Cevennes Walking holiday

23km, 6h00, +271 m / -563 m. Today is the last day in the Velay area and after crossing the Allier river you will be in Langogne (915m, pop 3000). It is here where the locals will tell you of the “ferocious beast”, a wolf that supposedly terrified the inhabitants a long time ago and today survives in their memory. Langogne, one of the main gateways to the Cevennes, is a lovely town with an 11th-century Romanesque church and all the amenities a visitor needs. Town: Internet, ATM, shops, all facilities.

16km, 4h15, +359 m / -154 m. Today you will enter, not only a new administrative department (Haute Loire to Lozere), but also a new administrative region (from Auvergne to Languedoc-Roussillon). Town: Internet, ATM, shops, all facilities.

19km, 4h45, +672 m / -787 m. Today is a relatively easy 3 hours walk to reach Luc (971m) where, in 1380, the 3 lords of the area of Luc won a battle against an aggressive English force. Before leaving why not visit the impressive castle! In Rogleton (990m) you have 2 options, go directly to your hotel (45 min walk) or continue another 8 kms to the “Trappe de Notre Dame des Neiges” (1091m, 2hr45). Option 2 will result in a walking day of around 7h30 and 27km in total. Town: Internet, ATM, shops, all facilities.

28 km, 6h45, +676 m / -614 m. Still in the Lozere department, today brings you through the Gevaudan to the lovely village of Chasserades (1150m) after about 3 hours. You are close to approaching the Mont-Lozere (1699m) and the national park of the Cevennes here. Town: Internet, ATM, shops, all facilities.

18 km, 6h00, +714 m / -857 m. Today is the highlight of the trip for many walkers. You will climb to the highest point of the route at “Le Sommet de Finiels” (1699m), also the highest summit in all the Mont Loz¨re area, and stand upon the mountaintop before heading South to Le Pont de Montvert (875m, pop 280), a small village with plenty of charisma and personality situated on the Tarn River. Town: Internet, ATM, shops, all facilities.

28 km, 7h00, +683 m / -1034 m. Welcome to the Camisards country! In historical terms, this is a very interesting part of the trail for it was here that the Camisards war between Protestant groups and Catholic missionaries began at the start of the 18th century. Florac (546m, pop 2100) is the centre of the Cevennes National Park, classified by UNESCO.

29 km, 7h00, +1136 m / -1184 m. There are several menhirs along this route. You can, if you wish, detour up Mont Mars for a view over this heavily forested area. The ubiquitous chestnut tree once provided the staple diet for the local populations.

20.5 km, 6h00, +1011 m / -1334 m. Today, you will walk some of the way on a paved road, “Corniche des Cevennes”, that was built for the military during the reign of Louis XIV. As you descend from the Cevennes into the Midi, you will be able to appreciate a marked change in the landscape. Forests and rocky surroundings begin to give way to vineyards. Some stay on in Gard for an extra night as it is a pleasant town to explore. There are steam train rides from the station at weekends and several museums to visit. Town: ATM, shops, all facilities.

Goodbye after breakfast Town: ATM, shops, all facilities.