You like nature, small birds and walking, but on condition that you don’t get lost in the pampas. It is one of the roles of the Departmental Hiking Committee, which brings together around forty local clubs, or nearly 3,000 members affiliated with the National Hiking Federation, to maintain and mark…
You like nature, small birds and walking, but on condition that you don’t get lost in the pampas. It is one of the roles of the Departmental Hiking Committee, which brings together around forty local clubs, or nearly 3,000 members affiliated to the National Pedestrian Federation, to maintain and mark the 5,300 km of various trails. of Lot-et-Garonne, including 4 GR (long-distance hike).
“We are bringing rural roads back to life which were economic vectors”
“It is the volunteers from our clubs who mark all the trails in the department,” says Jacques Guillet, president of the Departmental Committee. There are 200 markers demarcating these paths all year round, and it is a considerable amount of work. » An effort which led the committee to be a candidate for the participatory budget of the Departmental Council, requesting this year 20,000 euros for the maintenance of the paths, because they also need to be cleared and made passable. “We also have an alert function by reporting to the gendarmerie illegal discharges or incidents, such as telephone poles on the ground. »
A network of leaders, who walk the trails, also point out potential risks on a device called Meerkat, such as landslides and places that have become impassable. The Federation also has its free application, Ma Rando, interesting for those who walk throughout France, with digitized GPX paths (file format allowing the exchange of geographical coordinates from GPS).
Heritage and landscapes
“We also have a significant economic role, because hiking is local and sustainable tourism. We keep the small village cafés alive, we take part in Spring on the Farm and Honey Week. And we are giving new life to rural roads which were economic vectors for the villages. »
“There is a variety of landscapes that rarely exists elsewhere, as well as a small, very interesting and dense heritage. Tourists discover a high quality of welcome, as was highlighted last November, during the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Occitanie interregions, which brought together 25 clubs in Agen,” underlines Jacques Guillet. The committee is also capable of mobilizing the troops for events, like the 1,100 participants in the 47 km of the 47. The discipline also offers a wide diversity of practices, from intensive Nordic walking to more family-friendly approaches, including by night or health hikes.
The advantage of getting a license is to benefit from the hiking network, with all the information for traveling in France or abroad. There is also the Tourism Registration system which covers outings and trips organized by affiliated clubs, which have certified facilitators and who know how to react in the event of a problem.
The Committee finally makes it possible to improve relations with the owners of the land where certain trails pass. “We take paths for which there are agreements signed with the owners. We obtain them easily because our charter respects nature,” assures Jacques Guillet.
