oo

A typical day’s walking
No two days will be the same. It’s part of the plan, of course, to walk in different types of country but some elements of a walking day will be common:

Stretching For those who feel they will benefit from it, there’s the opportunity for a gentle warm-up at the beginning of the day with a few minutes’ stretching.

During the walks We walk at a moderate pace with a pause every hour or so to look around, drink our water and refresh ourselves. From time to time we will snack on dried fruit bought from local markets; sometimes we listen to a short reading on a topic suggested by the walk.

Length of the walks This varies a bit but on a typical day we will walk for three hours in the morning, often uphill; in the afternoon there is often another two hours’ walking, usually downhill. The distance covered varies too but it is usually between eight and ten miles (11 - 14 km)

Lunch is an important part of the day’s walking. It might be a picnic of local produce and specialities or it could be a light meal in a local restaurant. Sometimes we are given lunch in the home of a local person, often a shepherd.

Fitness
The walking on all our tours is graded as moderate except for the High Mountain Tour in the Pyrenees, which is more challenging, and Autrefois le Couserans which is graded as easy.

We walk on dirt roads, footpaths, goat tracks and, occasionally, we walk across country on high pasture and moorland.

Walking is a gentle, natural exercise. Our walks are chosen with the average, reasonably fit walker in mind so you do not have to be super-fit to tackle a week’s walking. However, some people find it helps to undertake some cardiovascular exercise (perhaps three sessions a week for an hour a session) in preparation. The walks on the first few days are designed to build your fitness further so that the walks later in the week can be tackled with ease.

Food and wine

A lot of care goes into selecting the food that you will be offered. Whether you are eating in a taverna, a restaurant or at Le Clos Enchanté, we want you to know that local produce has been used, that the food has been freshly and traditionally prepared and that your enjoyment is important to the people serving you.

A typical breakfast will include coffee or teas; fruit; bread, cakes and jams; yoghurt. Lunch will be either a picnic of bread, cheese, meat and olives with a dairy dessert, to be carried in our daypacks, or a light meal in a taverna or restaurant. Dinner, the main meal of the day will be taken usually at family-owned tavernas or restaurants, chosen for their skill in preparing regional specialities.

Local wines often play an important part in the enjoyment of these meals!

ooo