I'm walking the Way with no crowds at all...

[HeatherP]

I am reading with interest the comments about large crowds walking the Frances. I am walking through the most beautiful countryside, eating wonderful goodies from the French Pattiserie shops, staying in great Gites and refuges, meeting wonderful local people in the villages and in the last two days have seen one other pilgrim! I am on the Vezelay route. Two years ago I walked the Le Puy route to SJPDP. Also a fabulous experience. So, for those who are still planning, do think of alternative ways to seek peace and contemplation.

 

[crackmrmac]

I'm happy you're happy!

Bon Chemin.

 

[LesBrass]

oooh the Vezelay route passes very close to my house

 

[crackmrmac]

oooh the Vezelay route passes very close to my house

Perhaps you should also say " not an albergue "
I say this as one time I was dining in Pilgrim room in Paradores, Santiago and when I mentioned to French pilgrim I intended to walk GR65 she told me where she lived but asked me to write in diary as " not an albergue "

Bon Chemin.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I am reading with interest the comments about large crowds walking the Frances. I am walking through the most beautiful countryside, eating wonderful goodies from the French Pattiserie shops, staying in great Gites and refuges, meeting wonderful local people in the villages and in the last two days have seen one other pilgrim! I am on the Vezelay route. Two years ago I walked the Le Puy route to SJPDP. Also a fabulous experience. So, for those who are still planning, do think of alternative ways to seek peace and contemplation.

I have been told that a person must book ahead every night, is that true from either LePuy or Vezelay routes?

 

[Binya]

Great to hear you are loving your camino...is there a lot of road walking? (near cars)
Nevers or Borges route?

 

[jsalt]

I have been told that a person must book ahead every night, is that true from either LePuy or Vezelay routes?

The French walkers you meet will say you must book ahead: “you have no reservation? Oh la la!!!” We never booked ahead (this was in May, peak walking season in France), and we got a bed every night except one. The restaurant owner let us sleep on his covered verandah, and a local resident came by at 10pm with a thermos of hot water, cups, tea bags, coffee and sugar! Jill

 

[GerryFitz]

I will be walking the Le Puy route this September (my third Camino route - previously 2 times on Frances) and I have never booked ahead and hope not to as I enjoy the freedom of choosing where and when to stop as the journey takes me! I hope I'm not wrong!

 

[mla1]

Hi Gerry and MT,

The Le Puy route can get busy around long weekends and some people do suggest booking ahead for that reason. But the main reason to book ahead is that in many gîtes it is possible to get demi-pension - dinner, breakfast and a bed. Reserving a day in advance is a matter of courtesy so the gîte owners can know how many people they need to shop and cook for.
For me, the chance to share home-cooked meals - and not to stress out the cook too much - more than made up for any minor reduction in spontaneity.
Of course, if your plans do change, you can just call and cancel. I did this a number of times and was never made to feel like I was
causing any inconvenience or irritation.

Bon chemin
ml

 

[GerryFitz]

Hi Gerry and MT,

The Le Puy route can get busy around long weekends and some people do suggest booking ahead for that reason. But the main reason to book ahead is that in many gîtes it is possible to get demi-pension - dinner, breakfast and a bed. Reserving a day in advance is a matter of courtesy so the gîte owners can know how many people they need to shop and cook for.
For me, the chance to share home-cooked meals - and not to stress out the cook too much - more than made up for any minor reduction in spontaneity.
Of course, if your plans do change, you can just call and cancel. I did this a number of times and was never made to feel like I was
causing any inconvenience or irritation.

Bon chemin
ml

Hi ml - Good point re cancellation and
booking meals which I think I would enjoy!! Many thanks! meals -

 

[AlwynWellington]

I have been told that a person must book ahead every night, is that true from either LePuy or Vezelay routes?

I walked from Le Puy from early April this year.

As I was not sure where I would be each night I did not book ahead, except on two occasions. And for one of those I turned up two days late due to a foot issue, and was still welcome.

Quite often there were only two or three of us in a gite capable of many many more.

For the municipal gite you booked yourself in as you arrived, if there was a bed left.


