Trail des Avens

The mere mention of the name of Occitanie is already a journey in itself, given the natural beauty and culture this region in the South of France 🌞. Plus, the Trail des Avens takes place in a Department spoiled by the area: we’re talking here about the Gard and the small town of Méjannes-le-Clap. Yes, this department that rhymes with "Parc National des Cévennes" (we’re the poets among Finishers, you didn’t know? 🖋), with "Pont du Gard", "arenas" and "Mediterranean coast"... That’s the postcard! 💌 But we’ll come back to that a bit later... And what about the race? You have 6 trail distances to choose from: 13.3 km, 16 km, 17.5 km, 30.8 km, 31.4 km and 44.7 km. You can also start the walk of 16 km. Which one do you prefer? 🙄

As you’ve gathered, there’s something for every pace! Great, because everyone can enjoy the competition and its breathtaking scenery, drawn by the mountains ⛰️ and the forests 🌳. Some sections of the course even run through grottos 😰 or caverns nested in the cliffs of the gorges! A fairly rare configuration, right? But at the same time, do you know what "Aven" means? No? Then call us Le Petit Larousse 🤓 because you’re going to learn something today. That word means "abyss" in Occitan. Frightening exciting, right? 😏

This kind of place is fairly common in the south of the France 🇫🇷 as they’re also found in the Provence. Anyway, thanks 🙏 to the organizers for thinking of the walkers. Trekking in places like this is a gift 🎁. Between 200 meters and 1400 meters of positive elevation awaits you no matter your choice. Ambition awaits on the reliefs of the Céze Valley, this superb spot located north of the town of Méjannes-le-Clap 😍. Note that this race offers two distances to cover over two days, the 30.8 km and 44.7 km. A perfect test of your endurance over the weekend, because no doubt your Saturday night won't be easy either! 😅 Ah! The legendary energy of athletes...

As noted above, Gard is spoiled. Between the Camargue and the Cevennes, this department is really lucky! Sea, forests and mountains are on the menu for all lovers of nature in a cocktail of landscapes that are both contrasting and wild 😻. So the weekend at the Trail des Avens is shaping up to be busy. But if you still have a little time, here are a few spots to discover in the department: Grau-du-Roi or Port-Camargue for lovers of the sea 🌊, Nîmes and its millennial arenas for lovers of culture and history, the Parc des Cévennes which is so renowned for its beauty 🥰, the Pont du Gard 🌁... You’ll have to make choices, it’s too much! "The abundance of goods does not spoil" wrote a famous writer once... Maybe he was thinking of the Gard 🤔.

Think about signing up for this wonderful Avens race!