GR70 The Stevenson Trail

Stevenson was not yet thirty when he set off with Modestine, his stubborn donkey, two big volumes in his luggage and a wish to walk alone. His idea of hiking could be put in a few words: you set off not to arrive, but to move, to feel the ground under your feet and to clear your head. Walking this Velay means rediscovering a little of that state of mind.

The scenery, for its part, tells the story of the volcano: open plateaux, lakes, rounded sucs (volcanic peaks), low walls of dark stone and summer pastures where the herds graze. The wind runs there unobstructed, the light changes fast. It is a frank introduction, more rolling than mountainous, ideal for a first long trail or for trying out walking with a donkey. Our take: don't rush these three Velay days on the pretext that most of the legend plays out further south; they set the tone for everything else.

You start in Le Puy-en-Velay, at just over 620 metres above sea level, where the old town clings to its volcanic pitons. This is the opening of the Stevenson Trail, the Velay section of a GR that then runs south as far as the Cévennes. Here in Haute-Loire, allow nearly 70 km to reach the threshold of the Lozère.

The path soon reaches Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, the village where Stevenson actually packed his bag in 1878. You then dive down to Goudet, at the bottom of the Loire valley, before climbing back up onto the high plateaux. Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas, then Landos, mark the crossing of this land of lakes and basalt flows.

The terrain keeps you climbing and descending: the low point stays at 622 metres, the high point climbs to around 1,238 metres, and the sum of the bumps exceeds 1,900 metres of positive elevation gain. Nothing dizzying, but your legs will be working. You finish this section at Pradelles, a hilltop village listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France (the Most Beautiful Villages of France), just before tipping into the Lozère.

The red and white GR waymarking guides you from start to finish. This section is walked in three unhurried days, and lends itself well to the local tradition: setting off with a pack donkey, like the writer. Spring and autumn remain the best windows, as winter on these plateaux is harsh and often snow-covered.