Each year, it starts all over again, the desire to leave itches, fed up with pollution and bitumen, we want to regain contact with nature by walking.

We have thought of you: here are hiking trails in the most beautiful corners of France, from Cotentin to Reunion via Mont-Blanc and Corsica. You can do them in whole or in sections.

Put on your hiking shoes, but above all, don’t get lost in the Brocéliande forest.

The Island of Beauty, between sea and mountain – Corsica

To change the GR® 20 which follows the mountainous ridge of Corsica from North to South, set off on the transversal paths of the shepherds, between sea and mountain. It’s shorter, easier and more varied.

A choice of beaches, small coves or mountains, in the unspoiled setting of the Corsica regional natural park. The trails are marked in orange, except the Transhumance trail, in purple.

Itineraries
– The Mare e Monti Nord (10 days) from Calenzana to Cargèse, crosses the Balagne region overlooking the Scandola and Porto nature reserves. Practicable all year round.

– The Transhumance trail (5 days) from Calenzana to Corscia via Corte, follows the millennial route of the shepherds. On the mountainside by the Scala di Santa Regina and the Caprunale, on the granite rock of Niolo.

– The Mare a Mare North (9-10 days), from Moriani to Cargèse by Corte with a South variant, stretches at the foot of the highest peaks. Guaranteed elevations for athletes, to be done from mid-April to November, depending on the weather.

– The easier Mare a Mare Center (7 days) from Ghisonaccia to Porticcio, requires only a passage to 1,500 m at Bocca Laparo. Forests, streams, vineyards and orchards surround the hilltop villages.

– The Mare e Monti sud (5 days), from Porticcio to Propriano, reveals the shores of the South West of Corsica where coves and capes are guarded by Genoese towers.

– The Mare a Mare sud (5 days), from Porto-Vecchio to Propriano, is frequentable even in summer, under the cover of the forests of Alta Rocca and Lake Ospédale.

The creeks of the sun – Bouches-du-Rhône

From Marseille to Cassis, the creeks – of Provençal calenco, steep – stand out in the Mediterranean, real limestone faults on the dazzling blue of the sea. A site that needs to be protected against the 2 million annual visitors, so that the creeks have just been classified National Park: respect for the environment compulsory, under penalty of fine. Go there preferably out of season.

These 28 walks are to be practiced with good walking shoes and protection against the sun or the wind. Don’t settle for a simple bathing suit. Pebbles roll and are dangerous. The sun is beating down. Bring clean water and leave no garbage behind.

Itineraries
– Start by discovering the belvedere of Saint-Michel (246 m) with your family (4.5 km) above Luminy, near Marseille. It will give you an approach to the landscape on the cover of Morgiou and its sheds.

– You will sink into the Sugiton cove (7 km) and its Torpilleur rock. From the Lun hill (3.5 km), the Sormiou cove appears behind mastic trees and terebinths.

– The tour of the Marseilleveyre massif (12 km) is reserved for athletes, rewarded with breathtaking panoramas.

– The Callelongue walk (9 km) runs along its cove and those of La Mounine and Marseilleveyre.

– The mountain interior of Mont Puget, the En-Vau belvedere and the Devenson cliffs attract top rock climbers.

– Closer to Cassis, explore the beautiful coves of En-Vau, Port-Pin and Port-Miou, before taking a deserved pastis in Cassis, in the shade of Cap Canaille (394 m).

The Luberon, serenity and cicadas – Provence

Apt, Forcalquier, Manosque and Mérindol, names that sing under the sun of Vaucluse and Haute-Provence. Far from the crowds of the coast, the Luberon regional natural park guarantees the serenity of these circuit tours.

Itineraries
You will discover the Durance valley and the anticline of the Mirabeau clue in the land of Jean de Florette (11 km). When shade becomes necessary, go under the black pines of the Pélicier forest (8 km) north of Manosque, under the white oaks of the Plan des Agas , south of Céreste (6 km) or by the cedars of the crest of the great slope of the Luberon (12 km), above the castle of Lacoste .

Do not miss the village of Saignon and its castles clinging to the rocks, like a citadel of ancient times (7 km). The high valley of Aiguebrun and the curious site of Buoux are worth a detour (16 km) south of Apt, while the valley of Lourmarin and the Chemin du Sel require an effort (26 km) which is worthwhile.

