My French National compatriots organised this tour for that loose collection of international Camino walkers that coalesced during the Last Frances .
To do so was a logistical task and in doing so the walk contracted from an initial 15 days to the eventual 11 .
I felt 11 was too short and some days far too long and arduous Sharon , the countryside is extraordinarily beautiful and the need to cover 30 odd km per days detracts from this .
Spend more time in the villages if you can , this is where the true soul of the country is displayed , it is certainly where I felt that I was experiencing the true France .
Some days were nothing more than long forest walks with the occasional exquisite vista through the trees to a neighbouring valley , other days passed through villages I would have given an eye tooth to stay in .
Be prepared for some hard days , the tracks are rough , much rougher than any on the Frances , rocks the size of footballs over mud and uphill for ten km or more .
The last day into St Jean Du Gard was particularly arduous , it was certainly a relief to finally reach our destination .
My back started twinging on this last day and so I did not walk on to Ales but went by car instead . Others in the group continued and found that particular walk horrendous , akin to rock climbing the entire day as one put it . It is probably enough to say that these seasoned ' toughies ' went straight to bed with no drinks or a meal after arriving ; it was that hard .
Some observations ;
Water , we found it difficult to find even in June , August will be harder and the need greater , carry more than you think you might need , the terrain will make you thirsty . One tip I used to some good result , if you find yourself dry visit any cemetery , there is usually a potable water tap inside somewhere for watering flowers , I drank from some with no ill effects . The only fountain for walkers I noticed was in Luc , a small town with no shop or bar , but a nice enough village for an overnight stay in any case .
Accommodation , hit and miss it seems , and not as readily available as in Spain .
Some good , La Lozerette in Cocures , a lovely hotel with a garden to lounge in across the road , good wine friendly staff , good food , nice rooms .
Hotel Le Beausejour in Langogne , undergoing renovation but still comfortable , quirky and with two very amiable hosts that do your laundry for free . They have delightful pet dogs as well !
Some not so good , Hotel des Cevennes in Pont Mont Vert , looks amazing and many have found it to be comfortable , I didn't . It may well be better in August once the weather clears but I found it to be a wet, damp and miserable place with mouldy wet mattresses and walls dripping condensation , the room I slept in was over the road from the main rickety building and on top of the kitchen freezers . So as well as lying on a wet bed I had the continual thump of compressors turning on throughout the night . The meals have often been described as wonderful , the chef must have been on holiday because the thin onion soup and mystery stew served to us did nothing but stave off a little hunger .
Towns , Florac , Yes Sabine , a really nice village with beaut grocery and bakery shops on the way out of town for buying supplies and lunch .
Luc , quiet , quirky and with a church that is built on a Roman chapel , parts of which are still visible at the rear behind the altar .
Goudet , a small village with a beautiful hotel run by a gorgeous Madame .
Mirandol , a village straight out of a Thomas the Tank Engine story , so picturesque as to be almost unreal , stay here if you can , I have no idea as to accommodation but the very village itself , with its railway viaduct is worth it .
Gear , consider boots , I wore Merrell Moab trail runners and managed but if you have ankles that need support this trail will challenge you . If you do wear runners short gaiters will help with all the small stones .
Rain gear , the rain that doesn't fall in Spain goes to France , I regretted not bringing my Gore Tex jacket .
Laundry , it is much harder to wash or have your clothes washed on this GR , bring clothes that will dry fast . Poles , in my opinion if you attempt this GR without them you are asking for twisted ankles , knees and possibly a broken face .
I've posted a few photos on the Stevenson's group Facebook site , they don't do this GR the justice it deserves , a truly delightful walk , if you can take a little longer at it .