Stevenson Trail

Hike on the GR®70 Stevenson trail from Puy-en-Velay to Ales through Auvergne and Cevennes region via Haute-Loire, Lozere, Ardeche and Gard departments. Guest House, Bed and Breakfast, Hotel, Camping, Inn.

Randonnée sur le sentier Stevenson GR®70Stevensonweg GR®70Wandelen op Stevensonroute GR®70

 

Robert Louis Stevenson

GR®70

Stevenson trail

From Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire) to Ales (Gard)

268km

Google Maps - Google Earth

Hiking on the Stevenson Trail GR®70 IGN

 

Stevenson trail GR®70 elevation

 

Le Puy en VelayPradellesSur le Sentier de StevensonLa BastideMont Lozère

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© GPX For private use

Distance: 268km, Elevation maximum: 1699m, Elevation minimum: 130m, Elevation gain uphill: 7655m
IGN Maps: Le Puy-en-Velay (2735E). Le Puy-en-Velay Yssingeaux (2835OT). Solignac-sur-Loire Cayres (2736E). Gerbier de Jonc Mézenc Vivarais (2836OT). Langogne (2737E). La Bastide-Puylaurent (2738E). Largentière la Bastide-Puylaurent Vivarais Cévenol (2838OT). Mont Lozère Florac PN des Cévennes (2739OT). Corniche des Cévennes PN des Cévennes (2740ET). Alès (2840OT).

 

 

 

Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping***, 04 71 09 55 09, Email
Located in lush greenery and near the river. The place is ideal for hikers. Very close to the city center with a superb view of the famous Rock where the Cloister and the Virgin culminate, emblem of Puy-en-Velay. Free Wifi, grocery store, local products, snack bar. Pets are always welcome and free!
Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping 1Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping 2Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping 3Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping 4Aiguilhe: Puy-en-Velay Camping 5

La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House, 06 83 99 70 86, Email
Former resort Hotel built in 1926 in the architectural style typical of the "Roaring Twenties", L'Etoile Guest house is a mountain retreat in the South of France. Beautiful park along the Allier River. Bedrooms are spacious and comfortable. Private parking. GR®: 7, 70, 72, 470, 700. GRP®: Ardechoise, Margeride, Cevenol. Many Hiking loops.

La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House 1La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House 2La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House 3La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House 4La Bastide-Puylaurent: L'Etoile Guest House 5

La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons, M. Wahrenberger, 06 47 44 14 63, 04 66 46 39 24, Email

Homemade meal from short circuit, 3 private bedrooms, bathroom and toilet. The house is not very big but our heart is big.
Warm and friendly atmosphere DRESSE CODE. Good mood !

La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons 1La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons 2La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons 3La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons 4La Bastide-Puylaurent: Guest house Villa des 4 Saisons 5

La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier, M. Evenou, 04 66 46 04 06, Email

At the water's edge (ALLIER), in a bucolic place, you will find a pizzeria restaurant, rental of mobile homes 2/4/6 places, pitches for tents, caravans, camper vans.

La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier 1La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier 2La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier 3La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier 4La Bastide-Puylaurent: Camping de l'Allier 5
Chasserades: Hotel des Sources, Eric Chaptal, 04 66 46 01 14, Email

In a warm atmosphere, the Hotel des Sources welcomes you in a pleasant natural setting where you can enjoy calm and serene nature without restriction. Generous regional cuisine.
Chasserades: Hotel des Sources 1Chasserades: Hotel des Sources 2Chasserades: Hotel des Sources 3Chasserades: Hotel des Sources 4Chasserades: Hotel des Sources 5

Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house, M. Wahrenberger, 06 47 44 14 63, 04 66 46 39 24, Email
We welcome you to comfortable Bungalows in an unusual location in the middle of the woods. Rental per night and breakfast or half-board. Weekend/week rental. Bivouac and picnic area, donkey and horse park, mountain bike, quad, motorbike... Group rate, capacity 20 people.

Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house 1Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house 2Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house 3Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house 4Chasserades: Le Sous Bois de Jade Guest house 5

Accommodation

Registration

If you own an accommodation or a business on or near the GR®70, you can appear on GR®70-Stevenson

For your registration, you can send me by email (papadimitriou4@gmail.com): your address and phone number, your website (Facebook page), a brief description with 5 beautiful photos of your establishment.

Registration price : 25€/year or 100€/5 years per GR® or GRP®. Renewable.

