Increased numbers of travellers on The Regordane is great news for the regions, departments, communes, towns, villages and hamlets through which the trail passes, as they have suffered over a prolonged period from a lack of sustainable industry and depopulation resulting from agricultural and industrial decline and change. Everyone is banking on tourism as the saviour, but there are multiple stakeholders in play and the travelling public seeks an authentic rather than a fabricated experience. Opportunity, therefore, brings with it responsibility.
The Federation Francaise de Randonnee Pedestre (FFRP), in conjunction with the various government bodies connected with tourism, has recently launched its version of the The Regordane Way. Baptised the GR 700, the route is a historical compromise and the result thus only satisfactory. It is geared towards group-walking as opposed to independent trekking and personal pilgrimage, and as such sanitises a good deal of the available authenticity and fun. Moreover, by sanctioning an 'official route', it risks accelerating the demise and disappearance of other paths on the Regordane Trail, some of which are of far greater historical significance than the more modern selected route.
If you are a pilgrim, history enthusiast or avid hiker, you will find it hard to resist the pull of The Regordane. Yet you may feel cheated if you are not aware of the compromises en route and given the chance as a responsible adult to select from the options available. This site aims to faithfully represent the ideas and opinions of many avid hikers living and working in or near The Regordane, who wish to the see the entire and original route resurrected, refurbished and protected. Then we can seek to make this national historical gem a true international treasure! Now return to the Home Page and select the topic of your choice.
