Follow in historic hoofprints!

2008 marks the 130th anniversary of the epic journey by Robert Louis Stevenson through the wild landscape of south-west France with his four-legged companion Modestine – the subject of his enduring book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, published in 1879. For twelve days he walked from Monastier in the southern Auvergne to St Jean du Gard in Lozère, northernmost department of Languedoc-Roussillon, where he sold Modestine for 35 francs, leaving behind the stubborn animal he had come to call his friend.

Today Lozère remains one of the most sparsely populated areas in France – a paradise for walkers, cyclists and nature lovers. You can still follow Stevenson’s 220-km route (in its entirety or short sections) along the GR70 longdistance trail.

You can even take a Modestine of your own, staying in village hotels with donkey accommodation nearby!

To plan a trip, visit www.chemin-stevenson.org or ask at local tourist offices.