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Welcome to Hooked on Walking holidays and our walking holidays in France. This particular hiking vacation in France is a level 2 self guided tour down the Gorges of the Tarn valley. The Tarn River flows rapidly towards les Causses from its source at Mont Lozere in the Cevennes. It rushes through this chalky region, through a succession of natural faults that it has enlarged, deepened, sculpted, and carved out to create a sequence of imposing and splendid passes. The river is fed only by resurgence waters, which come from the surrounding Mejean and Sauveterre Causses. What splendid contrast between the old villages and hamlets, sometimes completely abandoned, located on the shadowed bank of the Tarn, and those that bloom and flourish in the sun on the opposite bank! From Florac to Peyreleau, the path will lead you from the heights of the cliffs to the depths of the passes. You will be filled with awe by these glistening landscapes and will feel the earth closing in around you as you slip down the Tarn, cliffs rising high around you, towards the Cirque des Baumes.
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Available daily from April to October
(Summer months can be busy and early booking is recommended)
Level 2 self guided tour
Day 1 - Arrival at FLORAC
Florac a small city at the foot of the Causse Mejean cliffs, and nestled in the confluence of three rivers. It is the entrance to the Gorges of the Tarn. The afternoon will leave you plenty of time to visit Florac, the château and the wonderful narrow roads and squares of the old quarters.
Day 2 - ISPAGNAC – SAINTE ENIMIE 11.8 miles 19 km 
After breakfast a transfer by taxi to the entrance of the village of Ispagnac. You will walk through the village and admire the 11th and 12th century church. You will cross the old gothic bridge of Quezac, the same bridge trod by pilgrims for many years as they came to pray at the feet of the statue of the Quezac Virgin. Head to the banks of the Tarn and pass around the perimeter of the village of Montbrun, near the château de Charbonnières. You will then reach the surprising village of Castelbouc, where the houses lean against the cliffs, and gaze up to the ruins of the château perched 60 metres high on the rock surface. A resurgence of waters from the Causse Mejean gush out into the village from three different spots. You will see the Château de Prades on the opposite bank and will soon after arrive in Sainte Enimie.
Day 3 - SAINTE ENIMIE – LA MALENE 9.4 miles 15 km.
First you can explore the old village of Sainte Enimie, clinging to the cliff’s walls, to discover its picturesque, narrow streets and to climb to the cave where Sainte Enimie (Merovingian princess) lived. You will leave the village and cross the river to head to Saint Chely du Tarn, a beautiful village situated at the edge of a huge, desolate quarry at the foot of intimidating cliffs. You will then discover the quarry of Pougnadoires and the small, cliff side village. Further along the path, you will come across the beautiful, romantic château of La Caze, and arrive at La Malène, used as a crossing point of the Tarn and is also a place of seasonal transhumance. Have a stroll through the narrow streets towards the 12th century Romanesque church before heading to the 16th century château where you will be staying the night.
Day 4 - LES VIGNES - THE MALENE 8.8 miles 14 km. 
In the morning, we invite you to take a boat trip along the straights of the Tarn. This part of the river is one of the narrowest and most beautiful of the Gorges. The cliffs rise several hundred meters, and in some places, several kilometres, above the water’s surface and widen to form the fantastic cirque of Baumes. In the afternoon, a taxi will drive you to the village Les Vignes and you will return to La Malene by way of a path that runs along the edge of the cliffs which overlook the straights of the Tarn. You will find here a different view of the gorges, but no less impressive!
Day 5 - LES VIGNES – LE ROZIER 9.4 miles 15 km.
First by taxi to Les Vignes. You will then descend into the Gorges of Tarn by following the left bank of the river. You will pass under the ruins of the Château de Blanquefort and the impressive Rocher du Cinglegros, a huge, threatening rock separated from the cliff. You will pass through isolated hamlets, such as Sablière, provided with supplies by a cable system from the road on the opposite river bank! You’ll get into Le Rozier and Peyreleau, two villages just separated by the Jonte River.
Day 6 - LE ROZIER 7.5-12.5 miles 12-20 km
Today an unforgettable hike on the edges of Causse Mejean, above the gorges of the Tarn and the Jonte rivers. This sloping foot path leads you to the small deserted hamlet of Capluc, from where you can reach the Capluc rock. The most daring among you may choose to follow the vertical metal ladders to the Rocher de Capluc, from where an outstanding panorama of the Tarn and Jonte stretches. (This route is not recommended, though, to those suffering from vertigo.) Once you have recovered, you will climb towards the Francbouteille pass. From here, several different paths of varying difficulty, Le Vase de Sèvres (the vase of Sèvres), Le Vase de Chine (the vase of China), and Le Balcon du Vertige (Vertigo’s Balcony), offer breathtaking views as they bring you across the Causse and to the pass that will lead you back to Peyreleau.
Day 7 - LE ROZIER.
Tour ends after breakfast.
Difficulty: walks of 4 to 6 hours each day. Elevation of 500m on rolling terrain , some sections are steep.
Accommodation : Selected 2 star hotels.
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What is Included
- 6 nights bed and breakfast in selected 2-star hotels
- 4 dinners
- luggage transfers
- Taxi transfers : Florac-Ispagnac, La Malene-les-Vignes x 2
- Maps
- Route Instructions
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Extras
- Transport before and after tour
- Single Rooms
- Flights
- Entrance to attractions
- Travel Insurance
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2010 Prices
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Standard Tour Code HOWTARN
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Price per persons based on 2 persons sharing double room
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£756
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Single person
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£1069
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How to get there
By Plane to Nimes , Avignon or Marseilles airport and then by train to Ales or Mende. Then by Taxi to Florac (25 miles). At the end a taxi to Millau train station.
To view other walking holidays in France
Click Below if you would like to review our
Cycling Holidays in France
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