Stevenson trail : the entire route in 14 days

Name: Stevenson trail : the entire route in 14 days
Brand: La Vie Sauvage
Price: 1450,00 EUR
Availability: InStock

In September 1878, the young Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson set out on an unforgettable treck, later immortalized in his classic book, Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes. Driven by a deep desire to discover this French region, he traveled through charming villages accompanied by his faithful companion and donkey, Modestine. You can now experience his tour, called the Stevenson Trail, with more comfort : enjoy the local gastronomy, meet other adventurers and greet the locals as you walk beautiful trails.

Average cumulative ascent and/ or descent of the Stevenson Trail : between 250 and 820m.

Les plus de La Vie Sauvage

Visit Le Puy en Velay, a World UNESCO Heritage Site
Discover the stunning views of the Cevennes National Park
Walk off the beaten paths rural trails

14 jours

à partir de 1 450 €

Activité

Hike

Itinérance

Voyage Itinérant

Type de voyage

Liberté

Niveau physique :

Niveau technique :

Départs possibles du 18 août au 18 août

Réserver/Demander un devis

Code : FRAMCEN03

Programme jour par jour

Day 1 : Puy-en-Velay

Arrive in Puy-en-Velay and check into your hotel in the late afternoon.

Depending on your arrival time, you can explore the picturesque town of Le Puy : the old town with its orange-red roofs, the variety of museums, Notre-Dame Cathedral and its 12th-century cloister, its volcanic rock (Corneille) overlooking the town.

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel ***

Day 2 : Walk Le Puy-en-Velay to Le Monastier Sur Gazeille

Your hike begins on the Saint-Régis trail. As you leave the town, the trail takes you into the surrounding countryside and breathtaking views of Le Puy. Your itinerary continues through the green fields and shady forests of the Haute-Loire. You pass through Coubon and L'Holme before arriving at Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille.

WALKING TIME : between 5 and 5.5 hours

DISTANCE : 19 km

ASCENT: 550 m

DESCENT : 230 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel or guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 3 : Walk Le Monastier sur Gazeille to Le Bouchet Saint Nicolas

This charming little village is the starting point. You begin by following the Gazeille Valley, with the remains of old mills dotted along the way, before reaching the heights of the volcanic plateau. The trail takes you through charming villages and then to the banks of the Loire with its steep banks dominated by the remains of the Château de Goudet. The section ends in the village of Bouchet St Nicolas.

WALKING TIME : between 6 and 6h30

DISTANCE : 23 km

ASCENT: 650 m

DESCENT : 350 m

ACCOMMODATION : Guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 4 : Walk Le Bouchet Saint Nicolas to Pradelles / Langogne

Leaving Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas, you pass through the villages of Landos and Arquejol. This day will be an opportunity to discover the rural life of the past: numerous wayside crosses, washing places, blacksmith's forges, ovens, meeting houses... You will reach Pradelles, located, as Stevenson describes it, “on the side of a hill overlooking the Allier, surrounded by lush meadows” and classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

WALKING TIME : between 6 and 6h30

DISTANCE : 20 km

ASCENT: 250 m

DESCENT : 315 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel ***

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 5 : Walk Pradelles / Langogne to Le Cheylard l'Evêque

You enter Gévaudan, the land of the legendary “ferocious beast” that spread terror for over a hundred years. You leave Haute-Loire for Lozère and cross the Allier Valley before entering Langogne. You cross a landscape of wild moors, heathland marshes, rocky expanses with pine trees, and birch groves.

WALKING TIME : between 6 and 6h30

DISTANCE : 21 km

ASCENT: 390 m

DESCENT : 420 m

ACCOMMODATION : Guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 6 : Walk Le Cheylard l'Evêque to La Bastide-Puylaurent

Along the way, you pass through the village of Luc, dominated by its remains of a castle that was once one of the most important in the region. You take the old Régordanes road, an ancient Cévennes route that crosses the Massif Central towards Paris.

There is a option to visit the Abbey of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, a remote and peaceful place where Stevenson stayed. Unfortunately, the abbey no longer resembles the one the writer knew, as it was damaged by fire in 1912.

