Gr 36 - From North to south to join Voie de Tours

[Homely]

I live in chichester, so if I want to start the camino from my front door. The obvious thing to do is walk to chichester cathedral and then walk to Portsmouth, get the ferry to ouistreham, join the gr 36 and head south until I cross the tours camino.

I cannot find much information on the northern sections of the gr36, have people got much information on it

 

[SabsP]

I live in chichester, so if I want to start the camino from my front door. The obvious thing to do is walk to chichester cathedral and then walk to Portsmouth, get the ferry to ouistreham, join the gr 36 and head south until I cross the tours camino.

I cannot find much information on the northern sections of the gr36, have people got much information on it

Hi and welcome here on this forum.

You are already aware of these websites?

GR®36 De la Manche aux Pyrénées (Itinéraire complet)

www.gr-infos.com

Le GR®36 : de la Manche aux Pyrénées - Falaise - Suisse Normande

Le GR®36 est un sentier de grande randonnée qui relie la Manche aux Pyrénées. Au cours de la première étape, vous traverserez Pont-d'Ouilly.

www.falaise-suissenormande.com

GR36: De Ouistreham à Bourg-Madame - HIKAMP

Le GR36 vous fera traverser la France des côtes de la Manche à la Méditerranée. Itinéraires et hébergements sur Hikamp.

www.hikamp.com

 

[mla1]

GR36: De Ouistreham à Bourg-Madame - HIKAMP

Le GR36 vous fera traverser la France des côtes de la Manche à la Méditerranée. Itinéraires et hébergements sur Hikamp.

www.hikamp.com

Oh!!!! I have not seen that website before! So good!

 

[Tandem Graham]

It's not the GR36, but there is a route with a guidebook, The Plantagenets Way, which goes from Mont St Michel to intercept the Voie de Tours near St Jean d'Angely.
This is a recognized pilgrimage route, with pilgrimages in both directions.
We followed it - approximately, by tandem - in 2017, and encountered several groups making pilgrimages towards the Mont. It passes through interesting towns and villages and attractive countryside. And there are several pilgrim-specific accommodation options on the way.
The Lightfoot Guide to the route has very precise navigational guidance.
It would probably mean taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Saint Malo, which is about a day's walk from Mont St Michel.
Good luck with whichever route you take!

 

[mla1]

We followed it - approximately, by tandem - in 2017, and encountered several groups making pilgrimages towards the Mont. It passes through interesting towns and villages and attractive countryside. And there are several pilgrim-specific accommodation options on the way.

I would love to know more about how you found that route overall!

 

[Homely]

It's not the GR36, but there is a route with a guidebook, The Plantagenets Way, which goes from Mont St Michel to intercept the Voie de Tours near St Jean d'Angely.
This is a recognized pilgrimage route, with pilgrimages in both directions.
We followed it - approximately, by tandem - in 2017, and encountered several groups making pilgrimages towards the Mont. It passes through interesting towns and villages and attractive countryside. And there are several pilgrim-specific accommodation options on the way.
The Lightfoot Guide to the route has very precise navigational guidance.
It would probably mean taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Saint Malo, which is about a day's walk from Mont St Michel.
Good luck with whichever route you take

Brilliant, just what I needed

 

[Tandem Graham]

Bear in mind that we were cycling, so not all of the paths were suitable for us. But the Lightfoot Guide maps include surrounding terrain, including road and trail alternatives, so we were able to plot a route for us.
I really liked the route, with variety between open countryside and small towns and villages and then cities such as Angers and Thouars. I don't know if the guide has been updated, but if you can manage to read a bit of French, there may well be more up to date info on accommodation (hebergements) on the websites of the relevant departmental Compostelle organisations.
If you book ahead, it's also possible to sleep in a pilgrim room at the top of the Mont itself. Unfortunately that was already reserved when we were planning.
If you read Timmy Mallet's autobiographical account of his bike Camino (My Life's Journey), he took roughly the same route.

 

[lovingkindness]

Hello @Homely
I have walked part of the GR 36 to Bourg Madame. Here is a conversation:

Post in thread 'GR36 route through France' https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/gr36-route-through-france.80464/post-1135532

Happy planning!
Lovingkindness

Ps in 2022 @Vacajoe followed the GR36 to Mont St Michel. He wrote about it Live, here on the forum...

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/chemin-du-mont-saint-michel-ouistreham.77307/#post-1076230

 

[Richard P]

Hello Homely
I have not walked that route but I did walk from Cherbourg to Mont St. Michel then on to Clisson last summer and I had pages of helpful information from the local Association of the Amis de Saint Jacques and I know, as Tandem Graham says above that if you send an email to the Amis of Basse Normandie and Pays de-la-Loire you too will be provided with lists of accommodation for pilgrims and graciously welcomed along the way.
Bon chemin

 

[mla1]

Hello Homely
I have not walked that route but I did walk from Cherbourg to Mont St. Michel then on to Clisson last summer and I had pages of helpful information from the local Association of the Amis de Saint Jacques and I know, as Tandem Graham says above that if you send an email to the Amis of Basse Normandie and Pays de-la-Loire you too will be provided with lists of accommodation for pilgrims and graciously welcomed along the way.
Bon chemin

Hi Richard -- how was the experience of walking that route? Would you recommend it?
thanks!
Mary Louise

 

[Richard P]

Hello Mary Louise
I wrote a brief summary of my walk last year but with my basic understanding of how all this computer stuff works - I can't find it!
Essentially the first section down the Cotentin Peninsula was a bit of a slog for me as there was only one "pilgrim accommodation" available and that was the night of the first day. From there to Genets I stayed in either hotels or fancy tents in caravan parks. There were no pilgrims such as myself headed to MsM. I actually had one fellow along the way tell me that there were busses and trains in France and it was not necessary to walk!
That changed at MsM. I had booked a room in January for June 22 and as I walked through the door of the Pilgrim House I was greeted by name. I had a small and very comfortable room overlooking the bay and the next morning I walked up to the Abbey for lauds and it still is the most moving experience I have had of the walking I have done in Belgium, France or Spain. I even thought of stopping then and there but fortunately my sense of completion nudged me along and I am thankful it did. From there to Clisson other than two nights in youth hostels I stayed in private homes and the people who took me in gave me a taste of what it must have been like centuries ago: a smiling welcome, a hearty meal, a comfortable room. Hospitality.
Yes I would recommend it and at some point I plan to continue on from Clisson to the Chemin de Tours and meet up to where I stopped several years ago walking from Bordeaux to Aulnay.
Richard

 

[mla1]

Hello Richard, thanks so much! There is not a lot of information on how people experience that route, what it’s like to walk it. The chance to stay with families must make it very special.
ml

 

[Richard P]

Hello Mary Louise
There is not indeed. If you have read Roving Rufus's daily posts from '22 and '23 you will see that her experience is similar but different to mine. To begin with she is (at least I assume) much younger than myself and would happily camp when called for. Whereas being 73 I just don't feel like camping anymore. Simple as that.
It is really the first section down the Cotentin Peninsula from Cherbourg mostly along the GR 223 which for me was the most trying and that was only the accommodation. The walking can not be easier as in many areas you are on a hard surface path or you can take off your shoes and walk along the beach and that first view across the bay to Mont St. Michel from Cabane Vauban through the rising mists I'll never forget.
After MsM you are mostly following a river/canal all the way to Nantes with only a few shortish sections where you go up and over from one watershed to another, but absolutely nothing like out of Le Puy!
If you look on line for Association les haltes pelerines en Loire-Atlantic you will see an email address and you have to ask for the list of hebergements and they will forward the updated list to you.
Everyone's experience is going to be a bit different and it is one Camino where you will definitely not be swept along by the crowd.
cheers
Richard

 

[mla1]

Woah! That is a great picture in front of the Mont St. Michel! I will look for the posts by Roving Rufus - I have not seen those.

Re camping: I will camp and hike here at home (in Ontario) but half of the reason for going to Europe is not to have to!