French hikers are currently walking along seven different routes as part of the Grande Randonnée towards Paris, leading up to the 2024 Olympic Games. Among them are hikers from Franche-Comté. Some of them set off from the border of Jougne in Doubs on Sunday, March 31.
The time change did not diminish their motivation. Instead of Easter meals, about twenty Franche-Comté walkers embarked on a 15 km journey on foot from the Swiss border to Les Fourgs on Sunday, March 31. “We even had some sunshine in Jougne,” rejoiced Jean-Pierre Basselin, president of the Doubs Hiking Committee.
Some of these hikers will stop at Les Fourgs tonight. Others will continue their efforts to Pontarlier for a second stage on Monday. All of them will have covered a part of the Grande Randonnée towards Paris, an initiative by the French Hiking Federation (FFR) ahead of the 2024 Olympics. Seven routes have been mapped out across France, some starting from overseas territories, converging towards Paris where participants will gather on May 10.
The goal is to showcase the landscapes and hiking, a popular sport enjoyed by 27 million French people. Franche-Comté, with 3,400 km of marked trails, is a hiking paradise and one of the stops on the Grande Randonnée towards Paris. This route links Nice to the capital over 1988 km, named the “Fortification Vauban” itinerary, passing through Besançon and its citadel.
Hikers from the South will arrive from Arc-et-Senans on April 3. A departure from Jougne on Sunday was also planned to “bridge” with the Swiss hiking federation, as explained by Jean-Pierre Basselin. The walkers from Doubs will meet at Gare d’Eau on April 5. After a day’s break, they will head towards Cucey-sur-l’Ognon to pass on the hiking baton to those from Haute-Saône. The stages of the Grande Randonnée towards Paris are listed on the mobile app “Ma Rando.”
