The Great Outdoors

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The Great Outdoors

Most tourist offices have information brochures in English and several of the tourist offices have websites with details on activities in each area.

• See The AngloFILE, Tourist Offices & Information
• Before heading out, check the weather: Click here

Hiking and Walking

With its varied landscapes Aquitaine is very well suited for walking and hiking. Dordogne has almost 6,000 Km of marked walking trails, Gironde 2,300 Km, and the Lot-et-Garonne 3,000 Km.

Hiking areas include the Bay of Arcachon and the Regional Nature Park in the Landes de Gascogne.

The Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pedestre (FFRP)  is the overseeing body for all marked and maintained walking routes in France. It provides information and guide-books (most in French) for walkers in the area.

Top 25 hiking maps are issued by the Institut Géographique National (IGN). They are to a scale of 1:25,000 and have all maintained trails and parking areas marked. The maps are sold at newsagents (presse) and bookshops.

All nationally recognised trails are categorised as follows:

• GR (Grand Randonnée): Registered hiking trails that often run across the entire country.
• GRP (Sentiers de Grande Randonnée de Pays): Registered regional trails that will take you around a particular region for several days.
• PR (Sentiers de Promenade): Walking and hiking trails for short circuits, lasting several hours.

The French route marking system shows paths by means of signs and blazes.

• For clear explanations of the waymarks, or blazes (balises): Click here 

Local walking committees are able to provide a number of useful walking guidebooks.

Contacts

• Comité Départementale de la Randonnée Pedestre de la Dordogne (CDRP24)
  At: 94 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 24660 Coulounieix-Chamiers
  Tel: 05 53 53 71 46
  e-mail
  Website
• Comité Départementale de la Randonnée Pedestre de la Gironde
  At: 153 rue David Johnston, 33000 Bordeaux
  Tel: 05 56 00 99 26
  Fax: 05 56 00 99 26
  e-mail
  Website

• Comité Départementale de la Randonnée Pedestre du Lot-et-Garonne (CDRP 47)
  At: 4 rue André Chénier, 47000 Agen
  Tel: 05 53 48 03 41 
  e-mail

Cycling & Mountain Biking

Aquitaine has a regional development scheme with the aim of developing over 2,000 Km of maintained cycle routes. On top of this there are over 2,000 Km of mountain biking tracks that are signposted and show the levels of difficulty.

The very first cycling resort was created in the Entre-Deux-Mers region at Créon along the Roger Lapébie track. This centre rents out cycling equipment.

Places to cycle in the region include the Valley of Humanity in the Dordogne, alongside the Atlantic Ocean and through the Bordeaux vineyards.

• Fédération Française de Cyclotourisme
  Tel: 04 90 29 62 10
  e-mail
  Website

Canoeing and Kayaking

Popular areas for canoeing and kayaking include the Dordogne and Garonne rivers; there are facilities for canoeing for all levels of ability – from beginners to expert. Kayaking is also possible along the Atlantic coastline.

Navigable rivers for canoeing and kayaking are classified into six grades, Classes I to VI. There are many organisations providing training, transport and equipment for trips, either one day or several.

The sport is monitored by the Fédération Française de Canoë-Kayak (FFCK). It has information on appropriate rivers and expert guides, where available.

Contacts

• Fédération Française de Canoë Kayak
  Tel: 02 48 89 39 89
  Website (in French)
• Comité Régional de de Canoë Kayak d'Aquitaine
  At: Route du Hon, 40380 Gamarde-les-Bains
  Tel: 05 58 98 50 06

Canyoning

Canyoning is allowed in the summer only, generally 1 April to 31 October. All the skills of caving, diving and climbing are necessary to practice this sport.
There are strict rules concerning the responsible use of all canyoning sites, as regards protection of the ecology, and treatment of the site.

• For a list of canyoning sites in Aquitaine see the Descente Canyon website 

Mountaineering and Climbing

Rock climbing areas in Aquitaine include les Falaises de Tautavel in Arguibelle, Le Céou, the Campagne de la Bugue and the Val de Dronne in the Périgord.

Professional guides are available and recommended in most areas. Guides should hold a diploma from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and a qualification from the Mountaineering and Rock-climbing Federation, the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade (FFME).

Information (in French) is available on the grade, training options and availability of guides from the FFME.

• Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade
  At: 8-10 Quai de la Marne, 75019 Paris
  Tel: 01 40 18 75 50
  Fax: 01 40 18 75 59
  Website
• Centre Régional Aquitaine d'Escalade
  At: 11 impasse des Hortensias, 64400 Bidos
  Website

Caving and Potholing

For those who want to practice caving, the Dordogne is an ideal region. It is advisable to join a club or hire a guide and special equipment and training is required. More information on caving and potholing activities from:

• Comité Départemental de Spéléologie de la Dordogne
  Website
• Fédération Française de Spéléologie
  At: 28 rue Delandine, 69 002 Lyon
  Tel: 04 72 56 09 63
  Fax: 04 78 42 15 98
  Website

Horse-Riding

The Aquitaine region has over 8,500 Km of sign posted tracks for riders and over 150 places for accommodation that are specifically for horseback tourism.

The wide-open spaces in and beaches of Aquitaine, the Medoc as well as the small towns of the Lot-et-Garonne and the Périgord make excellent riding environments.

• Comité Régional d’Equitation d’Aquitaine
  At: Hippodrome du Bouscat, 33492 Le Bouscat
  Tel: 05 56 28 01 48
  Fax: 05 56 16 26 55
  e-mail
  Website

Further information

• See AngloINFO information page on Watersports
• See AngloINFO information page on Local Tourism

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