hear much about people doing walking holidays in that region. For some reason, Burgundy and the Dordogne seem more popular for walking.

Perhaps it's because those two regions are more gently rolling, less rugged, and more green, less arid, than the south of France. I love the south, but I think of it as a place for enjoying the lifestyle and not so much for active vacations.

Since France is one country where I haven't done serious walking myself, I'm not an expert on the matter. But I agree with you concerning your impressions.

Meant to add that the various pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostella that begin in France are two excellent options for what you're considering. They go through Burgundy and the Dordogne, yet another reason those two regions might be popular for long distance walking.

There's a terrific book called A LONG WALK SOUTH by Sean Rothery about his walk from the Netherlands to the French Riviera. Most of the journey is through France. You might enjoy reading it.

You might also consider

- The Verdon Gorge
- Hiking in the Calanques
- What about the salt flats down near Marseille
- Mt. Ventoux area has some great hikes

This would require moving about in your car, but would still allow you to enjoy some of the varied and beautiful landscapes in Provence. These would be day hikes of course.
Jen

Perhaps one of these sites will have some info.

http://www.gr-infos.com/gr-an.htm
http://www.franceonfoot.com/index.html

Have you considered Corsica? It is full of possibilities.

If you do hike the French Riviera, I would be interested in hearing how you made out, as I love coastal hikes.

JQ

We will be staying in Collioure, and in the process of my research I came upon a number of walking tours up in the hills- including going into Spain- they seemed to be mostly British companies and they provide day-by-day itineraries. While not the Riviera per se, you'd still get the ocean views and beaches...

Another book you might find interesting is "A Walk across France" by Miles Morland. He and his wife left the corporate world of London to walk from the Mediterranean coast to the Atlantic coast of France. I read it a few years ago and I have to admit that most of what I remember is an endless litany of blisters and bandages.

Hi Zepher - You may do yourselves a great favour by contacting The Wayfarers. www.thewayfarers.com
I did a walking holiday with them through the Loire some years ago and have always hankered to do several more.
To describe it as wonderful would be an understatement! They have fantastic guides, carry all your luggage from place to place, give you lovely places to stay and great food!
They do walks all over the world now but when I went it was only Europe.
If you want to enjoy your walking time and not worry about other details, this is the way to go.

October maybe pushes you further south though I might look at maybe following a pilgrims route say Bordeaux to Bieritz or Beziers to Toulouse.

If its warmer i've done

Along the wine route (but up in the hill) in Alsace. In the Jura along one of the Grand Traverse Randonee routes (the French have great maps and routes to follow). Finally I suggest ordering the catalogue from "Headwater" you may not want to use them but they have great ideas.

If you are interested in self-guided walking tour, you might like to check: www.inntravel.co.uk.