France walks - Walks in the Garrigues

1. Theme

This is one of our France walks that is suitable for all hikers. Walks in the Garrigues takes you across one of the most enigmatic yet distinctive regions where man has chosen to settle – the French Mediterranean Garrigue and the hinterland of Nimes. You can literally smell that you are in the south of France, where plant-life is especially adapted to the hot, dry climate and radiate perfumed oils – lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme and Artemisia. Come and smell the difference as you walk across undulating lowland that’s perfect for hiking any time of year.

You embark on a journey across undulating lowland from Ales, at the foothills of the Cevennes mountains, to Nimes, the Gallo-Roman capital of southern France. It is the perfect light trekking experience for hikers who love bucolic trails and those passionate about horticulture, Mediterranean food and the landscape from whence it comes.

The themes are multifarious:
I. Garrigue summers are intensely hot and dry, making hiking physically demanding. Accept the challenge or trail lengths can be shortened to the mornings only, so you avoid walking in the afternoon's heat. Walking in France's Garrigue is perfectly suited to hiking outside the main holiday season, so you can enjoy the special experience when you want to and in temperatures that are less extreme. Winters are particularly mild, so whilst the rest of Europe has its skis and snow boots on, you can be walking France during the fine, sunshine-drenched autumn and winter afternoons¹ and in relatively-light clothing.

II. The terrain is undulating lowland, perfect for hikers who enjoy a good walk without the unnecessary challenges set by excesses of ascents and descents. You rarely get above 200 metres and hike a series of hill-top villages stretched out along the Gardon Valley.

III. This is Huguenot territory and some of France’s oldest Protestant churches are to be found here. Come and discover for yourself what made this region a Protestant stronghold during the French wars of religion. You walk stretches of medieval St-Giles Way as it wends its way along the Gardon Valley.

IV. It is an intensely human environment: in contrast with many of our walking tours in France that enable you to gain access to relatively remote parts of France, the Garrigue has always been and remains a quintessentially human milieu. The landscape of the Languedoc Garrigue is agricultural-led, dominated by vines and olives. For lovers of aromatic shrubs, lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme and artemisia are to be seen and smelt throughout your hike, as well as chamomile, cactus and myrtle.

For those hikers who like to enjoy the fruits of the countryside whilst remaining intimately attached to civilization, Walks in the Garrigues is perfect for you.

¹ Bar the seasonal rains, that normally fall in late late April and October/early November.

2. Model 7-night Garrigue trekking tour

3. Accommodation

4. What's Included

5. Prices 2010