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2003 - Portugal |
Algarve: |
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2005 - Spain |
Andulusia: |
Huelva Cádiz Tarifa Estepona Vélez-Málaga La Rábita Cabo de Gata |
Murcia: |
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Valencia: |
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Catalunya: |
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| 2009 - France | Languedoc Roussillon: |
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Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur |
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2012 - Italy |
Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy |
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9th April 2011 - Beccles to Marseille
10th April 2011 - Rognac to Septemes
11th April 2011 - Septemes to St Marcel
12th April 2011 - St Marcel to Cassis
13th April 2011 - Cassis to Bandol
14th April 2011 - Bandol to Toulon
15th April 2011 - Toulon to Cuers
16th April 2011 - Cuers to Gonfaron
17th April 2011 - Gonfaron to Les Arcs
18th April 2011 - Les Arcs to Frejus
19th April 2011 - Frejus to Antheor
20th April 2011 - Toulon to Nice By Train
21st April 2011 - Antheor to Cannes
22nd April 2011 - Cannes Nice St Augustin
23rd April 2011 - Nice St Augustin to Monaco
24th April 2011 - Monaco to Ventimiglia
25th April 2011 - Nice to Beccles
GPS Babel is a really useful tool for translating between GPS file formats.
The route started with views over the Etang de Berre. This is the most easterly low lying wetland in France. On day one the walk climbed away from the planes and the Camargue and become hilly all the way to Italy. Trying to avoid major roads near Marseille, Toulon and Nice was the goal. Finding pleasant walking routes near the big cities is always a problem. From Nice to the Italian border the route includes Monaco and is very built-up. With steep terrain, the least busy road has to be used. Finding a pleasant walking route was really hard. North of Toulon, the public transport services to the small villages was poor and there were some long waits for trains to get home.
Marseille was a rat infested filthy dump. The hotel in Marseille was fine. In Toulon the hotel was very nice and close to a delightful square with fountains. In Nice, the city was not too bad but the tiny hotel room was spoiled for the lack of a clean carpet. The cigarette burns and vomit stains were all too obvious. Other filth did not bear thinking about. A new carpet for a room that small would cost very little so there was really no excuse. In Toulon, they had used carpet tiles so after messy guests had stayed, they needed only to replace tiles instead of the entire carpet. All the hotels were similarly priced.
This part of France felt unwelcoming. In Spain there is the tradition of the rambla. There are always squares, avenues and seats. Here there was mile after mile of fenced off property and nowhere to meet or socialise or from the point of the long distance walker, nowhere to take a break. Out in the countryside it was pleasant enough but in the residential areas not so good. Some of the best areas for a break were traffic islands which had escaped the fencing off. The sea front stretches were typical of sea fronts everywhere and quite pleasant, especially between 06:30 and about 10:00 where the crowds began to emerge.
Date / Distance |
Transport and Route Summary |
| Sat 09th Apr 2011 |
Beccles to London, Stansted to Marseilles. Car, Bus, Air, Bus, Walk |
Sun 10th |
Rognac to Septèmes les Valons |
Mon 11th |
Septèmes les Valons to St Marcel |
Tue 12th |
St Marcel to Cassis |
Wed 13th |
Cassis to Bandol |
Thu 14th |
Bandol to Toulon |
Fri 15th |
Toulon to Cuers |
Sat 16th |
Cuers to Gonfaron |
Sun 17th |
Gonfaron to Les-Arcs |
Mon 18th |
Les-Arcs to Frejus |
Tue 19th |
Frejus to Antheor |
Wed 20th |
Toulon to Nice by TGV Train |
Thu 21st |
Antheor to Cannes |
Fri 22nd |
Cannes to Nice, St Augustin (Airport) |
Sat 23rd |
Nice, St Augustin (Airport) to Monaco |
| Sun 24th Apr 2011 23.8 km |
Monaco to Ventimiglia |
| Mon 25th Apr 2011 |
Nice to Beccles |
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