The GR5 Trail - Vosges and Jura

Map key

Summary map of the GR5/GR53 route

Route profile for the GR5/GR53 route

Introduction

Why visit the Vosges and Jura?

Landscape

History

Wildlife

When to visit

Access

Local transport

Accommodation

Camping

Food and drink

What to take

Maps

GR system and waymarking

Safety and health

Language

Money

Telephones and internet

Using this guide

The GR53 Wissembourg to Schirmeck

Section 1 GR53 Wissembourg to Niederbronn-les-Bains

Section 2 GR53 Niederbronn-les-Bains to Saverne

Section 3 GR53 Saverne to Schirmeck

The GR5 Schirmeck to Nyon

Section 4 GR5 Schirmeck to Ribeauvillé

Section 5 GR5 Ribeauvillé to Mittlach

Section 6 GR5 Mittlach to Thann

Section 7 GR5 Thann to Brévilliers

Section 8 GR5 Brévilliers to St-Hippolyte

Section 9 GR5 St-Hippolyte to Villers-le-Lac

Section 10 GR5 Villers-le-Lac to Les Hôpitaux-Neufs

Section 11 GR5 Les Hôpitaux-Neufs to Nyon

Short walks along the GR5/GR53

Appendix A Long distance routes in the Vosges and Jura

Appendix B Route summary tables

Appendix C Facilities table

Appendix D Useful websites

Appendix E Accommodation

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One of the world's best long-distance walking trails

As springtime inches closer, it is time to start thinking about getting back out in the fresh air and if you really want to challenge yourself this year why not take on a trekking challenge? One of the world's best long-distance walking trails, the GRS covers 1423 miles from the North Sea, down through the length of eastern France to the Mediterranean with varied landscapes and cultural experiences along the way. Cicerone, a guidebook publisher that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, has detailed guidebooks that cover the GR5 trail over three titles. The northernmost section from the North Sea coast in Hoek van Holland, Netherlands to the Vosges mountains in France is covered in The GRS Trail - Benelux and Lorraine, then, the GRS Trail - Vosges and Jura covers wooded hills and river gorges, and The GRS Trail - Through the French Alps from Lake Geneva to Nice covers the southern stretch. The books have clear route descriptions, maps, information on landscapes and points of interest as well as practical advice.

Living France

This trekking guide from Cicerone has, as usual, all the comprehensive information about long distance trails that this publishing house is well known for.

This trekking guide from Cicerone has, as usual, all the comprehensive information about long distance trails that this publishing house is well known for. The trail itself is divided into eleven sections and there follows a useful section of short walks along the GR5/GR3, being eight in all, and varying in length from six to twelve miles.

The route commences in the Northern Vosges Regional Park, north of Strasbourg, and finishes in the Haut-Jura Regional Park bordering Lake Geneva. The note on camping commends French sites generally, but warns that wild camping regulations vary be-tween different communes. There is the usual proviso that wild pitching, even outside restricted areas, should be discreet and away from roads and houses.

The guide lists the relevant maps required at the beginning of each section and, help-fully, there is a list of possible stockists in the Appendix. Each of the eleven sections of the walk is divided into bite sized chunks with detailed descriptions of the route and things to note along the way. Each chunk varies between two and five miles or so and, of course, should be read in conjunction with the map. The sections seem to be between thirty and forty miles each and are accompanied by the relevant guide map in the book. An ascent chart is included at the beginning of the book.

For those interested, there is an Appendix showing the other long distance routes in the area of the Vosges and Jura, which include the GRs 31 and 32, the GTJ and the GR 39. Other appendices give a route summary table and a facilities table together with a list of useful websites.

The prose is easy to read and set out in a straightforward way, the route details kept separate from incidental information. The book is the normal Cicerone guide size of 12x17cm.

Sean Putnam, Backpack