Top 25 and Serie Bleue

The French equivalent of Ordnance Survey Maps

 IGN Top 25 maps cover areas of particular tourist interest, mainly around the coast, and have a map number ending in T. The maps have an overprint highlighting local footpaths, long-distance GR routes and, where appropriate, ski routes. Other tourist information includes campsites, equestrian or canoeing centres, huts, mountain refuges, etc. Map legend is in French and English. Each TOP 25 map covers an area of approximately 28 x 21 km (17 x 13 miles).

The rest of France is covered by Serie Bleue maps, which have no overprint and map numbers ending in O or E. The legend is in French only but is fairly self-explanatory. Each Serie Bleue map covers an area of approximately 20 x 14 km (12 x 9 miles), with some maps slightly larger.

Both series have similar cartography, with contour interval of 5 metres, except for mountainous areas, where the maps have hill shading and contours at 10-metre intervals. Scale 1:25000

Generally, Top 25 Maps are £9.50 and Serie Bleue £8.50 but prices do vary and offers apply from time to time.

Hautes Pyrenees/Pyrenees Atlantique (Michelin Local Maps) - Detailing the Hautes Pyrenees / Pyrenees Atlantique region of France, this laminated fold-out map includes a complete index of place names and covers all regional specialities, heritage and traditions. It offers clear and concise mapping for stress-free travelling. Published March 08

Gers/Lot-et-Garonne (Michelin Local Maps) Published March 08

Gironde/Landes (Michelin Local Maps) Published March 08

Correze/Dordogne (Michelin Local Maps) Published March 08

French Atlantic Coast (Dordogne, Aquitaine, Gascogne) Marco Polo Map - Marco Polo maps feature completely up-to-date, digitally generated mapping. The high quality cartography with distance indicators and scale converters aid route planning. The extensive coverage of the maps enables travellers to cross country boundaries with the same map. A fold-out overview map is ideal for route planning and 7 self-adhesive Marco Polo mark-it stickers can be used to pin-point a destination or route for future reference. Scenic routes and places of interest are highlighted - ideal for touring holidays. The maps also contain a comprehensive index and inset street plans of major cities. Map Scale - 1:300 000. Published April 12

Topo Guides with Day Walks - The extensive list of topo-guides to the long-distance footpaths in France published by the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre has now been expanded to include guides to local walks, the PRs (Promenades et Randonnees). Each guide offers a selection of walks of various length and difficulty, overprinted on extracts from the 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 topographic survey. The text is in English or French. Some titles will have limited availability - in case of difficulty please email.

The Department of Dordogne on Foot - 40 walks, from one to five hours long, throughout the department of Dordogne. Several walks in the southern part of the department, near Sarlat, Les Eyzies and Bergerac. New edition June 08

The Valleys of the Lot and Garonne on Foot - 26 day walks, from three to eight hours long, in the valleys of the Lot downstream from Fumel and the Garonne around Marmande.

The High Garonne on Foot - 40 walks, from one to six hours long, in the Department of the High-Garonne.

The Pays du Haut-Agenais and Perigord on Foot - 18 day walks, from three to over eight hours long, in the area north of Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Fumel. Some of the routes can be done on horseback or on a mountain bike.

Landes on Foot

Tours & Ronde Du Canigo: FFR.6600

GR65 - The Way of St.James: Figeac to Moissac - The second of the three guides covering the French section of the Way of St.James from Le Puy, covering a 157-km route from Figeac to Moisac. The guide also includes a 205-km walk along the GR652 from Goudon to La Romieu.

Pyrenees Occidentales GR10/GR8 PNR Pays Basque Bearn.