Let us not forget the Vaudois of Petit Luberon, around the village of Mérindol (19 km), nor the source of Boulon and the rocks of Baude (6 km) near Taillades. The Véroncle gorges and mills (16 km) require some training, as does the Aiguiers circuit, north of Apt (18 km): water is precious in the Luberon…

You will also blush under the ochres of Rustrel in Colorado Provençal (11 km) and marvel at the unmissable dry stone bories of Viens (3 km). There you can finally say ” I know the Luberon a bit! “.

Around Mont-Blanc, wide angle panorama – Alps / Italy / Switzerland

Crossing France, Italy and Switzerland, the T MB was marked more than 50 years ago. Don’t be afraid, the TMB is not just for mountaineers. Of course, you have to be trained and not be afraid of the altitude or the elevation, but, despite some steep passages, it most often winds in the middle of the mountain. 10 to 12 days to tackle the most beautiful panoramas, between ice and granite.

Itineraries
From Les Houches train station (Haute-Savoie), take the Bellevue cable car to the hamlet of Bionnassay (1,320 m). You are hard at work to continue through Les Contamines-Montjoie, La Balme and the Col du Bonhomme (2,443 m). In Beaufortain, the chalets are multiplying and the passes too.

At the Col de la Seigne (2,516 m), you enter the Italian Aosta Valley. Lakes and glaciers of the Val Veny accompany you to Courmayeur (1,226 m). The Bertone (1,989 m), Bonatti (2,025 m) and Elena huts mark out the TMB as far as the Grand Col Ferret, in Switzerland (2,537 m).

The route becomes gentler towards the Champex-Lac station (1,460 m) in Valais. Time to taste a raclette and you go up by the passes of Balme, La Forclaz and Posettes to Tré-le-Champ (1,417 m) in France and the Aiguilles-Rouges nature reserve.

Alpine meadows conducive to cow fighting and unforgettable panoramas on the highest peaks of Mont-Blanc, overlooking the Mer de Glace, lead you to La Flégère (1,877 m) and the Brévent cable car from where you can reach Chamonix, otherwise go back down to Les Houches station (980 m).

The path of Stevenson, in the Cévennes

“The important thing is to move, to experience more closely the necessities and the embarrassments of life, to leave the cozy bed of civilization”.

The Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was 28 years old when he undertook this excursion from Monastier-sur-Gazeille. He wishes to forget a heartache, seeks the austerity of Camisards cévenols.

With his donkey Modestine, which he overloads and slightly rudiments, he crosses the Cévennes, neither fearing the ghost of the beast of Gévaudan nor the preaching of the prophets…

Itineraries
In 12 days of walking and 252 km, the Stevenson path is marked from Puy-en-Velay to Alès.

The landscape is rough and magnificent on the volcanic plateaus of Velay, through Pradelles and Langogne. Then the highlands of Gévaudan reveal themselves up to the Alpiers, with a possible variant via Notre-Dame-des-Neiges.

Soon, the reliefs of the Lozère mountains and its stunning flora extend under Mount Finiels to Pont-de-Montvert. Granite is sovereign, walls with montjoies marking the paths and rocks surrounded by yellow gentians. The path then plunges under the chestnut trees of Camisard country through Saint-Germain-de-Calberte and Saint-Jean-du-Gard, where Stevenson ended his journey.

The route continues with mulberry trees and then Languedoc vineyards where the Mediterranean heat envelops the last stages to Alès. Stevenson’s final words will be of regret for his donkey: “His faults were those of his race and his sex; his qualities were his own. Farewell”

The Saint-Jacques path, in the heart of Quercy – Occitanie

The via Podiensis, chemin du Puy-en-Velay in the Pyrenees, is one of the four pilgrim routes to Saint Jacques de Compostela. Over 160 km and around 9 days, the GR 65 section between Figeac and Moissac contains admirable monuments to visit.

Route
From the medieval town of Figeac, the Haut-Quercy karst sculpts the limestone landscape. Crossing the Causse de Limogne covered with heather heaths, you sometimes meet goats or lambs “with glasses” of black Quercy around a monolithic cross, like that of Faycelles.

Saffron is cultivated around Cajarc, Gaillac and Limogne-en-Quercy. The causse laundrettes or escabasses are very useful near dry stone bories, on these very old communication routes including the Cami Ferrat.

The arrival in Cahors is glorious at the Valentré bridge over the Lot. It’s time to go to the Wednesday morning market where Quercy truffles, goat cheese and Cahors wines light up the palate. The visit of the built heritage and the Secret Gardens will help to digest.

In the Southwest, La Bastide-Marnhac, Lascabanes, Montcuq, Montlauzun lead to the bastide town of Lauzerte, in Bas-Quercy. The habitat of the Tarn and Garonne valleys seduces with its half-timbering, its golden stones, its dovecotes and its awnings.

