Florac and the Stevenson Trail
Occitanie, France
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Cévennes Eco-Hiker
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400
XP
+100 France
= 500 total
2 days
Florac and the Stevenson Trail
400 + 100 XP
Florac is the seat of the Cévennes National Park, at the entrance to the Gorges du Tarn under the Causse Méjean, where three rocks meet — the schist of the Cévennes, the granite of Mont Lozère and the limestone of the causses — and where the Pêcher spring, full of big trout, and the Mimente both feed the Tarnon, which joins the Tarn just below the town; which is why Florac calls itself the crossroads of stone and water. Its château was rebuilt in 1652 on the site of the old fortress, and in the Camisard war of 1702 to 1705 the town had to lodge Louis XIV's dragoons. Robert Louis Stevenson reached Florac on 30 September 1878 with his she-donkey Modestine, on the walk through the Cévennes that is now the GR 70, the Chemin de Stevenson.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Walk the GR 70 stage from Le Pont-de-Montvert, where Stevenson retold the Camisards' killing of the abbé du Chayla, down to Florac, and count the small railway tunnels the path goes through along the Mimente — the trail runs on the bed of the line that used to follow the river
2
of 4
Go into the Château de Florac, rebuilt in 1652 on the fortress the wars of religion destroyed, used as a salt store during the Revolution and as a state prison after 1810, and now the headquarters of the Cévennes National Park — work through the exhibitions in it and come out knowing which of the three rocks each side of the valley is made of
3
of 4
Follow the town trail "Une source dans la ville" from the esplanade past the Planet, the Grand-Rue and Saint-Martin church to the source du Pêcher, find the separate griffons where the water comes up out of the scree — none of them has ever been followed underground — and look for the big trout lying in the pool that drains 39 km² of the west edge of the Causse Méjean
4
of 4
Walk out of Florac to the point where the Mimente comes in on the right bank and almost doubles the Tarnon, then follow the Tarnon downstream to where it meets the Tarn below the town at 542 m, at the mouth of the Gorges du Tarn
Walk the GR 70 stage from Le Pont-de-Montvert, where Stevenson retold the Camisards' killing of the abbé du Chayla, down to Florac, and count the small railway tunnels the path goes through along the Mimente — the trail runs on the bed of the line that used to follow the river
Go into the Château de Florac, rebuilt in 1652 on the fortress the wars of religion destroyed, used as a salt store during the Revolution and as a state prison after 1810, and now the headquarters of the Cévennes National Park — work through the exhibitions in it and come out knowing which of the three rocks each side of the valley is made of
Follow the town trail "Une source dans la ville" from the esplanade past the Planet, the Grand-Rue and Saint-Martin church to the source du Pêcher, find the separate griffons where the water comes up out of the scree — none of them has ever been followed underground — and look for the big trout lying in the pool that drains 39 km² of the west edge of the Causse Méjean
Walk out of Florac to the point where the Mimente comes in on the right bank and almost doubles the Tarnon, then follow the Tarnon downstream to where it meets the Tarn below the town at 542 m, at the mouth of the Gorges du Tarn
Before you go
The GR 70 stage is one-way: arrange a lift, a shuttle or a baggage transfer before you set off, or walk out and back on a shorter section. Donkey hire, gîtes and guides along the route are organised through the Chemin de Stevenson association. These are cévenol rivers: they rise fast and hugely in autumn and winter storms — the Tarnon hit 408 m³/s at Florac on 8 November 1982 — so never walk the riverside sections or the Mimente tunnels during a rain warning. Florac town is the park's information centre; check the day's trail conditions there before starting.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
400 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
500 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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