The Plan - A day-by- day schedule for the E4 Walk

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an men

Gang aft agley"

I might be mad but I have a plan, a schedule of where I'm going to be every day of the E4 walk (attached to this link).  Although it's almost certain to go wrong, it's necessary for the people who want to join me (my wife, Christine for example) to plan their journeys and book leave.

I'm now pretty certain about the route and the stop-overs.  The main issue has been about rest days, how many to take and where.  There is a lot of conflicting advice on this. Some people saying I should stop on a regular basis (every 2 weeks for example), while others have said "crack on" and build up contingency to cope with the things that will inevitably go wrong.

My schedule combines both approaches (typical).  It's got 10 stop-overs in places that are accessible and where it should be possible to do some essentials, getting my hair-cut for example.   I'm planning to take two days in Tarragonna because it looks such a like a nice place and there is lots to see. 

If all goes to plan I should be in Budapest by the 8th of September, which is a couple of weeks earlier than I anticipated when I started planning. I want to get well past the Alps by August, so I have two to three weeks contingency. 

I've been particularly encouraged by Nat Severs' experience on his walk around the UK coastline (great blog by the way).  Nat describes how he struggled at the beginning with 20 miles a day, but after a while found 30 miles easy.  I know Nat is 30 years younger that me, but I'm not carrying anywhere near as much as he did, and only rarely will have to do 30 miles.

Stamina, I think, is one the attributes you can hold onto as you get older (my memory went years ago).  On my recent trip to Nepal, there was a big American who, at 67, played with the Kanchenjunga, and who, a couple of years ago, climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, which is just shy of 7,000 metres.  

Well the first person I need to convince is myself, and I have a plan!

I will get to:

• Alacala la Real by the 14th of March;
• Cazorla on the 21st;
• Montanejos on the 18th of April;
• Tarragonna on the 29th of April;
• Carcassonne on the 21st of May;
• Malataverne on the 8th of June;
• Grenoble on the 18th of June;
• Konstanz on the 13th of July;
• Salzburg on the 31st of July;
• Kozeg on the 21st of August;
• Budapest on the 8th of September.

Of course all the things I will miss while I'm away are starting to become apparent.  Perhaps the best one will be the dodgy start my team usually makes to the football season - by mid-September, the mighty Spurs will be all guns blazing.

Budapest in September

Stage 11 - Through the Vercors

Stage 11 looks like the toughest stage yet.  It is 217 km and involves 9,000 metres of climb over 9 days.  After what is essentially a linking day from Chateauneuf-du-Rhone to Dieulefet along the GR 429 the E4 heads north along the GR9 all the way to the Swiss border.

The toughness of the walk is a reflection, in part at least, of the change in geology.  The younger mountains on the eastern side of the Rhone valley are different to the ancients on the west and the foothills of Alps and Jura come with deeper valleys, tougher ascents and descents than the Massif Central.

From Leoncel onwards the walk takes you through the Vercors Natural Park .  The landscape has been described as a limestone "citadel" which dramatic cliffs and long gorges.  It actually was a citadel against the Germans in the 2nd World War with the Resistance provoking a bloody response from paratroopers landing on mass in the area in gliders.

Day  1, probably after a rest day at Chateauneuf-du-Rhone, is a really long one, 39 kms.  Can't find any accommodation on the route and it will be nice to get onto the GR9.  Highlight of the walk, which is through fairly gentle, wooded countryside, is probably the 10th century abbey at Aiguebelle.  Dieulefet, an ancient pottery centre, looks like a nice town and has plenty of accommodation.

Dieulefit

It might be possible to walk all the way to Saillans on day 2 (33 kms, 1500 metres) but after such a tough day 1 that looks like a stretch.  The alternative is a short walk to the small village of  village of Bourdeaux,  (13 kms) leaving Saillans for day 3.

Day 3 looks like a dramatic walk, 20 kms, 1200 metres of climb and 1300 of descent before arriving at Saillons.  The climb involves ascending the Massif de Saou and the potential views from the top could be amazing with huge cliffs dropping north and east into what looks like a gorge below.  It looks like a very steep descent into the small town/village of Saillons.

Massif de Saou

Day 4 is a 20 km walk to Plan-de-Baix, 1068 metres of climb and 551 metres of descent.  Most of the climbing is at the end of the day and after you have gone through the village of Beaufort sur Gevanne.  Plan-de-Baix is a small village but it looks it has a family activity centre (as well as a Gite D'Etape) so there should be some accommodation. 

Most of the climbing has been done on day 4, so day 5 is 28 kms of fairly high level walking, a climb near the end near the Col de Tournoile, and then a steep descent to Bouvantes-le-Bas where there is accommodation.  On the way you go through  Leoncel, a small village with a Cistercine Abbey.  

The walk is now tracking along the western side of the Vercors Natural Park and the last four days of the walk look particularly dramatic.  The day of the four (day 6) starts with a hard climb out of Saint-Martin de Colonel up to 1300 metres, over the Col-de-la-Machine, along a ridge walk with potentially great views to both the east and west, before a really steep drop down to Pont en Royan.  This is a 25 km walk with 1200 metres of climb - something around an 11 hour day.

Pont en Royan is a famous beauty spot, a medieval village where houses are built into a cliff and suspended over a river - would be a good place to stop but I should in Grenoble in two days time so will probably press.  Pont en Royan is also the gateway to what looks like the most dramatic part of this stage, the Massif des Coulmes. 

Pont en Royan

Day 7 is a 22 km walk but mainly uphill.  Walking firstly up along the Bourne Gorge and up its side along what must be a steep path you get to the top at around 1300 metres.  The scenery should be dramatic.  Having won the height the hard way you then loose 500 metres dropping down to the small village of Rencurel which has accommodation and is the target for the day.

Day 8 is another day with a lot of climb.  An initial 500 metre climb and a small descent takes you past the small ski resort of Autrans.  After 25 kms in total and some 1,500 metres of climb you arrive at the Refuge at La Sure

After three tough days the last day involves a march, mainly down hill, into Grenoble.  16 kms, 500 metres of climb, 1700 descent, so should be there for lunch.  Grenoble will be a good place to stop and recuperate.

Stage 8 - Carcassonne to Lodeve

Please see latest version published in October 2010