Waymarks

This is a post for those who have not experienced walking along the great range of French foot paths, in the hope that it may be useful to someone.

These waymarks are intended to guide a walker or mountain biker, VTT Velos Tous Terrain in French on a given route cross country. I will cover some of the mountain biking ones later. First the walking ones.

The waymarks for the GR network or Grande Randonnees (long distance footpaths across from one area to another) are red and white and the standard mark that says "yes, carry straight on" is a horizontal bar, or 2 in this case. These are usually painted on a tree, rock or post where ever handy BUT there may be nowhere handy for some distance.

The next is a cross to say don’t go this way, often at a junction there will be one or more of these on some ways forward and only one with the horizontal bar.

This may be confusing if two GR paths diverge at a point and this may be seen, indicating that this is the way for one GR but not the GR48, usually there are other signs in these situations.

Just before or at (or occasionally, and confusingly, just after) a turning a triple bar with a vertical stroke indicates turn left or right.

Sometimes marks may have faded or be covered with foliage. This one has just undergone some public service clearance by us.

The situation becomes more complicated when other paths become involved and since the GR may go round a village that has its own set of local footpaths in yellow, blue or any other colour one can see signs that are very complex and indicating various turns for different paths.

Finally there is the prospect of signs almost vanishing from age and lack of maintenance.

The sign for VTT is two round blobs and a triangle (a stylised cyclist) which can be tilted to indicate turns by the direction the triangle points.