 

On 22nd September, 1878, the young Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, (RLS), set out on foot from Monastier sur Gazeille in the Haute-Loire with his donkey Modestine. 12 days, 220 kms and many adventures later, he arrived at Saint Jean de Gard. He had a twofold objective - to try and forget his love for Fanny Osbourne, the beautiful American woman who he in fact eventually married some years later - and to explore the countryside of the Camisards, the French Protestants, from the rugged and isolated Cevennes region of southern France.

He wrote an amusing account of his journey and a long distance footpath (GR 70) has been devised with the object of letting us walk in Stevenson's footsteps. We will read about Stevenson's adventures as we have our own.This beautiful trail follows footpaths, ancient bridleways and drove roads and fits conveniently into a fortnight of walking. We start in the Velay area and then move through some of the remotest countryside in France strewn with beautiful old historic villages.

After Velay we move into the Gevaudan area and then the Cevennes, protected by National Park status, and rising above the plains of the Languedoc and the Mediterranean. The Cevennes is a maze of deep valleys with winding rivers of clear waters and hill slopes covered in forests of sweet chestnut along with the mulberry which was planted in days gone by for feeding the silkworms bred in the mills called magnaneries.

A country of rebellion and tradition, the Cevennes gradually reveals a bit more of itself at each bend in its glorious footpaths. In the latter stretches of the walk we arrive at the land of the Camisards, infamous for 100 years of fighting between Protestants and Catholics in the Middle Ages.

Step by step, follow the path taken by the famous writer of " Treasure Island" from the volcanic plateaus of the "basse Auvergne", the Gevaudan and the Mont Lozere, through the outstanding scenery of the Cevennes to the Camisard area and St Jean du Gard.

In preparation read "Travel with a donkey in the Cevennes" by Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as the topo-guide GR®70 "Stevenson's Way" and "Cevennes" by Kenneth White.The route is mainly at a height of about 1000 meters, from North to South. To get there you go through the Loire, the Allier, the Lot and the Tarn. The trip ends with Mont Finiels (1700 m.) and the Signal de Goudes (1400 m.).The route begins at Le Puy en Velay and goes along the volcanic plateaus of the Velay. Afterwards you enter the Gevaudan having crossed the Allier. This is the region where, according to the legend, a monster lived, among heather, rocks and pines.Mont Lozere, where upright stones mark the route for hikers, forms the third part of the journey. From this stony view-point one can see the Cevennes and the "bas-Languedoc" and as far as the Mediterranean Sea. The path pushes into the Cevennes in the land of the Camisards.

You will be surrounded by terraced chestnut-trees.The richness of its flora and fauna is notable. Since the reintroduction of wild vultures, beavers, wild sheep and big "Tetras" the biodiversity is even greater. Some areas have been recolonized by otters, black woodpeckers, Teungmalm owls, eagles, horned owls, etcIn Haute-Loire and Lozere department from Monastier-sur-Gazeille to Pont-de-Montvert, winters last a long time, the spring does not really start until the beginning of June. The best time to hike on the Stevenson trail is from late May to late September.

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Parc National des CévennesPractical Guide

When is the best time to do the Stevenson Trail?
From late May to late September. Be careful in the northern half of the GR®70, where the altitude exceeds 1000 meters and the weather can quickly deteriorate in May or early June.

What is the total length of the Stevenson Trail?
268km from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès, 226km from Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille to Saint Jean-du-Gard.

Is the Stevenson Trail difficult?
If you are an experienced hiker in good physical condition and well equipped, you should be able to complete the trail without too much difficulty. However, if you are a beginner or do not have the habit of walking long distances, it is best to start with shorter stages and gradually increase them.

Who can do the Stevenson Trail?
The Stevenson Trail is a hike accessible to all if the distance between the stages is adapted to your physical condition.

What is the budget per person for doing the Stevenson Trail?
The budget for doing the Stevenson Trail depends on several factors, including the duration of the hike, the type of accommodation chosen, and personal expenses. On average, it costs between €500 and €1500 to do the Stevenson Trail in 12 days.

Indicative budget in 12 days: Accommodation: €120 to €720. Food: €300 to €540

Transportation: With the train and bus, you can reach Le Puy-en-Velay. If you arrive by car, the ideal is to leave your car halfway along near a SNCF station, you will then take the train and bus or the Malle Postale to Le Puy-en-Velay to start your hike. You will find your car halfway along to change, which allows you to be less loaded. At the end of the route to go back from Alès and pick up your car by train.