The Way of St. James: France, Alison Raju - The Way of St James from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute Loire to the City of the Apostle in Galicia is a long-distance footpath with a difference. People have been walking it - as a pilgrimage route - for over a thousand years and it has changed little in all that time. It still passes through the same villages, climbs the same hills, crosses the same rivers and visits the same chapels, churches, cathedrals and monuments. Many of those who walk the route are not experienced walkers. This updated guide to the French section of the route - the 730km Pilgrim Road from Le Puy-en-Velay to the Pyrenees - provides all the information they will need to tackle it. As well as detailed route descriptions, practical information is provided about places to visit, shops, bars, restaurants and accommodation. This new edition offers extra route description from St Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona and also St Palais to Irun to join the Camino del Norte. It also includes a unique and comprehensive listing of St James and other pilgrim references along the way. Published March 10

Through the French Pyrenees, The GR10 Trail, Paul Lucia - The 900km of footpath, lane and trackway which link the Atlantic coast with the Mediterranean have created one of the finest long-distance routes in France. GR10, the so-called Sentier des Pyrenees, is a walk of epic proportions, routed as it is along the north flank of a magical range of mountains. Unlike it's counterpart the GR11 on the Spanish side, the GR10 actively seeks out a number of villages lying snugly at the foot of the mountains. Published March 10

The titles below are are sample of books on walking in the Pyrenees. For a full selection see Pyrenees Books

Rough Guide to the Pyrenees - The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees is the only guidebook available to the entire region, covering both the French and Spanish sides of this spectacular region, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. A full-colour section introduces the author's pick of the attractions, from relaxing in the picturesque spa towns to watching the Tour de France wind up the mountains. There are detailed listings of the best places to eat, drink and stay, from boutique hotels in Biarritz to the most remote mountain refuges. For the outdoor enthusiast there are exhaustive accounts of the walking and climbing routes available and information on the host of other activities available, including skiing, paragliding, rafting, cycling and horse riding. There is also expansive coverage of all the cultural highlights including the prehistoric cave art at Ariege and an accessible history of the region from prehistory to the current day. Published Aug 07

Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees, Kev Reynolds - This guide provides an introduction to the Pyrenees. It offers suggestions for 170 walks, multi-day tours and moderate ascents of some of the principal summits of the Central or High Pyrenees, and includes the Pyrenean High Route - one of the most challenging mountain treks of all. Published Feb 08

Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes, A Walk in the Pyrenees, Simon Calder & Mick Webb - The Pyrenees stretches 900 kilometres, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean coasts, and provides some of the most breathtakingly beautiful landscape to be found in Europe. This rocky ridge rides the cusp between three cultures: French, Spanish and Basque - each having its own rich and passionately defended identity - and every year tens of thousands of visitors sample its unique delights. TV presenter Simon Calder is an enthusiastic fan of this spectacular mountain range and, being a keen walker, delights in the well-plotted hiking routes that traverse the region. Along with friend and colleague, BBC radio producer Mick Webb, he steps out to conquer the roof of the Pyrenees. They follow the time-honoured tradition of walking the G10, the preferred route of the fiercely independent -and, at times eccentric - French Ramblers' Federation. Testing a hiker's emotional resilience as keenly as his walking boots, the G10 is not for the faint-hearted. Weaving an occasionally treacherous, always exhilarating trajectory through a landscape of strong traditions and strange animals, Calder and Webb narrate an eventful and humorous travelogue that will delight keen hikers and armchair travellers alike. Published Dec 04

The Pyrenees: The High Pyrenees from the Cirque De Lescun to the Carlit Massif, Kev Reynolds - An extensive introduction gives all the practical advice and information needed for planning a trip. It offers a background to the mountains and their exploration, and provides a snapshot of the range with sections that help the reader focus on specific areas of activity, and suggests where best to exercise that activity. It also lists all the Pyrenean 3000m summits and their location. Published June 04

Pyrenean Haute Route: A High-level Trail, Ton Joosten - The Pyrenean High Level Route takes the highest possible route through the centre of the Pyrenees, crossing the French/Spanish border many times. It is probably the most beautiful, spectacular and challenging walk in the Pyrenees, and this new guide from Ton Joosten breaks the unwaymarked 800km route into 42 stages in five groups. Published April 09. Limited availability.