The Robert Louis Stevenson Trail - A Walker's guide

A guide for walking in the footsteps of Stevenson as he travelled through France’s Velay and Cevennes regions accompanied by his faithful donkey, Modestine. At 140km, this route is ideal for people new to walking holidays. Starts at Le Puy, finishes at St Jean de Gard. A great route with a historic and literary feel.

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STAGE 9 – Le Pont-de-Montvert to Florac

27.3km (17 miles)

8hrs 45mins

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Of all the excellent walking on the RLS Trail, today’s route has to be the crème de la crème, with views all day of the highest order. Ironically, it is the only long section of the route that was not walked by the great man himself, as Stevenson used the track along the valley to Florac, on what is now the metalled and busy D998. The modern trail thankfully takes to the hills to follow the long and high Bougès ridge that runs westwards for many kilometres, eventually descending to the valley of the Tarnon and to Florac, the capital of the Cévennes, at the foot of the mighty Causses plateau.
But before this spectacular ridge is reached there are other delights, particularly the climb out of the valley of the Tarn on the ancient cobbled draille from Le Pont-de-Montvert. On the negative side, today’s walk is the longest on the entire route, so be sure to make an early start to enjoy it to the full. Flagging walkers have the option of taking the shorter GR68 into Florac at the end of the day, saving at least an hour of effort.

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Facilities

There are no possibilities of obtaining refreshments along today’s route, and once Le Pont-de-Montvert is left, it is necessary to be self-sufficient until the end of the day at Florac. A detour into the village of Bédouès, only a few kilometres before Florac, will locate a café and restaurant towards the end of the walk. The main possibility for accommodation before reaching Florac is to make a long detour and descent (with re-ascent the next day!) to the south off the Bougès ridge, to the gîte d’étape at the hamlet of Mijavols.

A detour of about 1.6km to the east of the Pont de la Pontèse, near the end of the day, leads to the village of Cocurès, where there is a hotel/restaurant. Campers are a little more fortunate in that they can stay at the campsite (Camping Chantemerle) at the Pont de la Pontèse below Bédouès, but again this is only a few kilometres before Florac. There is another campsite, Le Chon du Tarn, to the southwest of Bédouès, north of Florac.
If you are unfortunate enough to be caught out in bad weather on the ridge there is a good shelter, the Cabane à Bonnal, to the east of the Col du Sapet (water source nearby).

Florac has all the facilities one would expect of the largest town in the Cévennes, with plentiful shops of most types, including several supermarkets, banks, a post office and a tourist office, and of course several restaurants, cafés and bars. The town also has at least four hotels and two gîtes d’étape. The municipal campsite, La Tière, will be found by the river on the southern edge of the town.

Travels with a Donkey

RLS had lunch at the inn at ‘Pont de Montvert, or ‘Greenhill Bridge’, where he ate in the company of three women and flirted with the waitress. He left the village on ‘a new road…from Pont de Montvert to Florac by the valley of the Tarn, a smooth sandy ledge’. Today this is a metalled road, the busy D998. Stevenson’s spirits were still high as he journeyed beneath the chestnut trees, ‘…from bays of shadow into promontories of afternoon sun’. A short way down the valley he sought out a small ‘unpleasantly exposed’ plateau above the road, to where he ‘goaded and kicked the reluctant Modestine’ and camped for the night. Stevenson was by now enjoying his nights out under the stars, in fine and warm weather, although on this occasion he was bothered by rats that made disturbing sounds, ‘such a noise as a person would make scratching loudly with a finger nail’. He was thus less pleased with his lodgings than on the previous night on Mont Lozère, so this time declined ‘to leave pieces of money on the turf’, but nevertheless gave money to a beggar woman he met the following morning.

After his ‘morning toilette in the water of the Tarn’  he continued down the valley, making several acquaintances on the way, including a ‘Plymouth Brother’ with whom he discussed religion and accompanied to the hamlet of La Vernède, ‘a humble place, with less than a dozen houses, and a Protestant chapel on a knoll’. He took breakfast at the inn where he discovered that the villagers ‘…were all Protestants – a fact which pleased me more than I should have expected’.

After resting awhile with these friendly and ‘upright and simple’ folk, he continued his journey, visiting the ruins of the Château de Miral and passing through Cocurès, ‘sitting among vineyards and green meadows and orchards’, followed by Bédouès, where he saw ‘a battlemented monastery long since disabled and turned into a church’. And so he arrived in Florac, ‘as perfect a little town as one would desire to see…with an old castle, an alley of planes, many quaint street-corners, and a live fountain welling from the hill’.

