THE FOLDER. Occitanie, a dream playground for hiking

The region offers a diversity of trails and landscapes, like here on Pic Saint-Loup. Jean-Michel Mart

The region has more than 15,000 km of long-distance hiking trails and more than a thousand routes. A real asset at a time when the practice is increasingly asserting itself as the favorite physical activity of the French.

It is, according to a national study carried out in December 2021, the favorite sporting activity of the French: 56% of those over 18, i.e. 27 million people said they practiced hiking or walking for leisure over the previous twelve months, far ahead of cycling (34%) and swimming (30%). A very significant increase compared to the same survey carried out seven years earlier which revealed the figure of 18 million practitioners. "The phenomenon has grown since the health crisis, reflecting strong aspirations to reconnect with nature, to practice an outdoor sporting discipline and to favor the destination France", analyzes the French hiking federation.

Arthur Lansonneur, a student from Montpellier who regularly walks the region's paths, says nothing else."It may seem trivial, but hiking is for me first and foremost a way to clear my mind, to forget the worries of life and to move his body. It allows you to do sport, everyone at your own pace, while discovering places and landscapes. And then, when we talk about hiking, we think of people who leave for several days with big backpacks, but even a 3 km walk on a country trail can be enough. The main thing is that everyone finds what they are looking for…hellip; And in Hérault, as in the neighboring departments, we are still spoiled", smiles the young man, also passionate about photography, who also shares his most beautiful views on social networks.

Sharing

These are perhaps also a vector of the increased attraction for hiking. On Facebook for example, the groups which allow you to share routes, complete with photos and videos, are legion and have many very prolific members: 40,095 for "Hikes in the Hérault& ;quot; ; 16 764 for "Hikes 66 Pyrenees" ; 40 455 for "Gard hikes". Jean Godebski, a psychoanalyst when he's not working, created the latter in 2018. "It’came a bit by chance. I have been walking every Sunday for nine years, mainly in the department and the idea was to allow everyone to share their hikes. Over the years, the group has grown and now operates almost on its own", he says. Because it is actually teeming with beautiful route ideas "and especially because the territory offers such varied landscapes. There are stars like the Gardon gorges, but we have equally magnificent courses in Uzège, in Camargue, in the Cévennes", he lists.

GR, PR…

It is true that the playing field, in the Gard and as in all of Occitanie. More than 15,000 km of long-distance hiking trails (the famous GRs indicated by red and white markings) and a thousand so-called short hiking trails (the PRs marked in yellow), "from very easy to difficult level, from 1 hour to 7 hours of walking", cover the region. The smartphone application "MaRando", developed in 2022 by the French hiking federation, lists a thousand routes in Occitanie "marked, labeled& ;quot; out of the 6 000 available throughout the country.

A "strategic" sector

The regional tourism committee (CRT) of Occitanie therefore necessarily made hiking a major argument."The territory has legendary itineraries, very varied territories from the mountains to the sea. At a time when the tourist offer must be sustainable, more respectful of the environment and residents, it is an extraordinary asset which also corresponds to the expectations of a clientele who aspires to a return to nature. Hiking has thus become a strategic sector, indicates Philippe Bertho, director of the CRT. This also makes it possible to strengthen the offer on seasonal wings, in spring and autumn "and thus develop the attractiveness of Occitanie all year round. Gone is the only image of summer mass tourism on the coast.

All communities play the game by regularly developing new routes, often with the help of departmental hiking federations. Trails which also offer residents of the region the opportunity to escape next to the house.

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