320 miles through Provence and Ardèche, includes the famous gorges of the Verdon.
INTRODUCTION Grandes Randonees A walk from the Cote d'Azur to the Massif Central The GR4, GR6 and GR9 Provence The Luberon Vaucluse The Ardeche, Cevennes and the Massif Central Climate- when to go Travelling to the region Local transport Overnight accommodation Gites d'etape Hotels Camping Eating out Food Water Equipment Maps Waymarking and navigation Petites Randonnees, local routes and nature trails Geology: gorges, caverns and garrigues Flora and fauna Rural economy Mountain safety Snakes Dogs Thieves Photography Language Money- banks and post offices Insurance Telephone to Britain Public Holidays and time in France Walking holidays of varying length and type Notes on using the guidebook GUIDE: Summary Table Day: 1. Grasse to Greolieres 2. Greolieres to Aiglun 3. Aiglun to Amirat 4. Amirat to Entrevaux 5. Entrevaux to Le Touyet 6. Le Touyet ro Castellane 7. Castellane to Point Sublime (Rougon) 8. Point Sublime (Rougon) to La Maline through the Verdon Gorges 9. La Maline to Moustiers- Sainte- Marie via La Palud- sur- Verdon 10. Moustiers- Sainte- Marie to Riez 11. Riez to Greoux- les- Bains 12. Greoux- les- Bains to Manosque (the Durance Valley) 13.Manosque to Cereste (the Luberon) 14. Cereste to Viens, via the Oppedette Gorge 15. Viens to Saint Saurnin d'Apt via the Provencal Colorado 16. Saint Saturnin d'Apt to Sault (Traverse of the Vaucluse Mountains) 17. Sault to the Station de Ski du Mont Serein (Ascent of Mont Ventoux) 18. Station de Ski du Mont Serein to Malaucene 19. Malaucene to Rasteau 20. Rasteau to Mondragon 21. Mondragon to Aigueze via Pont- Saint- Esprit and the Rhone Valley 22. Aigueze to Salavas (the Ardeche Gorges) 23. Salavas to Les Vans via the Chassezac Gorge 24. Les Vans to Thines (into the Cevennes) 25. Thines to Loubaresse 26. Loubaresse to Langogne (Allier Valley) Appendix 1: Gites d'etape and similar accommodation in Provence and the Ardeche, on or near the trail Appendix 2: Other GR Trails in Provence and the Ardeche Appendix 3: Useful Addresses Bibliography
Alan has trekked in over twenty-five countries within Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australasia, and for seventeen years led organised walking holidays in several European countries. A member of the British Outdoor Writers' Guild, he has written more than a dozen walking guidebooks, several on long distance mountain routes in France. His longest solo walks include a Grand Traverse of the European Alps between Nice and Vienna (1510 miles), the Pilgrim's Trail from Le Puy to Santiago de Compostela (960 miles) and a Coast-to-Coast across the French Pyrenees (540 miles). A Munroist and erstwhile National Secretary and Long Distance Path Information Officer of the Long Distance Walkers Association, Alan now lives at the foot of the Moffat Hills in Scotland, in the heart of the Southern Uplands. Alan's first encounter with the Southern Upland Way was in 1995, when he backpacked the full length of the trail. A decade later he repeated the complete trail a second time, this time mainly using bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation, in order to research this guidebook. He has travelled extensively on foot in most areas of the Southern Uplands, having climbed all of the Donalds and most of the other hills above 500m in height, and traversed them from south to north in 2003 as part of his walk between Land's End and John o'Groats.