2024 Chemin du Piemont planning - lodging help please!!

[Cfordstrom]

After walking the Le Puy route the last 2 summers my daughter and I are returning to France this June to walk from Carcassonne to Lourdes (and possibly SJPDP). For many reasons we need to book our lodging ahead. If you would like more information about why we need to experience our camino this way please just ask.
As expected finding places to stay within 25 km from each other is more challenging on this route than Le Puy. I have hit a bit of a road block in a few areas so far.

Any suggestions for the following places??
Saint-Victor-Rouzaud ( I have sent requests to La Marie (no response) Chateau Hille (no availability) and La Pause Nature (no response).
La Grausse - I have sent a request to Le Chateau (no response)
Cazaunous - requests sent to Le Resclose and chez Marie David but no response from either.

I am pretty well versed in what the internet has to offer in terms of lodging lists, videos, blogs... and I have the Topo guide and the Lepere guide. I use www.godesalco.com and mongr.fr to help me figure out stages.

If you have specific recommendations for the above places I would really appreciate the help. And/or if you know of an organization that can help with these kinds of logistics (calling and speaking in French to make inquiries/reservations) that would be great too.

Thank you!!

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi @Cfordstrom Sorry you are having difficulty. We walked the Piemont in April 2022. Accommodation and distances can be challenging for sure. We didn't' have the need to book everything in advance, sometimes calling or emailing just a day or two ahead, but I can understand in your situation you'd like to get things nailed down.

In terms of the places you have contacted but not yet received a response - given that we are only in mid February, that's not unusual on the French paths, and even more so on the Piemont which sees few pilgrims.

As you are not walking until June, I'd not be too concerned at this stage, and perhaps try contacting again in April.

By way of reassurance - I hope. We walked right at the beginning of 'the season', starting in Carcassonne on 1 April, so our accommodation options were more limited than they would be in June. But we still always had a place to stay and rarely walked more than 25 kms. On two occasions, where we were having difficulty, we found excellent and inexpensive accommodation via Airbnb - in one case a room and in another case an apartment. So that could be worth considering. And the inbuilt translation makes for easy communication.

Bon chemin.

 

[Cfordstrom]

Thank you for your input. You are totally right about timing and it still being so early in the season. I also know that uncertainty of the path is all part of the experience. It’s just hard to balance that with wanting my daughter to feel safe. Your very kind guidance is reassuring. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[BombayBill]

@Cfordstrom can you update us on how this journey unfolded?

 

[Cfordstrom]

It was brilliant! It was definitely more challenging than the route from Le Puy but so worth it. In almost 3 weeks we only met 6 other people walking more than a day so it was very quiet. The hosts along the way were friendly and helpful, we had great dinners and got to know some of the hosts better because we were always the only guests. The main challenge was lack of support services along the way. There were days without cafes or restaurants or markets so many days with little to eat along the way. The mountain vistas were phenomenal. I’m already dreaming of doing it again.

 

[BombayBill]

It was brilliant! It was definitely more challenging than the route from Le Puy but so worth it. In almost 3 weeks we only met 6 other people walking more than a day so it was very quiet. The hosts along the way were friendly and helpful, we had great dinners and got to know some of the hosts better because we were always the only guests. The main challenge was lack of support services along the way. There were days without cafes or restaurants or markets so many days with little to eat along the way. The mountain vistas were phenomenal. I’m already dreaming of doing it again.

Thank you for prompt reply. I am torn between the Arles / Aragones route and the Piamont route. There was one very informative post that suggested the Arles route had better scenery and facilities along the way. My intention is to start one or the other at about the 1/3 mark (Carcasonne or Toulouse ) . I usually walk alone and value the company of other pilgrims over a glass at night. I’ve been on the Le Puy and met many lovely people. So hard to decide.

 

[Cfordstrom]

Thank you for prompt reply. I am torn between the Arles / Aragones route and the Piamont route. There was one very informative post that suggested the Arles route had better scenery and facilities along the way. My intention is to start one or the other at about the 1/3 mark (Carcasonne or Toulouse ) . I usually walk alone and value the company of other pilgrims over a glass at night. I’ve been on the Le Puy and met many lovely people. So hard to decide.

Can you direct me to the post comparing the Arles route to the Piemont route? The scenery was breathtaking on the Piemont especially from Mas-d'Azil to Lourdes (we finished in Lourdes this time). If you are on facebook you can look me up (I posted a ridiculous number of pictures). But it was very quiet - no long wine soaked dinners for sure. That said the hosts were amazing and it was great talking to them (as well I could in my very limited French). Also, I tended to choose places to stay that were more private but... we literally saw 6 other thru hikers our entire time on the route - it was quiet.
I am going to do part of the Arles route summer 2025 - trying to decide if I want to do Arles to Toulouse or Toulouse to Puente Reina. I am worried that the trail before Somport will still be inaccessible next summer after the rains this year washed so much out.

 

[BombayBill]

The comparison can be found on a planning thread I started. It is post #19 and post #40
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/piemont-planning-2022.73011/

I am similarly planning and leaning towards Toulouse to Somport to Jaca to Pamplona.

 

[caminka]

Thank you for prompt reply. I am torn between the Arles / Aragones route and the Piamont route. There was one very informative post that suggested the Arles route had better scenery and facilities along the way. My intention is to start one or the other at about the 1/3 mark (Carcasonne or Toulouse ) . I usually walk alone and value the company of other pilgrims over a glass at night. I’ve been on the Le Puy and met many lovely people. So hard to decide.

I walked the Arles route quite a bit ago (in 2009) and the Piemont route in three installments (in 2012, 2022 and 2024).
Looking at gronze and ign, the Arles route changed its course a bit here and there, but the accommodation is still mostly in the same places.

Accommodation wise, I think both routes are about the same, rougly one choice per day, sometimes another option somewhere in the middle of the day. Calling ahead is usual, especially if there is a dinner option.

Services wise, you need to plan ahead for both routes, for water and for food.

Scenery wise, both have spectacular parts: the Arles especially around st Guilhem-le-Desert, the Piemont around le Mas-d'Azil and st-Bertrand-des-Commingues.

Panoramas wise, the Piemont is closer to the Pyrennes so of course panoramas here are better and more frequent.

Company wise, the Arles is perhaps a little more travelled? This year on the Piemont (I walked Bezier - Carcassonne) I was told that rougly every day there were one or two pilgrims passing through.