France
Via Garonne and the Pyreneen foothills
In the autumn of 2024, I set off from Toulouse and walked towards the Spanish border on the Atlantic coast at Hendaye.
I started by walking 5 days, south-west along the Via Garonne, which follows the Garonne river through many small and historic villages in France.
I then followed the foothills of the Pyrenees, passing Lourdes, one of the major centres in the Catholic faith, before continuing to the Atlantic coast and the French-Spanish border – all in all 11 days with fabulous views towards the Pyrenees and the green, rolling countryside.
Via Garonne/Pyreneen foothills
Via Aurelia
The Via Aurelia, also known as the Aurelian Way, is a historic route that crosses France from Menton, in the Alpes-Maritimes, to Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhone, originally built in 241 BC by the Roman consul Gaius Aurelius Cotta.
In March 2025, I walked from Saint-Gilles to Arles and on to Roquefort-Les-Pins over 12 days. It is a fabulous walk, passing through the Roman towns or Arles, Aix-en-Provence and Frejus, as well as many other beautiful towns and villages in the south of France. But even more than that, some of the countryside is truly spectacular. Along and over small mountain ranges, the Alpilles National Park, Sainte-Victoire mountain, Roquebrune and Esterel mountain ranges, as well as walking along many rivers, not least the Brague, vineyards and olive groves.
In 2024, I walked from Roquefort-les-Pins to Menton, as part of Italy's Via della Costa.
Via Aurelia
Canal du Midi/Sète à Rhône
Built between 1667 and 1681, and continually enhanced ever since, the Canal du Midi has, for over three centuries meandered for 240, at times very picturesque kilometers between Toulouse to the salty lagoon of Étang de Thau, with access to Sète and the Mediterranean. It was constructed to provide a water link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garonne River (and thus to the Atlantic Ocean).
I walked along the canal between Toulouse and St-Gilles, passing through a number of interesting towns along the canals. Beyond Toulouse and Saint-Gilles, also Castelnaudary, Bram, Carcassonne, Béziers, Sète and Aigues Mortes were all well worth a visit.
I walked in May 2025 and completed the 7th and penultimate stage of my walk from Sagres to Rome.
Canal du Midi/Sète à Rhône