Editions Gallimard Voyages has just published "Sur les chemins de Stevenson", a book that invites hikers, backpackers and dreamers to follow the routes and places crossed or evoked by Stevenson in his work. Both a guide and a narrative, this book has been written by six authors who are specialists in each of the regions described. It offers detailed itineraries, peppered with numerous historical, cultural and botanical anecdotes, as well as good addresses for accommodation and restaurants.


Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) was a 19th-century Scottish writer best known for his adventure novels such as Treasure Island (Treasure Island), The Curious Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) or Travelling with a donkey in the Cévennes (Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes). An alchemy of various influences: adventure, psychology and travel, his work has been strongly inspired by walking, which has served as an escape from his frail health since childhood. His sojourns in places like the Pacific Islands, France and the United States have enriched his imagination.
From his native Highlands to the Cévennes, from Edinburgh to Barbizon, where he met his wife Fanny Osbourne, on foot, by bike or in a canoe, we follow in the footsteps of this writer fascinated by adventure, who travelled to many countries and left a body of work imbued with freedom.

Le Velay

Gateway to the Château de Monastier-sur-Gazeille. Commons/Mossot.
Gateway to the Château de Monastier-sur-Gazeille. © Commons/Mossot.

The book opens with a "Flânerie dans les Cévennes", written and directed by Coralie Grassin, who has retraced Stevenson's journey with a donkey. Stevenson crossed the Cévennes on foot in 1878, accompanied by a donkey named Modestine, the central figure of the novel. This journey through the wilderness of the Cévennes is an inner quest, a way of coming to terms with himself and his solitude, and a way to recharge his batteries.

Coralie Grassin has retraced the Stevenson route in the Cévennes with her donkey Craquotte. Coralie Grassin.
Coralie Grassin has retraced Stevenson's route in the Cévennes with his donkey Craquotte. © Coralie Grassin.

His journey began in Monastier-sur-Gazeille, a picturesque village in the Ardèche mountains (Haute-Loire department). Monastier is his point of departure to reach the Tarn valley, following a route through the Cévennes, the " blue mountain countrys ". The Col de Saint-Pierre, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Alès... Picturesque villages such as Pradelles and Langogne, magnificent panoramas, oak forests and caves where the Camisards gathered during the Cévennes wars - the places described follow the stages of the novel and the draille or mule track used by the writer and his horse.

The Fontainebleau and Loiret regions

Barbizon village in Seine et Marne. Commons/GFreihalter.
Barbizon village in Seine et Marne. © Commons/GFreihalter.

We then discover Barbizon and the forest of Fontainebleau, a region that Stevenson explored before the Cévennes, in 1875, when he was just 25 years old. This trip was part of his European peregrinations before he embarked on longer, more distant journeys. At the time, Barbizon was a meeting place for Impressionist painters like Camille Corot (1796-1875), Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867), and other members of the Barbizon school. This stay was an important moment in the writer's development. In his diary, he describes Barbizon and the forest as places of calm and inspiration, perfect for getting away from the pressures of society and the frenzy of city life. Grez-sur-Loing, Moret-sur-Loing and Rosa Bonheur's château museum in Thomery are all well worth a visit.

Châtillon-sur-Loire. Ruins of the fortifications of Château-Gaillard (12th century). Commons/Daniel Jolivet.
Châtillon-sur-Loire. Ruins of the fortifications of Château-Gaillard (12th century). © Commons/Daniel Jolivet.

In 1876, he returned to Grez-sur-Loing, where he stayed for a while for his literary work. From there, he set off on a long trek across the Loiret to Châtillon-sur-Loire, on the banks of the Burgundy canal. He was detained for a few hours by the constabulary, who found it hard to understand why someone would walk so far alone. According to some accounts, he was suspected of being a vagrant. But that didn't stop him being ironic in Canoe trip on northern rivers (An Inland Voyage) on the absurdity of the situation. What remains are the places travelled through and depicted by the journalist Jean Tiffon, which can still be visited: The Fontainebleau region, the Larchant marshes, Nemours on the banks of the Loing, Château-Landon, Montargis and its 131 bridges and footbridges, etc.

From rivers to canals

The canal from the Sambre to the Oise, near the village of Ors. Commons/Marc Ryckaert.
The Canal de la Sambre à l'Oise, near the village of Ors. © Commons/Marc Ryckaert.

