Walking Holidays
France

Southern Beaujolais

This self guided walking holiday takes place in the southern Beaujolais region of France, located to the north west of Lyon, which is made up of a series of rolling hills getting progressively higher as you go north. Despite the relatively gentle nature of their slopes, the scale of the peaks and the depths of the valleys create a landscape of great panoramas and rich contrasts. The character of the hills changes with altitude as the vines give way to forests and pastures on the higher slopes.

Made up of about 40 parishes in the South of the Beaujolais region, the area known as the “Golden stones country” (pierre dorées), is so called due to the colour of the limestone used in its historic buildings. Here, you will pass through a number of remarkable villages with some of the prettiest villages in France perched on hilly promontories. Wherever you look, you'll find fortified remains, chateaux or churches adorning the vine covered slopes. The scale and gentleness of the slopes has created a sumptuous landscape of interlocking hills receding to the horizon, that literally leaves you with the impression of flying over the hills. This picturesque wine growing area is often referred to as the local Tuscany due to the similarities in their expansive landscapes. Your French walking holiday covers a circular tour around the heart of this golden stones area, visiting about 13 of these picturesque and well preserved villages. For the most part, the region is relatively undiscovered in terms of walking holidays and therefore you will enjoy quiet, unspoilt trails.

Holiday Profile

5 nights/6 days: 4 days independent walking moving between guest houses

Dates

Everday of week subject to availability during 1 April to 31 October

Walking Profile & Grade

This self-guided or independent walking holiday in France is made up of 4 walks moving between guest houses. The walks average about 15km with limited ascents and descents although some paths can be rough and stoney in places with the odd steeper section. Average daily ascent is 350m. The walking days are reasonably consistent in terms of their grade.

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

5 nights in small and comfortable guest houses with ensuite accommodation, some on vineyards with plenty of local character. Full board - all breakfasts, 4 picnic lunches and 5 evening meals included in the price.

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking tour of the Beaujolais is available from the beginning of April to the end of October. 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 red and yellow of the tour of the golden stones region of the Beaujolais. There is a fairly dense 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 trail is highlighted on the maps.

Luggage Transfers

On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday your guest houses are responsible for transporting your main luggage, so if you have any specific requests such as a lift to the next guest house then you can speak with the guest house where you are staying. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg. We only use hotels and small guest houses in historic buidlings and some of the rooms are accessible by stairs.

Travel Info

Transfers between Lyon Airport or train station and the Beaujolais region of France are included in the price of your independent walking holiday. Pick ups are generally between

• From €815 per person
• Contact us for information about single supplements
• Prices are per person and based on 2 sharing a room