Waymarks on the French GRs and GRPs

If you have ever used the French footpath network you will almost certainly have come across the red and white flashes of paint (balises) that mark the long-distance footpaths, the Sentiers de Grande Randonée, or GRs. You might also have seen similar marks with yellow stripes instead of white, or even all-yellow ones. What you may not have realised is that behind these waymarks is a history and organisation going back nearly 60 years (to 1947). Forget any preconceptions about the relaxed attitude of the French towards life in general, and rules and regulations in particular — here are some facts to amaze your friends next time you’re walking in France.

The red/white and red/yellow waymarks are registered and protected under French trademark law. It is an offence to use them for other purposes, even to mark footpaths, if the paths are not GRs or GRPs.

The expressions GR, GR de Pays, and PR are also registered and protected.

GR footpaths are essentially linear. GRPs (Sentiers de Grande Randonée de Pays) are circular tours. PRs (Sentiers de Promenade et Randonée) are excursions designed to take anything from 1 to 6 hours. They offer a range of terrain and difficulty.

GRs are waymarked with white and red flashes.Here are the official versions.

GRPs have yellow and red marks.

PRs should be marked just with yellow.

The first GR footpath was opened in 1947 in the Loire Valley. It was subsequently designated the GR3, and not finally completed until 1983.

There are about 60,000 km of GR and GRP paths, and another 80,000 km of PRs.

Day-to-day maintenance of this network, including waymarking, is carried out by some 6,000 volunteers (baliseurs bénévoles).

Tarmac (or, presumably, other maintained surfaces) must make up less than 30% of any designated GR.

The organisation responsible for all these designated paths is the FFRP, the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre, which before 1978 was the CNSGR, created in 1947, and recognised as a public body (utilité publique) in 1971.

Funding comes from sponsors, membership services and commercial ventures such as the Paris shop, sale of guidebooks, etc. FFRP’s major sponsor is the utility Gaz de France. Other sponsors include the outdoor fabric manufacturer Sympatex, footwear company Blanchard and retailer Leclerc.

Most of the FFRP’s efforts in developing new routes now goes into GRPs. It typically takes up to 6 years from conception to formal designation of a new path complete with waymarks. Work on GRs is mostly concerned with revisions, alternative routes, etc.

The source for all this information and more is the FFRP website, which I duly acknowledge.

But this isn’t the end of the story. In the north-east corner of France, the rounded tree-covered hills of the Vosges are the territory of the Club Vosgien. Founded in 1872, 75 years before the CNSGR/FFRP, and recognised as utilité publique in 1879, the Club operates a unique and highly effective waymarking system in its region. Read more on Vosgien waymarks here – -.