The reason given for booking ahead is a courtesy to the gite owner so they will have enough food ahead.

When I didn't book I was still offered a dinner and a breakfast, if I wanted.


Them's a summary of my experiences in April 2016. Other gite on other days etc might provide a different experience.

 

[Herb Isenberg]

I am reading with interest the comments about large crowds walking the Frances. I am walking through the most beautiful countryside, eating wonderful goodies from the French Pattiserie shops, staying in great Gites and refuges, meeting wonderful local people in the villages and in the last two days have seen one other pilgrim! I am on the Vezelay route. Two years ago I walked the Le Puy route to SJPDP. Also a fabulous experience. So, for those who are still planning, do think of alternative ways to seek peace and contemplation.

Wonderful suggestion, Thanks !

 

[jsalt]

if your plans do change, you can just call and cancel

That’s the problem in France, people don’t call and cancel, and the bed stays empty. Unlike in Spain, where they let your bed go by 3 or 4pm if you haven’t arrived. In one town, the gite had only 1 bed available, but the lovely lady phoned around and found a caravan available with 2 beds at the campsite. Our friend stayed at the gite, and we two went to the caravan. Next morning our friend said there were 4 empty beds in her dorm! So it was the gite owner who lost out. I just don’t understand it. On another occasion, our friend phoned to cancel her reservation, only to get a lot of abuse in French from the other end! She took it personally, so when she first met up with us in a bar (and we didn’t get any further that day ), she refused to phone her reserved bed up ahead and cancel. My sister and I never booked anything. At about 6pm we asked in the gite next door if they had any beds, and they opened up a 4-bed room in the attic, which they kept for non-reserved late arrivals Jill

 

[LesBrass]

I saw a pilgrim yesterday walking in Perigueux, near Chancelade... I'd just collected my son from school and he shouted Buen Camino from the car as we drove past... I wondered if it was any of our pilgims

 

[HeatherP]

Great to hear you are loving your camino...is there a lot of road walking? (near cars)
Nevers or Borges route?

Binya, I am on day 8, now in Bouges. There as been some road walking but not much and on country lanes with few, if any cars. Mostly it has been walking through forests and paths through agricultural land.

 

[Thornley]

I have been told that a person must book ahead every night, is that true from either LePuy or Vezelay routes?

Miam Miam Do Do when staying , see how you feel , work out your distance for the next day and get the owner to call
Ringing is an act of courtesy and sometimes you will get a better tip from the owner of the gite.
The traffic dies off a bit after Conques and later Cahors.

 

[Faye Cape Town]

I am reading with interest the comments about large crowds walking the Frances. I am walking through the most beautiful countryside, eating wonderful goodies from the French Pattiserie shops, staying in great Gites and refuges, meeting wonderful local people in the villages and in the last two days have seen one other pilgrim! I am on the Vezelay route. Two years ago I walked the Le Puy route to SJPDP. Also a fabulous experience. So, for those who are still planning, do think of alternative ways to seek peace and contemplation.

Hi Heather,

I am so glad I have seen your post, I am currently deciding which route to walk. I will be walking for about 2 weeks hopefully in August, which I know is the busiest time on the Camino. If you had some recomendations that would be very helpful.

Thanks

 

[long trails]

Just out of interest, how much are the Gites on average? I read that camping is easy in France, much more than Spain.

 

[Lars Wetterstrom]

I would love to walk the French camino. But I worry about the prices for food and shelter. How do they compare with the prices on the camino frances in Spain?

 

[Thornley]

I would love to walk the French camino. But I worry about the prices for food and shelter. How do they compare with the prices on the camino frances in Spain?

Get the Miam Miam Do Do Lars and all your costs are there---- all meals and all accommodation plus use of kitchen for cooking.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Don't confuse the posts you have been readin, pay attentin to which Camino they are about. With the Fench routes being much more expensive than the ones in Spain, pigs will fly before they become over crowded with the crowds seen in Spain.

 

[mla1]

I would love to walk the French camino. But I worry about the prices for food and shelter. How do they compare with the prices on the camino frances in Spain?