+ 6 km - 1h30 walk for the extra part.

WALKING TIME : between 6 and 8 hours

DISTANCE : 19 km

ASCENT: 320 m

DESCENT : 430 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 7 : Walk La Bastide-Puylaurent to Chasseradès

The path climbs up the hillside and joins the ridge at the summit of La Mourade at an altitude of 1,309 m, offering breathtaking views of the Gardille plateau, Goulet mountain, and Mont Lozère. After passing through the village of Chabalier, you will reach the pleasant village of Chasseradès.

WALKING TIME : between 3h30 and 4 hours

DISTANCE : 13 km

ASCENT: 350 m

DESCENT : 200 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel or guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 8 : Walk Chasseradès to Le Bleymard

After the village of L'Estampe, you reach the Goulet national forest. The Goulet mountains, rising between 900 and 1,500 meters above sea level, are composed of granite that is more or less steep. Passing through a peaceful pastoral and forest landscape, you will come close to the Lot River's springs. Before descending to the village of Bleymard, you will discover the bare peaks of Mount Lozère.

WALKING TIME : between 5h30 and 6 hours

DISTANCE : 18 km

ASCENT: 610 m

DESCENT : 690 m

ACCOMMODATION : Guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 9 : Walk Le Bleymard to Pont de Montvert

The trail leads to the highest point of your hike, Mont Lozère and the summit of Finiels (1,699 m). The view is breathtaking, with a 360° panorama: you can see Aubrac, Margeride, Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc, the Cévennes, and maybe even Mont Blanc on a clear day.
Then you descend to Pont-de-Montvert, an iconic village at an altitude of 875m, closely tied to the history of the Camisards. It is here that the Tarn river begins its course, starting its journey through magnificent gorges characterized by spectacular granite formations.

WALKING TIME : between 6h and 6h30

DISTANCE : 20 km

ASCENT: 820 m

DESCENT : 1015 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 10 : Walk Pont de Montvert to Florac

You start the day in the Bouges massif, the third highest in the Cévennes National Park, rising to 1,421 m. The trail passes through small clearings and ridges where you can guess former sheep tracks. After the Sapet pass and the village of Bédouès, you reach the medieval town of Florac, at an altitude of 537 m at the foot of the Causse Méjean.

WALKING TIME : between 7h and 7h30

DISTANCE : 26 km

ASCENT: 690 m

DESCENT : 940 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 11 : Walk Florac to Cassagnas

The itinerary begins in St Julien d'Arpaon and continues through the wild Mimente Valley. This 116 km long river originates in the Bougès mountain. The slopes of the valley are surrounded by vast chestnut trees and interspersed with natural meadows. The trail arrives at the old abandoned train station in the village of Cassagnas.

WALKING TIME : between 4h30 and 5 hours

DISTANCE : 18 km

ASCENT: 340 m

DESCENT : 180 m

ACCOMMODATION : Guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 12 : Walk Cassagnas to Saint Germain de Calberte to Saint Etienne Vallée Française

From Cassagnas, you plunge into the heart of the Cévennes National Park. You take the old royal road from Barre-des-Cévennes to Saint-Germain-de-Calberte, carved into the rock, through the Fontmort national forest. The section ends at Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française, whose name probably comes from the invasion of the Franks. It was here that Stevenson left his faithful companion, Modestine.

WALKING TIME : between 5h30 and 6 hours

DISTANCE : 22 km

ASCENT: 350 m

DESCENT : 450 m

ACCOMMODATION : Guesthouse

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)

Day 13 : Walk Saint Etienne Vallée Française to Saint Jean du Gard

The last stretch of Stevenson's trail passes through the Saint-Pierre Pass and finally descends to Saint-Jean-Du Gard, a charming little town with its museum of the Cévennes valleys. The last steps of this hike allow you to observe a transition to a gentler, more southern landscape.

WALKING TIME : between 4h30 and 5 hours

DISTANCE : 15 km

ASCENT: 480 m

DESCENT : 600 m

ACCOMMODATION : Hotel

LUGGAGE SUPPORT : with luggage support (if you have chosen this option)