Walking Holidays
France

Beaujolais Indulgence

This self-guided walking holiday in France allows you to explore the Beaujolais whilst enjoying an indulgent stay at Chateau Bagnols, a luxury 5-star hotel, located in a wonderful historic castle set in beautiful Beaujolais countryside.  Chateau Bagnols is located in the southern Beaujolais region known as “Golden stones country” (pierres dorées), so-called due to the warm colour of its limestone used to build the historic villages which pepper Beaujolais' sumptuous landscapes of interlocking hills. Made up of about 40 parishes, this picturesque wine-growing area, is often referred to as the French Tuscany. Your walks will explore some of the finest historic villages adorned with imposing chateaux and quaint squares as well as enjoying the wonderful panoramic views that the Beaujolais has to offer. 

Holiday Profile

5 nights/8 days: 3 or more days independent centre-based walking 

Dates

Everyday of week subject to availability from 5 May to 30 September

Walking Profile & Grade

This walking holiday is in the moderate grade with the walking days averaging about 14km with 300m of ascents. The paths are generally good, although they vary greatly in character. Some sections of the trail are rough and stony in places. This holiday is flexible so that you can walk as much or as little as you wish.

This walking holiday is graded moderate. You should have some experience of day walking and be in reasonable health. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

You will stay in stay in luxury 5-star accommodation at Chateau Bagnols. The hotel has a well-being spa, swimming pool, extensive grounds and 2 restaurants, all set in the heart of beautiful Beaujolais countryside. 

When to Travel

Our self-guided Beaujolais Indulgence walking holiday is available from May until the end of September. From April to October the Beaujolais is generally warm, although it can be hot during the months of July and August. However, relative humidity is often low (except during unstable thundery weather.) Ideal walking temperatures (ie late teens to the low twenties centigrade) are generally experienced from late April to early June and from mid-September to mid-October. Rainfall becomes more and more sporadic and linked to thunderstorms as you move from spring to summer, and this continues into the Autumn. On average there is rain on one in every three days, but this is often for relatively short periods. Autumn is often characterised by warm sunny days. Sunshine totals are characteristic of its southerly position in France and the sun's strength means that you must protect yourself against the sun even on overcast days. 

Other things to consider are the fact that the leaves are often not the trees or the vines until at least mid-April. The grape picking season is often during the first couple of weeks of September and although this provides added activity to the countryside, it also means that some of our first choice guest houses are not available. In October the Beaujolais takes on a different character with autumn colours.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

Most of this walking holiday follows local trails waymarked in yellow. There are also a number of other waymarkings including the red and white of the GR76, a long-distance trail that follows some of the ridgelines in the Beaujolais. You'll follow this trail for small parts of your walks on three of the days. There is a good network of signposts with place names and directions. The walking follows clear paths, tracks, and minor roads for its entire duration. Our walking notes are very detailed (more information here) and include intermediate distances for sections of the trail. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by IGN at a scale of 1:25,000. Your walking trails are highlighted on the maps.

Transfers

On this walking holiday, you'll be provided with transfers to and from some of the walks, whilst on other days your walking circuit leaves directly from your accommodation. During your walk, you only have to carry a day rucksack with a picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, a camera etc. 

Travel Options

Pick-up and private transfer from Lyon airport or train stations are included in the price of the walking holiday.

Flights:

The airlines Easy jet, Flybe and British Airways have scheduled flights from the UK - Luton, Gatwick, Edingburgh and Heathrow - to Lyon St Exupery airport.

Train:

Eurostar and the TGV run trains from London to Lyon Part Dieu direct and change at Lille or Paris.

Self-Drive:

Cross-channel crossing are available with P&O and DFDS ferries, as well as Eurotunnel. Once in France, the journey from Calais to the Beaujolais area takes about 7 hours (excluding long breaks). Tolls amount to about 60 euros each way.

Note: Please check concerning the availability of a holiday before booking any flights. If you need further information or would like to discuss any aspect of your travel arrangements, please contact us, we’re here to help you. We would be happy to book travel arrangements to Lyon, France on your behalf.

5 nights / 3 or 4 days walking 

• From €2850 per person
• Prices are per person and based on 2 sharing a room
• Please contact us concerning single supplements