Facing south, you are in Durfort-Lacapelette and its orchards followed by the golden Chasselas of Moissac. The Saint-Pierre abbey is home to the most beautiful masterpieces of Romanesque art, including a 12th century cloister listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.

Western Pyrenees, from the ocean to the summits – Basque country, Béarn

Aqueros mountanos que tant haoutos soun (These mountains which are so high) 260 km on the GR® 10, between Rhune and Hautes-Pyrénées, this route in the middle of the mountain is done in stages.

Itineraries
A short crossing (67 km) by the GR 8 from Urt to Sare, and the Basque hills which surround the Rhune, conditions. Already, white half-timbered houses, with green or red shutters, are omnipresent.

The GR® 10 starts in Hendaye, by the ocean, to which you will soon turn your back. Passes and ventas lead by Aïnhoa, Bidarray, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, up and down. Small Pottoks horses, black heads of Manech sheep: you cross the country of Ramuntcho en Labourd, then Basse-Navarre.

We salute the Compostela path which is about to cross the Pyrenees and continue towards the Soule and the wild Iraty forest. Under the passage of woodpigeons, the ridges are higher in Larau, the crevasses become canyons in Kakouetta and Holçarté.

Learn to differentiate the cayolars or huts of Basque shepherds from the Béarnais cujalas, by entering the lands of Henri IV, in the Barétous valley. The karst of Arette-la-Pierre-Saint-Martin, famous for its speleological explorations, is unique in Europe.

A lunar landscape which leads to the peak of Anie, gateway to the Pyrenees national park. Vallée d’ Aspe and Ayous lakes, valley of Ossau and Lakes Soussouéou and Anglas, the chamois and the bearded vulture you observe from afar and welcome your input on the first collar Bigourdans until Arrens.

Brocéliande, the magic forest – Brittany

To the south-west of Rennes, the Paimpont forest is the setting for the mythical Brocéliande forest where the Arthurian legend takes place. The enchanting Merlin, the fairies Morgana and Viviane rub shoulders with the knights of the Round Table, on 9,000 hectares of hardwoods and conifers, moors, megaliths and ponds. An invitation to a spellbinding world.

Itineraries
The moors of Gurwan (10 km) from La Touche-Guérin tremble with legends of the castle of Trécesson and its Revenant room. A circuit that approaches the Hotié de Viviane and the Tomb of the Giant, megaliths of the Neolithic.

The Val sans Retour (8 km) from Tréhorenteuc, is colored with shale pink and gorse gold to retain unfaithful lovers. When the mist discovers the Fairy Mirror, the journey becomes initiatory towards the kingdom of Morgana. Only Lancelot can break the spell.

Not far away, the Golden Tree commemorates the fire of 1990. The church of Tréhorenteuc, built in 1942 by Father Gillard, attracted André Breton for its fascinating stained-glass windows on the legend of the Grail.

The circuit of the Jardin des Moines (13 km) leads to legendary stones, like many other Neolithic mounds lost in the surrounding heath. The fairies seduce you at Folle-Pensée on the circuit of the enchanted fountain of Barenton (11 km). The Korrigans lie in wait in the woods of the Château de Comper, near Concoret (12 km).

Brocéliande’s secret? “The door is inside,” answers Father Gillard on the facade of his church.

Around the Cotentin, the call of the open sea – Normandy

Do you want a big breath of fresh air, sea spray, mossy paths and freedom? Take a tour of the Cotentin peninsula.

On this Norman route, with the already Breton houses, mingle the memories of the Landing, the mansions and the gardens, the dunes and the beaches, the oysters and the cider, under the haunting cry of sea birds.

The 436 km of the Tour du Cotentin requires more than 20 days of walking and can be divided into several stages or loops, such as the GRP of Val de Saire (51 km, 3 days) and the GRP of La Hague from Cherbourg (103 km, 5 days). The stops and accommodation are frequent and welcoming.

Route
From Isigny-sur-Mer, the GR 223 goes up the east coast through the Carentan marshes and its farms with thatched roofs. The great Landing sites follow one another, from Utah Beach to Sainte-Mère-Église. Gourmands will feast on oysters in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, opposite the ornithological reserve of the fortified island of Tatihou.

By Réville and Barfleur, the lighthouses indicate the way to the Cherbourg harbors. The customs trail faithfully follows the coast marked with noses, beaks and bays to Cap de la Hague.

