Walking 5-7 days before SJPDP - best option?

[JustJack]

Another option I'm considering for the spring is walking for roughly a week in France, to SJPDP where I'll start my CF.

Questions:

- which route would make the most sense for me to walk, factoring in how easy it is to get to the starting point (from Paris or Madrid or Barcelona), and how beautiful and how well serviced the route is.

- Am I correct assuming that the Le Puy would have the most options for places to stay and places to eat along the way? If so, would Aire-sur-l'Adour be the logical place to start? I know nothing of that place, or the route, but Gronze seems to flag it as a major stop on the Le Puy.

- If I fly into Paris, what would be the simplest way to get to Aire-sur-l'Adour (or another place if there's a better option)?

- is the route (Le Puy or any other) for the 5-7 days prior to SJPDP nice?

Basically I'm just looking to add a handful of days or up to a week, to my CF, and rather than continue walking to Finisterre I thought I'd look into adding on to the beginning of the CF rather than the end.

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'd say either walk from Bordeaux, or indeed start from some point on the Le Puy route because of the infrastructure advantages.

But Bordeaux to SJPP is a wonderful route.

 

[JustJack]

I'd say either walk from Bordeaux, or indeed start from some point on the Le Puy route because of the infrastructure advantages.

But Bordeaux to SJPP is a wonderful route.

Thanks that sounds interesting. Is there an established route from Bordeaux? A GR number? Bordeaux would certainly be easier to get to than some small place along the Le Puy.

 

[trecile]

You could also start in Lourdes and walk to SJPdP on the Piamonte route.

Camino del Piamonte | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino del Piamonte es el camino jacobeo que discurre a lo largo del Prepirineo francés, pasando por Narbonne, Carcassonne, Lourdes y Oloron hasta Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, y que comparte trazado con el GR-78. Considerado hasta hace pocos años una variante del Camino de Arles, estamos ante un...

www.gronze.com

 

[Kiwi-family]

Or the Baztan from Bayonne. There's a train that takes less than four hours from Paris.

 

[JustJack]

You could also start in Lourdes and walk to SJPdP on the Piamonte route.

Camino del Piamonte | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino del Piamonte es el camino jacobeo que discurre a lo largo del Prepirineo francés, pasando por Narbonne, Carcassonne, Lourdes y Oloron hasta Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, y que comparte trazado con el GR-78. Considerado hasta hace pocos años una variante del Camino de Arles, estamos ante un...

www.gronze.com

Walking from Lourdes is about the right distance. I’ll look into that route.

 

[JustJack]

Or the Baztan from Bayonne. There's a train that takes less than four hours from Paris.

I think I want to go through SJPDP. But this route sounds interesting and might be an interesting option. I’ll check it out.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I think I want to go through SJPDP. But this route sounds interesting and might be an interesting option. I’ll check it out.

Sorry I told you the wrong one! Voie de la Nive from Bayonne to Saint Jean (although the Baztan is more spectacular) and a thread here

 

[lovingkindness]

.

 

[lovingkindness]

Bonne Année @JustJack

Post in thread 'Starting the Camino from the end of Le Puy/ Arles':

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...om-the-end-of-le-puy-arles.84611/post-1210911

Happy planning!
Lovingkindness

 

[JabbaPapa]

Thanks that sounds interesting. Is there an established route from Bordeaux? A GR number? Bordeaux would certainly be easier to get to than some small place along the Le Puy.

Bordeaux is on the Paris/Tours route to Santiago.

Lourdes is a good starting point too, as others have suggested, though personally I have become more and more inclined in recent years to suggest switching up to Navarrenx and the Le Puy route after the Oloron-Sainte-Marie > Geüs d'Oloron stretch.

 

[Moniq]

Thanks that sounds interesting. Is there an established route from Bordeaux? A GR number? Bordeaux would certainly be easier to get to than some small place along the Le Puy.

I’d like to know this too!

 

[bbanks1217]

Another option I'm considering for the spring is walking for roughly a week in France, to SJPDP where I'll start my CF.

Questions:

- which route would make the most sense for me to walk, factoring in how easy it is to get to the starting point (from Paris or Madrid or Barcelona), and how beautiful and how well serviced the route is.

- Am I correct assuming that the Le Puy would have the most options for places to stay and places to eat along the way? If so, would Aire-sur-l'Adour be the logical place to start? I know nothing of that place, or the route, but Gronze seems to flag it as a major stop on the Le Puy.

