Canoeing Loire
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Located about 3.5 hours south of Paris and 3 hours drive from the south coast, the Auvergne region, covers an area of 25,015 miles square in the heart of France.
The name derives from the name applied to the region occupied by the ancient Gallic tribe, the Auvergne. In fact, 'Vercingatorix', the leader of the Auvergne led the Gauls to a great victory over the Romans 'Gergovia' in 52 BC. The "Plain of Gergovia" is located south of the modern capital of Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand and is a popular tourist attraction and memorial to Vercingatorix, a visitor center and beautiful views of the city. Today four departments make the Auvergne region – the Allier, in the north, the Puy de Dome in the center, the region of Haute-Loire in the east and the Cantal in the south.
The diversity of the landscape takes in the plains, canyons, crater lakes, plateaus, unique wildlife and volcanic mountains (now thankfully extinct), and it is this variety that characterizes this part of France.
No wonder, then, that the region of Auvergne is one of Europe's great places to walk. But why stick only to walk? Other activities on offer, together with the more mountainous regions, including skiing, cycling (on and off road), guidance, in globe, fishing, climbing, hang gliding, canoeing, dog sledding – the list is endless!
The area is home to hundreds of roads and trails that vary in difficulty from simple low level walks to more challenging trails for the experienced hiker. Many hiking trails are maintained by volunteer groups to ensure that the roads are clear and well signposted.
Many Grand Randonnée (GR) routes can be found in the Auvergne region. These are the ways of long distance often arise in other departments of France. One of the most famous and oldest of these is part of the GR65, which passes through the Central Massif and Le Puy-en-Velay, one of the points for one of the four routes leading to the pilgrim to the shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Designated GR routes are marked in red stripes and white. Short hikes are often designated as Petite Randonnée (PR). They are usually marked with circular lines only in blue, yellow, black or green.
The unique volcanic landscape of the Auvergne region is a paradise for hill walkers and mountain. Although not as high as the peaks of the Alps or Pyrenees, without But the Auvergne region offers breathtaking scenery with many virgins trails catering for the casual hiker to the more serious hiker.
Many of the best walks are within two areas of regional nature parks. Created in 1977, the "Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne 'that covering more than 395,000 acres along a north-south axis of about 120km/75miles and is smaller neighbor, Naturel "Parc Régional des Livradois-Forez" that covers 300,000 hectares along the line Dore Valley – make it the largest environmental protection zone in France.
Many plants, not otherwise common in the rest of Europe, can be found here with the support of the fertile volcanic soils. Spring Meadows "Daffodils" and "narcissus Alpine "can be seen in many areas. Other common plants are 'Gentian', 'sundews' and 'lilies Martagon'. The region Auvergne has more than 4,500 common and rare species of plants and flowers including some forty plants protected.
The climate ranges from hot summers Auvergne severe winters and dry to cold and often snow in the highlands and the highest peaks. Temperatures average 12 degrees Celsius per year. Winter is best avoided as a time to walk, unless you are willing to don a pair of snowshoes and trekking through the snow covered plains. The rest of the year is ideal for hiking, with spring and fall, perhaps by offering the best conditions for serious fans. The stunning fall colors of deciduous forests rewards the visitor at this time of year.
Almost anywhere in the Auvergne region is a good place to walk, but some of the main centers of the region on foot are Murat, Saint-Flour, Vic-sur-Cere and Thiézac in Cantal and the Bourboule, Le Mont Dore, St. Nectaire and Besse-en-Chandesse in the department of Puy de Dôme.
Thus if you are a keen walker and want to discover a relatively untouched region of France, head of the Auvergne.
About the Author:
Auvergne France Homes is a holiday lettings agency in the Puy de Dome in the Auvergne. Got to http://www.afhomes.biz to find the perfect place to stay whilst visiting this beautiful region.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A Walkers Paradise
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