Going back down the west coast via the Nez de Jobourg and Vauville where the climate favors gardens and natural reserves, this true bath of nature continues through Barneville-Carteret to the moors of Lessay.

The elegant granite castle of Pirou stands on a dune landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see towards Blainville, then Granville, Avranches and the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Around the Cotentin, the call of the open sea – Normandy

Do you want a big breath of fresh air, sea spray, mossy paths and freedom? Take a tour of the Cotentin peninsula.

On this Norman route, with the already Breton houses, mingle the memories of the Landing, the mansions and the gardens, the dunes and the beaches, the oysters and the cider, under the haunting cry of sea birds.

The 436 km of the Tour du Cotentin requires more than 20 days of walking and can be divided into several stages or loops, such as the GRP of Val de Zaire (51 km, 3 days) and the GRP of La Hague from Cherbourg (103 km, 5 days). The stops and accommodation are frequent and welcoming.

Route
From Isigny-sur-Mer, the GR 223 goes up the east coast through the Carentan marshes and its farms with thatched roofs. The great Landing sites follow one another, from Utah Beach to Sainte-Mère-Église. Gourmands will feast on oysters in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, opposite the ornithological reserve of the fortified island of Tatihou.

By Réville and Barfleur, the lighthouses indicate the way to the Cherbourg harbors. The customs trail faithfully follows the coast marked with noses, beaks and bays to Cap de la Hague.

Going back down the west coast via the Nez de Jobourg and Vauville where the climate favors gardens and natural reserves, this true bath of nature continues through Barneville-Carteret to the moors of Lessay.

The elegant granite castle of Pirou stands on a dune landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see towards Blainville, then Granville, Avranches and the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Hiking in Reunion, volcanic flowers

In the Indian Ocean, the royal Isle Bourbon displays its beauty for the hearts of hikers. Pitons, volcanoes and circuses dominate tamarins, pinpins, camphor trees, filao trees and orchids. Reunion Island is a true botanical paradise that lives to the rhythm of the tropics.

Something to hike on fairly steep slopes, with a Creole smile and a changing climate: a dry season from May to November, a rainy season from December to April.

In summer, the temperature varies from 25 ° C to 32 ° C on the coast, and from 4 ° C to 19 ° C in the mountains, and the sun rises early. Here is the experienced hiker.

Itineraries
– Live remember, my beloved adores, “Do you remember, my darling” of our first steps on the GR R1? This trail goes around the Piton des Neiges in 60 km and 6 stages, via Hell-Bourg, Caverne Dufour, Cilaos, Marla, La Nouvelle, Aries Hell-Bourg. Accidented, it provides access to Piton des Neiges (3,071 m), for the bravest who will be rewarded with superb landscapes.

– The crossing of the island is done on 130 km by the GR R2, in 12 stages. We discover the cirques of Mafate and Cilaos, the Col du Taibit, the Dufour cave and the oratory of Sainte-Thérèse, at an average of 2,000 m above sea level. A botanical exploration, with the added bonus of the Piton de la Fournaise (2,632 m).

– The Mafate circus tour follows the route of the GR R3 over 48 km in 5 states where the walker will appreciate the harsh taste of authenticity.

You understand, it’s steep, but it’s very, very beautiful.

Practical advice

The linear trails called Grande Randonnée, nicknamed GR, have a whole historical past.

Their creator was Jean Loiseau. A simple archivist at the Banque de France, influenced by youth movements including Scouting, he developed his passion in 1934, during his long leisure time. He thus presented the “great routes of the walker” in the Outdoors section of the Touring-Club of France, with the first tracks of these routes which were soon to cross France. A precious file which will develop after the war, thanks to the clearing and marking of the volunteers of the National Committee of Long-distance Trails.

The CNSGR will become the French Federation of Hiking in 1978. This effort spread over almost all of France has helped to preserve our municipal roads.

Nowadays, these trails are labeled, marked and maintained. Long-distance routes are marked in white and red, or even in yellow and red for country tours and in yellow for short circuit hikes.

In the east of France, the Club Vosgien has its own markup, geometric and colorful. Some municipalities or departments build local trails, but the quality required for a trail remains, especially on long routes, the prerogative of the FFRP.

The topo-guides of the FFRP are accompanied by IGN maps, with addresses of accommodation and lodgings, useful advice on equipment and cultural guidelines.

There is an average walk of 4 km per hour without elevation changes or stops.

Wear proper equipment. Avoid leaving alone, otherwise say where you are going. Have good insurance, rescue is expensive! Always check the weather forecast before departure, and if you get lost, preferably retrace your steps.
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