- If I fly into Paris, what would be the simplest way to get to Aire-sur-l'Adour (or another place if there's a better option)?

- is the route (Le Puy or any other) for the 5-7 days prior to SJPDP nice?

Basically I'm just looking to add a handful of days or up to a week, to my CF, and rather than continue walking to Finisterre I thought I'd look into adding on to the beginning of the CF rather than the end.

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

On my first Camino in 2016, I walked with my son, starting from Aire-sur-l'Adour (an old Roman site) and finishing in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. We walked in mid-August and the weather was great. Along the way you have beautiful terrain with fields of corn and sunflowers. The Gite experience is different from the Albergues in Spain. Typically, you gather with your fellow Pilgrims for a cocktail hour and share experiences. Then there is a Catholic service in town followed by a family dinner with the Pilgrims in your Gite. You can travel to Jean-Pied-de-Port in 6 days or so. Overall, the walking is good, the people friendly, and it was not too crowded back in 2016.

 

[Robert Long]

I would definitely recommend starting in LePuy. The 7am pilgrim mass is something not to miss. When the priest says the mass is ended, the closing is amazing.

My son, my best friend and I walked from Le Puy for 7 days. Then we spend a day using a taxi and three trains to get to SJPP. It was a12 hour travel day but a great adventure. I recommend it highly.

AND the food in France in the Gites is beyond description. And no, none of us spoke French, but we did just fine

Buen Camino Bob

 

[JustJack]

On my first Camino in 2016, I walked with my son, starting from Aire-sur-l'Adour (an old Roman site) and finishing in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. We walked in mid-August and the weather was great. Along the way you have beautiful terrain with fields of corn and sunflowers. The Gite experience is different from the Albergues in Spain. Typically, you gather with your fellow Pilgrims for a cocktail hour and share experiences. Then there is a Catholic service in town followed by a family dinner with the Pilgrims in your Gite. You can travel to Jean-Pied-de-Port in 6 days or so. Overall, the walking is good, the people friendly, and it was not too crowded back in 2016.

That all sounds great, however... gathering for cocktails, then for mass (I'm not religious), then for a communal meal... sounds a bit much for an introvert like me to be honest!

 

[lovingkindness]

Thanks that sounds interesting. Is there an established route from Bordeaux? A GR number? Bordeaux would certainly be easier to get to than some small place along the Le Puy.

Bordeaux is on the GR 655

GR®655 Via Turonensis

www.gr-infos.com

 

[hikingcat]

Hi @JustJack
I would also like to start walking on the GR65 before connecting at SJPP and have done a bit of research into it the past. Some resources that might help:

Depending on the time you have, you could start walking a bit further back from Condom or Nogaro (which has bus connection 934 to Aire). Bus 952 runs betwen Condom - Nogaro. See LiO bus and go to the Gers tab for details.

There is also pilgrim transport available through Valises Saint Jacques.

A possible route might be Paris - train to Agen - bus 953 to Condom - walk/connect to other transport from there.

@BlackRocker57 please correct me if I am wrong. Do you have any other ideas?

Hope this helps.

 

[JustJack]

Hi @JustJack
I would also like to start walking on the GR65 before connecting at SJPP and have done a bit of research into it the past. Some resources that might help:

Depending on the time you have, you could start walking a bit further back from Condom or Nogaro (which has bus connection 934 to Aire). Bus 952 runs betwen Condom - Nogaro. See LiO bus and go to the Gers tab for details.

There is also pilgrim transport available through Valises Saint Jacques.

A possible route might be Paris - train to Agen - bus 953 to Condom - walk/connect to other transport from there.

@BlackRocker57 please correct me if I am wrong. Do you have any other ideas?

Hope this helps.

Very helpful, thank you!

 

[isawtman]

I know a guy that started at Lourdes on the Camino del Piamonte. It looks like it has 7 stages between Lourdes and St Jean. None of the stages look terribly long. The longest is 23.9 km. And 5 of the stages are 2 stars in difficulty, 1 stage each is 4 stars and 5 stars in difficulty. The two more difficult stages are the last two stages before St Jean. There seems to be a fair amount of accommodations along the route. See the Gronze page here https://www.gronze.com/camino-piamonte