Gorges du Fier

What makes it special

The path is a walkway of wooden planks and metal railings fixed to the rock face, about 25 metres above the river, and most of it is cantilevered out over the drop. The walkway is about 250 metres long, and the canyon walls close in to a metre apart in places. It opened to visitors in 1869.

The walls are limestone laid down on an ancient seabed, and you can see its layers as bands in the rock. The Fier has cut its slot about 40 metres deep.

Find the flood marks on the rock. The higher one shows the 1960 flood 27 metres above the riverbed, close to the height of the planks you are standing on.

The walk also takes in the Mer de Rochers, the Sea of Rocks, a clearing filled with rock.

Visiting

The boardwalk begins just past the ticket booth. Ask there about a combined ticket with the Château de Montrottier beside the gorge, since the two are often sold together.

You walk in and come back the same way, reading the information panels in French and English as you go. The walkway is wide enough for two people side by side, and sometimes for only one, so expect to stop and let people by.

Stop at the Sea of Rocks and look round it before you walk back.

Tips

In July and August, arrive when the gates open, because the wait at the ticket window can be long and the walkway soon gets busy. Bring a warm layer, since it is colder inside the gorge, and wear closed, flat shoes.

Pushchairs are not allowed, so carry a child who cannot walk in a baby carrier. If heights bother you, keep to the rock side of the walkway and look ahead rather than down.