In his pre-Cévennes period, Stevenson travelled by canoe with his cousin from Antwerp (in Belgium) to Pontoise (in France) in 1876. He rowed the Escaut, Sambre and Oise rivers. This journey enriched his vision of nature and was the inspiration for his first travelogue, entitled An Inland Voyage (published in 1878 and translated as Canoe trip on northern rivers). A century and a half later, Olivier Godin, journalist and author of By bike and Cycling in Europe takes us by the scruff of the neck in the wake of the writer in the Hauts-de-France region.

Escape to the Highlands

Glen Coe, in Scottish Gleann Comhann, is a glen, a valley surrounded by hills, renowned for hiking. Commons/JavierOlivares.
Glen Coe, in Scottish Gleann Comhann, is a glen, a valley surrounded by hills, renowned for hiking. © Commons/JavierOlivares.

In 1886, Stevenson published his novel Kidnapped (Removed). This fictional odyssey takes place in the Highlands, a remote and mountainous region of Scotland rich in history and legend. The novel follows the adventures of David Balfour, a young Scottish man, who finds himself kidnapped by conspirators and taken to the Highlands to be sold into slavery. The resulting journey takes him through wild landscapes, encounters with fascinating characters and a series of trials that test his courage, intelligence and morality.

Isle of Mull. Tràigh Bhàn Lagain near Lochbuie (Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Commons/PaulT.
Isle of Mull. Tràigh Bhàn Lagain near Lochbuie (Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. © Commons/PaulT.

Jean-Philippe Follet, author of this section entitled The Stevenson way takes us to the mythical locations where the Kidnapped The Isle of Mull, with its spectacular moorland views, jagged cliffs and caves carved out of the volcanic walls of Brolass. Then, in the wildest parts of the Highlands, to the north-east of Glencoe, on Ben Alder, a mountain situated in the Monadhliath Mountains. This is where the Kidnapped The mountain as a symbol of sacrifice, challenge and isolation. The mountain is a symbol of sacrifice and challenge, but also of isolation, adventure and the physical trials the characters must face.

The old mill at Bridge of Allan. Sterling. Scotland. Commons/Rosser 1954.
The old mill at Bridge of Allan. Sterling. Scotland. © Commons/Rosser 1954.

Olivier Godin has ridden his mountain bike solo through the Highlands, following a rugged route that follows in the fictional footsteps of David Balfour. He tells us about his experience as a mountain biker in the Scottish hills, taking the back roads, passing from bog to loch to Bridge of Allan, a picturesque village in Stirlingshire where Stevenson stayed with his family during his youth and adolescence.

Edinburgh, Lothian and the Pentland Hills

View of Edinburgh and Mount Thron. B. Postel.
View of Edimburg and Mount Thron. © B. Postel.

Finally, the book invites readers to discover the places where Stevenson was born and raised, principally Edinburgh and the Lothian region. The city is steeped in tales of bandits, Jacobite rebels and historical figures, who have influenced works such as Kidnapped or The Master of Ballantrae (The Master of Ballantrae). The dark and mysterious atmosphere of certain parts of Edinburgh inspired stories such as The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Lothian, on the other hand, is known for its hills, beaches and villages. This coastal region, with its beaches and cliffs, certainly left its mark on the young Stevenson and influenced his love of maritime adventures.

Rosslyn Chapel in the village of Roslin was built in the 15th century. B.Postel.
Rosslyn Chapel in the village of Roslin was built in the 15th century. © B. Postel.

Not forgetting the Pentland Hills and the Roslin Valley, which had a powerful influence on Robert Louis Stevenson's imagination, particularly in terms of his interest in Scottish history and the religious conflicts of the 17th century, such as those of the Covenanters (1). Or Rosslyn Chapel, with its flamboyant and esoteric decor. This building, steeped in legend and symbolism, also inspired Dan Brown to use it as the setting for the end of his novel The Da Vinci Code (2003).

(1) The Pentland Hills are associated with a dark episode in Scottish history, the Battle of Rullion Green, which took place on 28 November 1666. It was a landmark defeat for the Covenanters, a group of Scottish Presbyterians who opposed monarchical control of the Church and defended their right to worship freely.

Book : On the paths of Stevenson, Cévenne and other European routes. Editions Voyages Gallimard, 2024.

Text : Brigitte Postel
Photos : Gallimard and according to
Photo opening : Notre-Dame Cathedral, Le Puy-en-Velay. Shutterstock, A. Karnhol.