Leave in mobility with a backpack of many kilograms on the back, walk several hours a day, plan all the accommodation, all this without including what constitutes the heart of the adventure, the unexpected! Indeed, all this will happen to you on our GR! So, read our pieces of advice.
Inquire before leaving
We know well the hikes that we offer because:
- Our teams mark out the long-distance hikes GR
- We create the descriptions and cartography of your walks
- We permanently update the accommodation and services linked to the GR hikes
So if you can’t manage to find the information you’re looking for here, contact us or come see us in the hiking area at the heart of Le Puy-en-Velay…
Plan your stages
Your stages must be adapted to your physical level and insure you a place to stay for every night.
On the GR of Haute-Loire, we recommend you stages set between 20 and 25 kilometers a day (about 5 to 6 hours of walk). But this number can noticeably vary from a walker to another. If you’re a group of walkers, the inertia of this one into account… a group will travel a less distance than a lone walker.
Your accommodation or place to crash, to sleep, eat or resupply will also be a major factor in the construction of your stages. These last will then either be lengthened or shortened.
The TopoGuides FFRandonnée contain some necessary information for this preparation. Inside each guidebook, you will find:
- A resource chart, indicating the mileage between each village and the existing accommodation and services,
- A listing of accommodation near the path,
- A listing of other sources of information such as Tourist Offices.
You can also consult our consecrated page about the accommodation and services near the long-distance hikes GR.
Hike, variant and markings
We advise you to follow the marked out walking trails GR, made and walked by hiking professionals. Your guidebook ready, pay close attention to the description, the map and the markings on the field.
Beware of the GR crossroads, they’re often source of error. The markings is constantly tended by our teams of volunteers. Nevertheless, you aren’t protected from a missing sign, a tree cutting or plants hiding the markings… Therefore, it’s essential to glance at your guidebook or map or GPS!
The “more pleasant”, “shorter” or “more historic” variants have, for the most part, to be avoided. They are, most of the time, the work of someone having an interest (commercial or not) of making you go by this place rather than another. They often take private paths, cross farming plots, or can be a danger for the walker. On the other hand, the official variants marked in white and red (GR) are walked itineraries.
Book your accommodation
Generally speaking, we advise you to book your accommodation in advance. This is especially true that the long-distance hike GR you walking on is frequented! On much frequented GR as the GR 65 Way to Santiago de Compostela or SGR 70 Way of Stevenson, the booking will assure you a place in accommodation and will prevent you… from extra kilometers!
However, it’s not necessarily vital to book everything in one go. We advise you to book your accommodation for the first 2 or 3 days. You will then do it as and when you move forward.
We remind you here, for the most adventurous, that the wild camping isn’t allowed! Yet, some of the hosts can accept the presence of a tent on their site.
Well-equipped to go on a hike
Follow a long-distance hike (GR) demands a suitable and provided equipment for long distances. We invite you to read our pages on the equipment:
