itinerary for GR 78 from Saint Thibéry to Carcassonne

[caminka]

as part of my this year's camino I am traversing french hills from le puy to saint guilhem le désert then heading south/south-west to saint thibéry or béziers and (more or less) follow voie du piémont (GR 78) to carcassonne.

as this part of GR 78 is still in development and not many information is available online, especially in english, I hope this will help future pilgrims heading this way.

enjoy!

 

[mla1]

Hi @caminka - I have not walked that route, but about 10 years ago while walking the St Giles way (it runs more or less parallel to the GR 700), which also starts in Le Puy, my partner and I kept bumping into a French couple who told us more than once that we definitely needed to come back and walk to St Guilhem le désert. I will look forward to hearing whether you like that area as much as they did!

 

[caminka]

Hi @caminka - I have not walked that route, but about 10 years ago while walking the St Giles way (it runs more or less parallel to the GR 700), which also starts in Le Puy, my partner and I kept bumping into a French couple who told us more than once that we definitely needed to come back and walk to St Guilhem le désert. I will look forward to hearing whether you like that area as much as they did!

I will join la voie du st guilhem in mont aigoual, I believe. It starts in Aubrac.
The area I am traversing has some truly remarkable prehistoric monuments. I am very much looking forward to seeing them!

 

[lovingkindness]

Hello @caminka
I have walked in the opposite direction, from Carcassonne to Saint Thibèry on my way to Jerusalem in 2013. I followed a canal to Béziers where I had the good fortune to stay at l 'Hotel Confort. Madame was passionate about pilgrimage. It just so happened that she and others were in the process of searching out a trail through the fields from Béziers to St Thibèry, along the ancient Via Domitia which I hoped to follow to Montpellier. Madame copied off maps for me and sent me off glad.

In Saint Thibèry the local gendarme came to my aid. I met him at la mairie. He let me sleep in his back yard in a new garden shed. I kept warm, huddled beneath a length of insulation paper.

In another village near there, either before or after St Thibèry, I've forgotten which, the local gendarmes telephoned a retirement home, et voilá, ecco...an ensuite room just for me! I arrived in time to have tea & cake with the elderly residents... which made me very happy as it was my birthday.

All this to say, if you happen to have difficulty finding some where to sleep, I have found the french gendarmes to be kind and helpful.

....Night time falls then only a moment later morning follows...

Blessings on your Way, @caminka . I look forward to reading about your adventure.

Regards
Lovingkindnes

 

[Becky 59]

What a lot of work ! I want to hear how it goes, I’m interested in that area.

 

[caminka]

Hello @caminka
I have walked in the opposite direction, from Carcassonne to Saint Thibèry on my way to Jerusalem in 2013. I followed a canal to Béziers where I had the good fortune to stay at l 'Hotel Confort. Madame was passionate about pilgrimage. It just so happened that she and others were in the process of searching out a trail through the fields from Béziers to St Thibèry, along the ancient Via Domitia which I hoped to follow to Montpellier. Madame copied off maps for me and sent me off glad.

In Saint Thibèry the local gendarme came to my aid. I met him at la mairie. He let me sleep in his back yard in a new garden shed. I kept warm, huddled beneath a length of insulation paper.

In another village near there, either before or after St Thibèry, I've forgotten which, the local gendarmes telephoned a retirement home, et voilá, ecco...an ensuite room just for me! I arrived in time to have tea & cake with the elderly residents... which made me very happy as it was my birthday.

All this to say, if you happen to have difficulty finding some where to sleep, I have found the french gendarmes to be kind and helpful.

....Night time falls then only a moment later morning follows...

Blessings on your Way, @caminka . I look forward to reading about your adventure.

Regards
Lovingkindnes

I know of Hotel Confort, I stayed there in 2012 on my way home to SdC! The lady running it was indeed very passionate about the chemin, she offered me breakfast and all sorts of advice to get me to Narbonne. From St. Thibery I plotted a route around new motorway construction, visited decathlon then had a long slog into town along a major avenue.
There is now pilgrim gite close to canal du midi on western side of Beziers, looking up to church of st jacques (this location is new, previously the gite was on a panoramic location in the old town).

I remember a few scattered arrows between St. Thibery and Beziers. I'm not sure the situation has improved much, at least not according to the latest google video cars.

Mairie in St. Thibery helped me out as well. I slept in an empty apartment - but with funcioning toilet - in a big building across from it, an old school.
When you were there, someone was probably thinking 'oh, didn't we have another lost pilgrim seeking a roof here last year?'
St. Thibery also now sports a pilgrim gite.

I have always found French very helpful on my chemins, often going out of their way to find me a bed if I got stuck without one.

Thank you!

I have vague plans of posting something on the forum...

 

[caminka]

What a lot of work ! I want to hear how it goes, I’m interested in that area.

This is part of the camino for me. I may be posting something on the forum..

 

[lovingkindness]

I know of Hotel Confort, I stayed there in 2012 on my way home to SdC! The lady running it was indeed very passionate about the chemin, she offered me breakfast and all sorts of advice to get me to Narbonne. From St. Thibery I plotted a route around new motorway construction, visited decathlon then had a long slog into town along a major avenue.
There is now pilgrim gite close to canal du midi on western side of Beziers, looking up to church of st jacques (this location is new, previously the gite was on a panoramic location in the old town).

I remember a few scattered arrows between St. Thibery and Beziers. I'm not sure the situation has improved much, at least not according to the latest google video cars.

Mairie in St. Thibery helped me out as well. I slept in an empty apartment - but with funcioning toilet - in a big building across from it, an old school.
When you were there, someone was probably thinking 'oh, didn't we have another lost pilgrim seeking a roof here last year?'
St. Thibery also now sports a pilgrim gite.

I have always found French very helpful on my chemins, often going out of their way to find me a bed if I got stuck without one.

Thank you!

I have vague plans of posting something on the forum...

Hi @caminka...on my way back from Jerusalem (Feb-March 2014) I stayed with a couple who welcomed pilgrims into their home near Nice (Nina & Rob). They had your photo pinned to their notice board. You had passed through a month or two earlier and had made quite an impression. How about that! We almost met

 

[lovingkindness]

I know of Hotel Confort, I stayed there in 2012 on my way home to SdC! The lady running it was indeed very passionate about the chemin, she offered me breakfast and all sorts of advice to get me to Narbonne. From St. Thibery I plotted a route around new motorway construction, visited decathlon then had a long slog into town along a major avenue.
There is now pilgrim gite close to canal du midi on western side of Beziers, looking up to church of st jacques (this location is new, previously the gite was on a panoramic location in the old town).

I remember a few scattered arrows between St. Thibery and Beziers. I'm not sure the situation has improved much, at least not according to the latest google video cars.

Mairie in St. Thibery helped me out as well. I slept in an empty apartment - but with funcioning toilet - in a big building across from it, an old school.
When you were there, someone was probably thinking 'oh, didn't we have another lost pilgrim seeking a roof here last year?'
St. Thibery also now sports a pilgrim gite.

I have always found French very helpful on my chemins, often going out of their way to find me a bed if I got stuck without one.

Thank you!

I have vague plans of posting something on the forum...

...in Saint Thibéry the gendarme showed me an apartement where strangers passing through were sometimes given refuge. Perhaps it was the same place you slept in. However, the day I turned up the previous overnighters had left it in a filthy state and I couldn't bring myself to sleep there....hence the garden shed .

 

[caminka]

Hi @caminka...on my way back from Jerusalem (Feb-March 2014) I stayed with a couple who welcomed pilgrims into their home near Nice (Nina & Rob). They had your photo pinned to their notice board. You had passed through a month or two earlier and had made quite an impression. How about that! We almost met

Omg, yoy mean in La Roquette-sur-Siagne?! They were so lovely! I can't believe they remembered me after two years still! (I stayed at theirs in 2012 but it would be awesome if we would meet like this sometime!)

 

[caminka]

...in Saint Thibéry the gendarme showed me an apartement where strangers passing through were sometimes given refuge. Perhaps it was the same place you slept in. However, the day I turned up the previous overnighters had left it in a filthy state and I couldn't bring myself to sleep there....hence the garden shed .

It could very well be. The entrance was from a long balcony on the back side of the building. I just don't understand people who do that, it's basic courtesy to leave a place as you found it.