Best 2 week walks in France?

[Rooman Holiday]

I'm planning a 300 km 15 day walk in France starting about 10 Sept.
My wife, adult sons and partners want to join me for all or parts of the hike, none have walked before. I have loved walking Le Puy-Pamplona in recent years, we could go back to GR 65, but I would prefer to try a new path in France.
We are seeking good scenery and lots of villages and accomodation, and not too difficult walking. I have been researching for months. Any suggestions welcome!

 

[Kanga]

With a bit of Camino related walking but also others, but you may find this website helpful - a couple of intrepid Aussie walkers who seem to have traversed France numerous times:

http://walkinginfrance.info

 

[Rooman Holiday]

Thank you .. that link goes directly to photos of Montcuq and Estaing .. 2 of my favourite places in the world ..
And at this page they have mapped and listed and linked their favourite short walks ..
http://walkinginfrance.info/short-walks/

 

[Kitsambler]

There is a route - not sure the name - that starts in the vicinity of Mont St Michael and runs southerly, eventually connecting with the other major French routes just before SJPP. There is also a loop walk, regional, dedicated to St Martin of Tours. The GR10 runs north-south along the Alps foothills. And there's the Robert Louis Stevenson trail that (I think) runs south from Le Puy in the direction of the Arles route.

You might also consider routes in Germany and Switzerland, which have bountiful transportation and lodging possibilities, plus wonderful scenery.

 

[oursonpolaire]

There is a route - not sure the name - that starts in the vicinity of Mont St Michael and runs southerly, eventually connecting with the other major French routes just before SJPP. There is also a loop walk, regional, dedicated to St Martin of Tours. The GR10 runs north-south along the Alps foothills. And there's the Robert Louis Stevenson trail that (I think) runs south from Le Puy in the direction of the Arles route.

You might also consider routes in Germany and Switzerland, which have bountiful transportation and lodging possibilities, plus wonderful scenery.

Here's a thread which discusses the Mont Saint Michel route (https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/from-brittany-or-from-mont-saint-michel.4930/) and here's (http://www.csj.org.uk/mont-st-michel-st-jean-d-angely/) the CSJ one-pager on it. As well, there is a very agreeable route out of Arles (chemin d'Arles), although I have only walked it from Toulouse-- the stages are further apart than one would encounter on the Frances.

 

[Rooman Holiday]

Thank you kitsambler and oursonpolaire, I will try to find out more about the walk out of Arles ..

 

[jl]

There is also the Chemin Estelle from Belgium.
http://www.casajac.org/itin.php
This is very flat, takes you into Paris via St Denis, and the you could hear out of Paris, either via Chartres, a lovely valley, or down the Loire Valley with all its Chateaux. From Paris you would be in the Tours Chemin, which ultimately heads to Bayonne/Biarritz where you can make a choice with either the Frances or the del Norte - though that would be outside your time frame. Janet

 

[oursonpolaire]

Thank you kitsambler and oursonpolaire, I will try to find out more about the walk out of Arles ..

Here's the CSJ one-pager on it: http://www.csj.org.uk/planning-your-pilgrimage/routes-to-santiago/the-routes-today/the-arles-route/

 

[BShea]

Last May (2016), it seemed like every French person I met on the Le Puy route was from Brittany. They often talked about the great paths there, trying to convince me to come visit. Apparently, there is a circuit walk that covers the entire region.

I found this site... maybe it will be of some use to you. I think the 'Long Distance' walk of Tro Breizh sounds like it may be the route they told me about. It's longer than what you're looking for, though. http://www.brittanywalks.com/index.htm

Edit: I found this list of stages that might be helpful: http://www.chemin-compostelle.fr/etapes-tro-breiz/

 

[TMcA]

Someone on this forum recommended the Sentier Cathare. It's in the far southwest of France, so it's not a hike for summer and might even be too warm for September. It's on my "to do" list of hikes. It is about a 10-12 day hike. Our friends in France also recommended the Brittany hike which other posters have mentioned.

Here's the link to the Sentier Cathare hike - in French, but you can get the gist of it without French:

http://www.lesentiercathare.com/index.phpy

Bon chemin!

Tom

 

[edandjoan]

We're looking at the RLS GR70 going south out of Le Puy. Probably in late August. I want to finish from Geneva to Le Puy and we want to walk for about 5-6 weeks so this might be a good add on as we have walked from Le Puy to Pamplona two years ago.
I have read some and it looks to go thought rural areas and has some good info on line, http://www.chemin-stevenson.org/ima...es/2017/Brochure-chemin-Stevenson-GB-2017.pdf, as well as a MiamMiam Dodo book. There are many more info sites.

 

[Rooman Holiday]

Thank you .. I just bought Stevenson's book 'Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes'. That brochure link is excellent. I will do the walk sometime myself but some of my travel companions are put off by other GR70 descriptions that say some of the landscape is barren and the walk difficult towards the end .. they want to walk through villages.

 

[Rooman Holiday]

thanks Tom .. I'm looking seriously at the Sentier Cathare .. I'd be interested to hear from those who have walked it .. how often one encounters villages, and is it constant up and down walking in mountains?

 

[Rooman Holiday]

Thank you Janet, some great ideas there .. I prefer the idea of south France because I feel we have a better chance of good weather ..