TREK
&
BIVOUAC
en france
Le Chemin Sauvage
A major itinerant trek in France !
Far from the major cities, 4,600 km of trails where the leitmotif is HYPER-RURALITY. Total respect of nature, accommodation in the form of bivouacs, and most often food self-sufficiency.
From Brittany to the Pyrenees, via the Massif Central and then up to the Ardennes. A trail open to all : seasoned trekkers and other thru-hikers, as well as more modest hikers wishing to follow it in stages over several years. While for the best prepared and/or the most motivated, the possibility to complete this route in one stretch, over a duration of 5 to 6 months (i.e. roughly 25 to 30 km per day).
Hyper-Rurality
The leitmotif of the project !
The route we chose was guided by the wish and challenge of exploring France’s deepest rural areas with the leitmotif “hyper-rurality”. Moreover, 50 % of the 734 communes passed through, the key players in this project, have less than 440 inhabitants. The final route passes through 8 regions and 38 departments, following a set of trails still in use, a series of GR®, GR® de Pays, PR, communal or rural trails… with the possibility of buying some food in the small villages on the way. A means of instilling new life, to the best we can, in the small often abandoned shops.
On the map of France, as displayed, the hyper-rurality (in green) or diagonal of the emptyness appears, for the most part, on an Ardennes/Pyrenees axis.
The concept of hyper-rurality is distinguished, among other things, by the low population density (only 5.4% of the french population on 26% of the territory), by ageing, landlocked, low financial resources, lack of facilities and services, the lack of prospects, the difficulty of bringing public or private initiative to fruition, remoteness and isolation in all its forms.
In France, hyper-rurality concerns 250 living areas.
According to HILAL Mohamed, INRA 2014, CESAER Research Unit, Dijon.