It is more expensive. The average I paid last year for demi-pension (dinner, bed, breakfast) on the LePuy route was 30 euros. I did meet some people who were trying to keep to a 20-25 euro a day budget - it was challenging. There are not always kitchens in the gites and some of the small villages do not have stores for buying groceries. That said, they were doing it!

 

[Albertagirl]

I have considered walking some of the French routes. I speak French, although a unilingual Frenchman that I met last fall in Spain made it clear that my French is not up to his standards. And I am somewhat put off by the cost of walking in France. But my main apprehension has to do with the custom of booking ahead so the host/hostess can cook a meal for me, as I am told that restaurants and grocery stores are not always available. As a vegetarian (I do eat fish) this seems to point to communal meals with no choice. Obviously this could not work for me. Reflections from those who have walked the French routes would be welcome. I am beginning my camino this year on the camino d'Arles in the south of France, heading for the Aragones. But I shall be only three days in France and have arranged for accommodation in a hotel with bachelor apartment units (full kitchen) for the first night in Oloron Ste Marie. Does anyone know what persons with special diets do on the French routes?

 

[mla1]

As a vegetarian (I do eat fish) this seems to point to communal meals with no choice. Obviously this could not work for me. Reflections from those who have walked the French routes would be welcome. I am beginning my camino this year on the camino d'Arles in the south of France, heading for the Aragones. But I shall be only three days in France and have arranged for accommodation in a hotel with bachelor apartment units (full kitchen) for the first night in Oloron Ste Marie. Does anyone know what persons with special diets do on the French routes?

Hi Albertagirl,

I walked the St. Gilles route with my partner who is a vegetarian who sometimes eats fish. We had booked ahead (before we left home) and just asked if would be possible to accommodate her. We got some excellent meals with locally caught fish. Also omelettes and sometimes some nice small savoury tarts. And, of course, incredible cheeses and wonderful green salads.

On the LePuy route - most of the meals I had in gites had meat, vegetables, salad and a cheese course. Often a soup - sometimes a lentil soup. I never asked about the stock used for the soups.

I walked for a few days last year with a French couple who were vegetarians. They stayed in gites, but they were pretty flexible with the variety of responses they got. Again a lot of omelettes. And sometimes they just had the non-meat parts of the meal. One night, in an area very well known for duck - the rest of us were served duck, green salad, and cannellini or some similar kind of white beans. An omelette was made for the vegetarians and then they were offered the salad and the white beans. My friends asked how the beans had been cooked. The answer: in duck fat, because, of course, that is how you cook beans! The woman who ran the gite (it was very small) was genuinely perplexed that someone would not want to eat beans cooked that way. My friends just smiled and thanked her and took the beans. There is more acceptance and understanding of vegetarianism in France than there used to be - but it is still surprising for some people.

ml

 

[Albertagirl]

Hi Albertagirl,

I walked the St. Gilles route with my partner who is a vegetarian who sometimes eats fish. We had booked ahead (before we left home) and just asked if would be possible to accommodate her. We got some excellent meals with locally caught fish. Also omelettes and sometimes some nice small savoury tarts. And, of course, incredible cheeses and wonderful green salads.

On the LePuy route - most of the meals I had in gites had meat, vegetables, salad and a cheese course. Often a soup - sometimes a lentil soup. I never asked about the stock used for the soups.

I walked for a few days last year with a French couple who were vegetarians. They stayed in gites, but they were pretty flexible with the variety of responses they got. Again a lot of omelettes. And sometimes they just had the non-meat parts of the meal. One night, in an area very well known for duck - the rest of us were served duck, green salad, and cannellini or some similar kind of white beans. An omelette was made for the vegetarians and then they were offered the salad and the white beans. My friends asked how the beans had been cooked. The answer: in duck fat, because, of course, that is how you cook beans! The woman who ran the gite (it was very small) was genuinely perplexed that someone would not want to eat beans cooked that way. My friends just smiled and thanked her and took the beans. There is more acceptance and understanding of vegetarianism in France than there used to be - but it is still surprising for some people.

ml

@ml:
Thank you,
Mary Louise