Skip to content
Saved articles

Guillaume Hoarau

43 articles · Page 2

Articles (43)

Overhead view of day walk kit on a wooden floor: open green rucksack, steel bottle, red jacket, navy fleece, cap, gold survival blanket and snacksHiking

Day walk kit list: what goes in your rucksack

What to pack for a day walk: the printable kit list, from 1.5 litres of water to a survival blanket, how to pack it, and what to leave at home.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··9 min

A hiker's hands tightening the shock cord of a sand-coloured rucksack on a wooden bench by a path, beside a steel water bottle and a folded red jacketPlan your trip

Planning a hike: the steps and a checklist

Plan a hike in 8 steps: choose a suitable route, read the mountain forecast, pack your rucksack, tell someone and know when to turn back. Printable checklist.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··13 min

Crevassed glacier snout of blue and white ice, with a meltwater torrent pouring from an ice cave between boulders and polished grey bedrockMountains

Alpine glaciers: what the measurements show

Length, area, volume, mass balance: what Swiss, French and Austrian glacier monitoring has recorded since 1880, and what it changes for walkers in the Alps.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··16 min

Person seen from behind, sitting under a sand-coloured tarp pitched as a lean-to on two walking poles, facing a heather hillside at sunriseBushcraft

Tarp pitches: which to use, and when

A-frame, lean-to, diamond or closed: which tarp pitch to choose for wind and rain, with or without trees, and what keeps it taut all night.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··16 min

Stone facade of the Holy Door of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral on Praza da Quintana: a closed iron grille between panels of carved statuesHiking

Camino de Santiago: the 2027 Holy Year nears

On 31 December 2026 at midday, the Holy Door of Santiago Cathedral opens for the 2027 Holy Year. Key dates, the crowds to expect and the nights to book early.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··4 min

Sea of cloud filling a mountain valley, lichen-covered rocks and a small cairn in the foreground, rocky peaks under a cold blue skyMountains

Mountain weather forecasts, country by country

Met Office, MWIS, Météo-France, MeteoSwiss, GeoSphere, DWD, NWS: where to find each country’s mountain forecast, and what its terms actually mean.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··14 min

Sandy path lined with posts winding between large rounded boulders of pink granite, above the heath, under a clear skyHiking

GR34 coast path: map, sections and logistics

The GR34 follows more than 1,240 miles of Breton coast, from Mont-Saint-Michel to Saint-Nazaire: the map, seven sections, tides, ferries and where to sleep.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··19 min

Walker seen from behind on a vast plateau of short grass in thick mist, a folded map in both hands, a small cairn just visible aheadBushcraft

Taking a bearing and following it, step by step

Take a bearing from the map, follow it in the mist and correct for declination: the method step by step, with today’s values in Britain and beyond.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··8 min

Walker sitting on a rock in a deserted mountain valley at dusk, phone held up towards a clear sky, rucksack at his feetBushcraft

Raising the alarm when the signal runs out

112, emergency texts, apps, satellite SOS, beacons: what works to raise the alarm with little or no mobile signal, country by country.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··10 min

Medium-sized dog on a short lead walking a narrow path through heathland covered in flowering broom, its owner seen from behind, head out of frameHiking

Walking with your dog: rules and preparation

Leads in French forests from 15 April to 30 June, parks closed to dogs, livestock and guardian dogs: the rules for walking with your dog, and how to prepare.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··14 min

Line of five walkers with rucksacks, seen from afar, crossing a vast plateau of golden stubble in the morning mistHiking

Camino de Santiago: routes, budget and season

Camino Francés, Le Puy, Portuguese routes, Norte: distances, pilgrims by route and month in 2025, the credential, daily costs, season and getting home.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··19 min

Two hikers with large rucksacks on a ridge of pink granite, a jagged Corsican mountain range and the sea in the distance, in the morning lightHiking

GR20 guide: stages, refuges and booking

GR20 in Corsica: the 16 stages and their walking times, compulsory booking for refuges and bivouacs, prices, water and the park’s rules.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··9 min

Hiker with a large rucksack sitting on the bench of a small bus shelter beside a mountain road, a white regional coach approaching in the distance on the hairpin bends, alpine meadows and peaksMountains

Getting to the mountains by train and bus

Reach the Alps and Pyrenees without a car: night trains, gateway stations, buses and park shuttles, from Paris, Lyon, London or Munich.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··8 min

Smooth trunk of a beech tree beside a forest path in autumn, a small yellow paint mark at eye level, a walker blurred in the misty distanceHiking

Reading waymarks at home and abroad

White and red, yellow, crosses and arrows: what waymarks mean on walking routes in France, Switzerland, the Alps, England and Wales, and the US.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··10 min

A small campfire in a stone fire ring on a gravel clearing, with a cooking pot set beside it as night fallsBushcraft

Campfire rules in France: where and how

Campfires in France: banned in or within 200 m of woodland unless you own the land, seasonal bans, fire danger maps and leave-no-trace fires where allowed.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··6 min

Stone mountain hut with wooden shutters beside a high-altitude lake in late afternoon, rocky peaks behind and a terrace with tablesMountains

Mountain huts in France: booking and half board

Booking a staffed or unstaffed mountain hut in France, the price of half board, sleeping bag liners, timings, children and dogs: all for a first night.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··8 min

Narrow footpath climbing a green, flower-dotted slope above the Val Ferret in Italy, with glaciated peaks under light cloudHiking

Tour du Mont-Blanc: hut-to-hut logistics

Tour du Mont-Blanc logistics: 170 km, 10 to 11 stages, hut bookings for 2027 open since 15 October 2026, costs, getting there from Geneva, when to go.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··11 min

Yellow signpost with direction arrows beside a rocky mountain path, with a steep rocky slope and a clear sky behind itMountains

Reading walking grades across borders

The Swiss Alpine Club’s T1 to T6 scale, the blue, red and black paths of Austria and Germany, and the French federation’s grades: how to read each one.

Portrait of Guillaume HoarauGuillaume Hoarau··7 min