He spent the afternoon and night at an inn in the town where he conversed with the locals and was given advice on the route for the next (and last) stage of his journey to Saint-Jean-du-Gard. He observed that ‘Protestant and Catholic intermingled in a very easy manner’, but was ‘surprised to see what a lively memory still subsisted of the religious war’.

Route

Cross the stone bridge over the River Tarn in the centre of Le Pont-de-Montvert, passing the old toll tower, and bear left for 10 metres until, when opposite the hotel Les Cévennes, turn right up a narrow street between houses (those requiring the campsite will find it by continuing ahead at this point, i.e. not making the right turn opposite the hotel). So begins a long steep climb up into the hills to the south of the village.

Climb steeply, pass through a wooden gate and leave the village by ascending an ancient cobbled footpath, once used by muleteers. This quite amazing path climbs steeply above the valley, offering fine views down to Le Pont-de-Montvert. The path passes through a couple of other gates to reach the plateau known as the Cham de l’Hermet. At the top of the climb be sure to look back. Your route from Mont Lozère and down the valley to Le Pont-de-Montvert is clearly visible. Say a last fond farewell to Le Pont-de-Montvert before turning your back on the scene and stepping out across the plateau on a good, narrow sandy footpath.

The path traverses the plateau for over a kilometre, widens to a sandy track and then descends a little. Before a road is reached be sure to turn left off the track onto a waymarked footpath, which heads southeastwards, enters trees and descends into the Fiarouze valley. Soon, after passing under power lines, the trail reaches the D20. Turn left here to cross the bridge over the river, and continue on this road for about 600 metres until you see a wide concrete track heading uphill on the right. Take this to climb steeply into the forest.

The concrete surface gives way to a sandy track as the trail levels to reach an open grassy area, the Champ Long de Bougès. Pass the farmstead of the same name and continue ahead at a cross-tracks signposted to Florac, again climbing steeply through the wood. On reaching a track junction continue ahead, still heading uphill. At a Y-junction of tracks keep to the right, on the lower of the two tracks, which continues the ascent to reach an open area, the Col de la Planette (1292m). The GR70 and GR68 are coincident for the next 11km from this point, until the two part company nearly 6km west of the Col du Sapet.

Turn right at the Col de la Planette, heading westwards on a good track. After about 300 metres, at a small clearing (the Col des Trois Fayards) leave this track to bear right uphill, and 50 metres later turn left, climbing steeply on a path through the trees. Ascend to an unnamed summit at 1398m, crowned by a group of large ‘stone men’ cairns. Bear right here, descending to another col before climbing the Signal du Bougès, which at 1421m is both the highest point on the ridge and on today’s route. The summit is marked by a large cairn and an IGN triangulation survey point, and the views are extensive – to the north to Mont Lozère, to the hills to the south and to the Causse in the west.

Continue westwards along the ridge, enjoying the spectacular views of the high Cévennes and the Causse. The ridge you are to follow stretches clearly out in front of you. Descend to the edge of trees, part of the huge Bois d’Altefage, where you ignore the track ahead, but instead bear left on a track that descends into the wood. Soon emerge from the trees again, and later pass the path that leads off to the left to Mijavols (in 3.5km).

After this junction you will soon arrive at a small wooden abri with a wooden picnic table outside and shelter and a table inside. This is the Cabane à Bonnal. A  water source is located nearby (a description of how to find this should be pinned to the wall inside the cabin). Leave the hut to continue the descent on the rocky and sandy path, eventually reaching a road, the D20 again, at the Col du Sapet (1080m). Here there is a sign indicating that it is 10km to Florac on the GR68 but 12km on the GR70 – both figures are somewhat optimistic!

Cross the road to take the broad track westwards, to the north of Le Sapet (1114m) summit. Follow the main track, with good views out to the north to the Mont Lozère plateau, to enter the Ramponenche Forest. Remain on this forest track for several kilometres. Keep ahead on reaching a junction of seven tracks, slowly descending through the wood, later passing a small stone shelter on the left and later still the small Reservoir de la Chaumette, again on the left. Soon after this reservoir the track swings to head north and then reaches an important track junction.

The shortest route into Florac is on the GR68, which turns to the left (see ‘GR68 Alternative Route into Florac’ below), but the RLS Trail, the GR70, remains on the main track as it swings sharply to the right to descend into the Ravin de Vallongue. After about a kilometre ignore a track off to the right, but instead swing to the left, continuing the descent. On reaching the Tarn valley floor cross a ford and then follow the River Tarn, with a dramatic gorge down to your right. The track eventually climbs a little to a track junction at a bend. Bear right here to descend to a road to cross the Pont de la Pontèse over the River Tarn.

Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn left into Camping Chantemerle (two stars). At the end of the campsite ignore La Gardette on the right, but continue ahead at a ‘No through road’ sign, now following the opposite bank of the River Tarn. The lane becomes a footpath after passing a house on the right. The village of Bédouès, with its most impressive collégiale (collegiate church), is seen across the river to the south.

The footpath emerges onto a minor surfaced lane at another bridge over the Tarn. Continue ahead on this lane, still following the river. This minor road eventually becomes an unsurfaced track. Bear left at a junction. The trail climbs a little as it follows the course of the valley, which now swings towards the south. This ancient path passes between scores of châtaigneraie (chestnut trees), the fruits of which formed the staple diet of the populace in centuries past.

The path meets a road. Walk straight ahead, the GR70 now joining with the GR68 from La Fage, which has descended from the hill behind. Descend to a T-junction where you turn left to cross an old bridge and reach the main road, the N106. Bear left on this heading south, keeping to the footpath on the right-hand side of the road. (Note the road sign informing that it is 73km from here to Alès by this main road.) After about 600 metres, opposite the point where the GR68 (the shorter alternative to Florac) comes out on the road on your left, turn right over the bridge, Pont de la Bessède, over the River Tarnon, so entering Florac, the ‘capital’ of the Cévennes, and not far from the Tarn gorges.

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GR68 Alternative into Florac

The GR68 allows those who are tired to shorten the long day from Le Pont-de-Montvert. From the GR68/GR70 junction it is 5km to Florac by the GR68, compared with the 8.9km of the GR70 route.

At a track junction where the GR70 goes off to the right, turn left to follow the GR68. Later, at a clearing where the track turns sharply to the left, look for a narrow path off to the right. The path descends gently through woodland and scrub, and soon Florac and the valley below come into view. Head towards the west, aiming for a small ruined stone building from where a path leads downhill. Descend to a fence and then down on a path through trees.

Further down be sure to take a small path off to the left of the main track (this is just before the track divides). Emerge on the N106 at the Pont de la Bessède over the River Tarnon. Turn right if you require a campsite for the night, but to continue on the RLS Trail, cross the bridge and enter the town of Florac.

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Points of Interest

GR68
The RLS Trail follows the GR68 for about 11km westwards from the Col de la Planette. This is arguably the most scenic part of the entire journey. Much of the route follows a high ridge with extensive views of the wooded hillsides and deep-cut valleys of the Cévennes mountains. There are interesting ancient standing stones on the Col du Sapet, and the route passes through the Bois d’Altefage, the wood from where the first operation of the War of the Camisards was launched.

Tarn Valley
Those cyclists or motorists following Stevenson’s route down the D998 will see the 14th-century Château de Miral on a rocky point above the river, northeast of Cocurès. The fortified collegiate church at Bédouès is also worth a visit, for those who still have the time and energy when reaching the Pont de la Pontèse.

Florac
A most attractive town situated at the foot of the high limestone cliffs of the Rocher de Rochefort, at the confluence of the rivers Tarn, Tarnon and Mimente. It lies at a point where permeable limestone meets impermeable schists, and this leads to the reappearance of a subterranean stream, the Source de Pêcher, which flows through the centre of the town down a series of terraces. Many of the medieval streets are delightful, being shaded by avenues of plane trees, with many old fountains, small bridges and narrow alleyways.

Stevenson stayed the night at an inn in Rue Thérond. The 17th-century Château du Florac, mentioned by Stevenson and fortified during the War of the Camisards, is worth a visit. The main office of the Cévennes National Park, the Maison du Parc, is housed within this old castle. It is open all year and offers information on the park, displays, exhibitions and interactive presentations. Situated close to Mont Lozère, the southern Cévennes, Causse Méjean (the superb limestone plateau to the west which is ablaze with wildflowers in springtime) and the Tarn gorges, Florac is an excellent centre for a future holiday, either walking, horse/pony/cycle riding, or car touring.

Tarn Gorges
The spectacular Tarn gorges are situated further down the River Tarn, between Ispagnac (12th-century church and castle) and Sainte-Énimie, west of Florac. A visit is highly recommended, although a day would have to be set aside for this. An infrequent bus service from Florac, heading towards Mende, may be a help, but it is also worth enquiring at the tourist office, as tourist bus tours sometimes operate during the main season. Alternatively, it may be possible to hire a bicycle in Florac, so allowing access to the gorges that are within a day’s ride. Look out in the town for  ‘Bicycles for hire’ signs, or again ask at the office de tourisme.