The Route of Stevenson, Integral

You arrive in the afternoon at Puy-en-Velay, which served as Robert Louis Stevenson’s first base in 1878 before he went on to Monastier-sur-Gazeille. 

Before reaching your accommodation, let yourself be transported in this story-filled town. Walk through the medieval alleys of the old centre and do not miss the Cathedral with its magnificent Roman cloister, the Statue of the Black Virgin of Puy, and the chapel of St Michel, perched up high on an 80m peak.

For your first stage, you leave Le Puy by climbing up to the Plateau du Pays Vellave, a volcanic platform at about 1000m altitude. From here you can admire panoramic views across the Puy-en-Velay valley. Heading south, you descend towards the River Loire, which you will cross in Coubon, before climbing up on to another plateau. In turn this leads you on to the Monastier sur Gazeille, «a small town of character», and the real starting point of Robert Louis Stevenson and his donkey Modestine’s adventure, in September 1878.

It was from here that Robert Louis Stevenson bought a donkey which he named Modestine, and with whom he set off for Saint Jean du Gard. Before rejoining the volcanic plateau, follow the Gazeille valley. You criss-cross many small villages before descending through gorges to the River Loire. Follow the river on to Goudet and the ruins of its former castle. Having passed through several hamlets and meadows, you arrive at Bouchet Saint Nicolas.

Exiting the village of Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas, you come across an imposing wooden sculpture, depicting Stevenson and Modestine’s journey. Sticking between the Loire and Allier rivers, you pass through the villages of Landos and Arquejol before arriving in Pradelles, a small medieval town which has been officially named as one of the «most beautiful villages of France». A former trading centre for salt, oil and wine, Pradelles has many historic examples of medieval architecture: old ramparts, small streets, arcades and fountains.

You start by crossing the River Allier, and passing through Langogne where you will discover its beautiful Roman church and its 85 carved granite capitals (carved column tops). The route then re-enters the province of Gévaudan from where the legendary «beast of Gévaudan» terrorised the inhabitants for over 100 years.

On this stage of your journey, you will encounter moorland landscapes, marshes covered in heather and imposing granite rocks. Crossing Brugeyrolles and Fouzilhac, you arrive at Cheylard L’Evêque.

This part of the route takes you to the Château de Luc, one of the region’s most significant castles from the Middle Ages. You then continue on to Laveyrune, Rogleton and the summit of Espervelouze (1225m), before arriving at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, a Cistercian abbey where the monks produce wine. 

Stevenson spent three days there!You then head on to La Bastide Puylaurent.

This short final day of hiking takes you up a forest track, offering a beautiful view of the surroundings as you cross the forest of Gardille to reach La Mourade (1310m). You pass through a wind farm before re-descending towards the pretty hamlet of Chasseradès.

The route starts by climbing up through the Lizard forests, towards the top of Goulet (1413m), offering a beautiful panorama over Mont Lozère. Following tracks alongside the streams that feed the Tarn river, you will eventually reach the hamlets of Alpiers and Le Bleymard. You are now at the foot of Mont Lozère.

This is the stage with the biggest climb! Ascend Mont Lozère, on to the Summit of Finiels , passing through forests, moors and fields to arrive in Les Cévennes. An exceptional panorama opens up to you. The route continues on, down the southern slope, passing through the small hamlet of Finiels towards the Pont de Montvert, the village from which the Camisards uprising began in 1702.

The longest stage of your hike takes you across the River Tarn to climb the third highest massif of the Cévennes National Park: Bougès (1421m) stands in the heart of the Camisards. Following the Col du Sapet and Bedouès, then along the River Tarn, you finally arrive at Florac, the ‘capital’ of the Cévennes.

Following the old railway through the Mimente valley, you reach St Julien d’Arpaon and its famous castle. You then arrive at Cassagnas.

This short stage takes you across the Cévennes National Park, through the Fontmort forest and down towards the Col de la Pierre Plantée, before arriving at Saint-German-de-Camberte.

The last leg of your hike following in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson takes you first to Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française to cross the Gardon valley. Passing by the Col de Saint-Pierre, you continue your crossing of the Camisards, before finishing your hike with a descent into Saint-Jean-du-Gard, a typical village of the lower Cévenoles valleys, and the place where Robert Louis Stevenson ended his adventure.

End of the trip after breakfast.