Walking holiday in Aveyron, France

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This self-guided walking tour in Aveyron takes guests through the Gorges du Tarn, the grand causses and the Parc Naturel Régional des Grands Causses. It is, by its very nature, slow and sustainable, with guests walking between 10-18km per day through river valleys, limestone plateaus, forests and medieval villages.

With all of our tours, we encourage our guests to travel to and around France using buses and trains whenever possible. Daily baggage transfers are provided by a local provider, while guests complete most of the route itself on foot, with one transfer included to the accommodation in Nant on day five.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

This walking tour takes guests through some of Aveyron’s most distinctive natural landscapes, including the Gorges du Tarn, Gorges de la Jonte, Gorges de la Dourbie and the limestone plateaus of the grand causses. The route also follows sections of the GR6, GR736 and GR71 through Parc Naturel Régional des Grands Causses, with cliffs, forests, rivers and rocky paths along the way.
We remind guests to practise Leave No Trace throughout their trip, especially when walking through river valleys, forests, limestone plateaus and protected landscapes.
With regards to drinking water, we ask guests to bring refillable water bottles as well as a reusable shopping bag to avoid single-use plastic during their trip. We also ask guests to take any packaging away with them and be mindful of not dropping litter.
We have an in-house responsible tourism expert, who shares tips and advice with our guests in trip notes, blogs and newsletters. For example, on how to reduce their impact on the environment and wildlife, support responsible travel practices and respect the places and communities they pass through.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, good local food and connection to the area.
The itinerary takes guests through places such as Les Vignes, Le Rozier, Peyreleau, Veyreau, Nant, La Couvertoirade and Le Caylar, helping tourism spend reach local businesses, hosts and families along the route. Breakfast is included on all days and dinner is included on two nights. On other days, guests are encouraged to buy lunches and snacks in local shops, pre-order packed lunches where needed, and dine either through their accommodation or in restaurants in the local area.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our partners in France are locally employed and play an important role in contributing to the local economy. At home, we have a strict policy to pay all our own employees and team members a living wage and fair wage, with holiday entitlement. In the hiring process, we prioritise experience, qualifications and passion, emphasising that race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality are not factors of consideration. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace based on skills and expertise. We also endeavour to support any guests with visible and non-visible disabilities or any special requirements, when possible.