A first seminar on homelessness was organized in Gard, in Uzès, on November 13.
9 long-distance hiking routes pedestrian crossing the Gard. “It is a major tourist offer which invites visitors to discover the riches of our landscapes, our terroirs and the Gardois heritage”, rejoices Gard tourism. This is how a few days ago, Gard Tourisme, the Gard Departmental Council, the FF Randonnée du Gard and other tourism stakeholders discussed the subject during a working day. The objective: to think together about a plan d’actions which will make it possible to better raise awareness and support the actions implemented to support the Grande Randonnée in the Gard. Hiking remains one of the favorite sporting activities of the French.
A common roadmap, a first
THE Long-distance hiking trailscalled GR© and recognized by the French Hiking Federation, are pretexts for long-term discovery stays. Often built on a historical route, pilgrimage path or artisanal and/or commercial practicesbeyond the interest of discovering the landscapes, they often have stories to tell us. A GR© is not the result of chance. These paths are approved by the FFRandonnée. They are subject to constant surveillance and maintenance to ensure the safety of hikers.
What long-distance hiking trails are available in the Gard?
The GR© which arrive or cross the Gard come from neighboring departments Hérault, Lozère, Ardèche, Bouches du Rhône, Vaucluse … Several institutions support the dynamic: Departmental Councils, Tourist Development Agencies, Departmental Hiking Committees, Tourist Offices GR© do not all have the same reputation or the same level of maturity. They are run by dedicated structures (often in an associative format). In the Gard, we find roaming on foot:
- The Way of Santiago de Compostela, GR 653, the Arles route which arrives from the Bouches du Rhône and crosses the Gard from East to West in the south of the department, over forty kilometers from St Gilles du Gard towards Hérault .
- The Chemin de Stevenson, GR 70, in the footsteps of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, which links Velay, Gévaudan and arrives in the Cévennes Gardoises.
- The Chemin de St Guilhem which crosses Aubrac and the Aigoual massif whose terminus is located in the village of St Guilhem le Désert in Hérault.
- The Urban Path V which offers a cultural journey in the footsteps of a 14th century French pope, from Lozère to Avignon.
- The Chemin de Régordane, GR 700, rich in intense history between Puy en Velay and Saint Gilles du Gard.
- The Chemin du Pilat à la Méditerranée, GR 42, nearly 500 km of route which flirts with the Rhône.
- In project is the extension of the path “In the footsteps of the Huguenots”, a European cultural route which crosses Germany and Switzerland, whose current terminus is the desert museum in Mialet in the Gard.
But also mountain biking or cycle tourism:
- the GTMC (Grande Traversée du Massif Central), a legendary route from the Morvan to the Mediterranean.
- The ViaRhôna, Euro Vélo 17, which connects Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean
- The Mediterranean by Bike, Euro Vélo 8, from Spain to Greece, its French route goes from Perthus to Menton.
This seminar on Great Homelessness aimed to open a space for dialogue between all these actors. Between round tables and reflection workshops, it allows us to write a common roadmap to better share and make known the riches of these offers. This is IPAMAC, theInter-PArcs association of the MAssif Central, who was chosen to host this day. Created in 1998, IPAMAC brings together the 11 regional natural parks located in the Massif Central and the Cévennes National Park. The seminar could be repeated in the future.