Where are the SNCF stations along the GR®70?
Le Puy-en-Velay, Langogne, Luc, La Bastide-Puylaurent (La Bastide Saint Laurent les Bains), Chasseradès and Alès

What is the most beautiful part of the Stevenson Trail?
Most hikers agree that the crossing of the Mont Lozère is one of the most spectacular moments of the hike. This stage, which connects Bleymard to Pont-de-Montvert, offers stunning views of the peaks of Mont Lozère, the surrounding valleys and the Cévennes range.
Here are some other stages that are often cited as being among the most beautiful on the Stevenson Trail:

Where does the Stevenson Trail start?
The GR®70 goes from Le Puy-en-Velay in Haute-Loire to Alès in the Gard.
Robert Louis Stevenson began his journey at Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille in Haute-Loire to end at Saint Jean-du-Gard.

What are the stages of the Stevenson Trail?
The standard stages are:

  1. Le Puy-en-Velay to Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille: 19 km
  2. Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille to Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas: 24 km
  3. Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas to Pradelles: 21 km
  4. Pradelles to Cheylard-l’Evêque: 22 km
  5. Le Cheylard l’Evêque to La Bastide-Puylaurent: 27 km
  6. La Bastide-Puylaurent to Bleymard 29 km
  7. Le Bleymard to Pont-de-Montvert 19 km
  8. Le Pont-de-Montvert to Florac: 29 km (18 miles)
  9. Florac to Cassagnas: 19 km (12 miles)
  10. Cassagnas to Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française: 24 km (15 miles)
  11. Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française to Saint-Jean-du-Gard: 13 km (8 miles)
  12. Saint-Jean-du-Gard to Alès: 23 km (14 miles)

Why do the Stevenson Trail?
The Stevenson Trail crosses the Cévennes, a natural region located in the south of France. The Cévennes are known for their magnificent landscapes, rich history, and unique culture. Hiking is a great activity to get in shape, disconnect from everyday life, and enjoy nature. By doing the Stevenson Trail, you will have the opportunity to walk in magnificent landscapes and discover the beauty of the Massif Central. If you are a fan of Stevenson, you will enjoy following in his footsteps on the Stevenson Trail. You will see the same landscapes, villages, and towns that Stevenson saw over 140 years ago.

Where to camp on the Stevenson Trail?
Camping is allowed on the Stevenson Trail, but it is subject to some restrictions. In fact, camping is prohibited in national and regional parks, as well as in protected areas. On the Stevenson Trail, camping is therefore allowed in non-protected areas, provided that you follow certain rules:

How to equip yourself for the Stevenson Trail?
The basic equipment for the Stevenson Trail includes the following items: A backpack of 45 to 60 liters. It must be comfortable to carry and adapted to your morphology. Hiking boots. They must be comfortable, waterproof, and non-slip. Clothes adapted to the climate. Plan warm and waterproof clothes for cold and rainy days, as well as light and breathable clothes for hot days. A sleeping bag and a sleeping bag liner if you are sleeping in a hostel, bed and breakfast, or hotel, everything is provided. A water bottle or water bottle. Plan enough food for the day and for dinner if you do not take half board as well as the packed lunch. You can buy food on the way, but it is best to be prepared. If you are camping, you will need a stove to cook your meals. A headlamp or flashlight. A multi-purpose knife. A first aid kit. Plan bandages, compresses, disinfectants, medication for allergies and headaches, etc. A map of the Stevenson Trail or download the GPX file of the route to your smartphone. A compass.

Prudence and respect for the regulations during the crossing of the Cevennes National Park.

To read:

Summary of each book:

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Mon GRIt is advisable to follow the beacons all along your hike and to bring you the FFRandonnee topo-guide. You will also find information on MonGR.fr.

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L'Etoile Guesthouse between Cevennes, Ardeche and Lozere in the South of France

Old romantic Hotel, L'Etoile Guest-House is a mountain retreat in the South of France. With a beautiful park along the Allier River, L'Etoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent between Lozere, Ardeche and Cevennes. Many hiking trails like GR®7, GR®70 Stevenson trail, GR®72, GR®700 Regordane way, Cevenol, GR®470 Allier River Springs and Gorges, Margeride, Ardechoise. Many hiking loops. The right place to relax.

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