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There were enough water points on VG, I always topped-up, and it worked fine.I did wonder if anyone else carries a water filter, interesting that you didn’t bother using it on the VG with so many streams/ river etc available.
What do you have, Katyden or Sawyer Squeeze?
Uf, er, I overheard him mentioning Bielefeld and Reims. Then south Cluny, I think.Incidentally, did you happen to ask the German guy what route he’d taken?
Yes, I can't believe it's been almost three weeks already! Dinner was locally sourced and included chanterelles with chestnuts and the good sour milk with honey.Already on day 19! Now that I've stopped walking I'll go back and read all about your Chemin. Hope you ate well.
Thank you for your review, it is very helpful. Your photos are beautiful and tell a story on their ownDay 19: le Puy-en-Velay - Landos 27,5km
This is a continuation of my 2024 camino in France. For the first part, see my reports on Via Gebenennsis)
Through the night and in the morning storms and strong showers were sailing to and fro above le Puy. Still, everyone was up and about by 6am and at breakfast by 6h30. It was so nice to see excited faces of those who were starting, or more expectant faces of those who already came here walking. Amongst them was a german guy who started in Berlin, bivouaced a lot, and walked south to le Puy to have more company.
Because of the rain, I started only after 7am when there was a lull. Still, I kept a close eye on the clouds and on the possible roofs, so I managed to duck into a handy garage when the next barrage of rain came. And then into a bus shelter.
The Regordane follows the suburbs of le Puy for a bit more than 2km then starts climbing. The grass was of course all wet. I had a reprieve from the rain for just enough that I could photograph le Puy's silhuette entwined in the mist, then the next storm came down.
When I reached the plateau the rain calmed a bit and the going was good, on gravel and asphalt roads almost due south.
After Tarreyres the route descends a stony lane to the former railway viaduct, crosses it then climbs up even steeper and more stony lane. I briefly considered staying on the gravel voie verte (bicycle lane) but dismissed the idea - my legs get a lot more and more quickly tired on flat surfaces.
After this big valley the Regordane traverses a high plateau covered in still green fields, meadows and pastures with far-reaching views, and sprinkled with small villages. Very beautiful. Reminiscent a bit of Spain in May.
Every village had a big fountain but none were drinkable. That is 27km without a water source that I have seen! The route is exposed so plan accordingly. But I got to use my water filter!
I started to feel the 'strolling' flatish gravel roads after about 20km and by the time I reached Landos everything hurt. I detoured to the lovely romanesque church first because I doubted I would budge much once I was in the room.
I am sleeping in gite d'etape la Bascule in the centre of the village on the main road. There is another hiker here, a woman, but we each have our own rooms. Bed €22, dinner €17-20, breakfast €8, washing machine €4, towel €4.
I am getting hungry, perhaps I should head downstairs and see if I can get an early dinner.
... Dinner was excellent.
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And you didn’t even have to design an off-route scamper to see them! What do you think the guy who is being burned by the dragon did to deserve that treatment? I’ve seen lots of punishments in romanesque capitals, but I think this is my first dragon.Also a well preserved romanesque church with some interesting capitals and reliefs.
Thank you for reading!Thank you for your review, it is very helpful. Your photos are beautiful and tell a story on their own
I know, right. On the interpretations in the church it said he is a male version of luxuria, the lust. Idk, maybe he is gay?And you didn’t even have to design an off-route scamper to see them! What do you think the guy who is being burned by the dragon did to deserve that treatment? I’ve seen lots of punishments in romanesque capitals, but I think this is my first dragon.
Dragons are most often seen with St. Michael (or St George).I know, right. On the interpretations in the church it said he is a male version of luxuria, the lust. Idk, maybe he is gay?
True, dragons are usually the poor fellows being pierced by various pointy objects.
True, but still on the receiving end of pointy objects.Dragons are most often seen with St. Michael (or St George).
For some reason I had no reception yesterday and the wifi was blah.I just spent the past hour catching up on your two threads. Hats off to you Caminka for taking the time to describe your day's walk in such detail. My heart lies in Spain but the French routes are so tempting!
I know the prices of accommodations are much higher than in Spain but I'm a bit shocked at some of the prices you quoted. You mention a demi-pension of €46 and then have to pay €8 extra for a duvet and linens. And incredible that a vegetarian meal would be more expensive - it's actually cheaper considering what they give you!
I personally find the demi-pension option not ideal if you leave early in the morning and are vegetarian (or in my case vegan). Some gîtes will accommodate you but I've also had the experience that it was take it or leave it, the price remained the same.
I chose the Regordane because it was more direct, no other reason. The Stevenson is pretty popular and I didn't want to compete for beds (but yesterday it happened that both gites d'etapes were full).Hello @caminka! I'm much enjoying your descriptions. We walked the Stevenson last year, though sometimes taking the Regordane, when it was more convenient. Just curious why you chose the Regordane, as most people seem to opt for the RLS? It sounds equally wonderful, though. Any comparisons you can make? It seems you've now detoured off to the Stevenson, in Chasserades. Are you going to stay on the RLS now? There's some magnificent walking coming up across the Cevennes National Park on the RLS. We also discovered a very pleasant short-cut, if you're looking to abbreviate the long stage to Florac. (I can forward a mapy.cz track, if you're interested).
Anyway, have a great rest of your walk, and I'll look forward to your continuing descriptions.
(And for those also following this thread, the Regordane and Robert Lewis Stevenson trails both start in Le Puy en Velay and continue to Ales in France, generally following separate routes but passing through many of the same towns, especially in the first half. Both are covered in the same Miam Miam Dodo guide).
(And for those also following this thread, the Regordane and Robert Lewis Stevenson trails both start in Le Puy en Velay and continue to Ales in France, generally following separate routes but passing through many of the same towns, especially in the first half. Both are covered in the same Miam Miam Dodo guide).
Yes, it is mentioned in a chanson de geste from the 12C, I think.And the St. Giles Way is almost the same as the Regordane -- it apparently follows a historical route. But that means it also parallels the busy roads that have been laid over it. We started on the St. Giles way and then mostly followed the Regordane (GR 700).
Re: walking in France vs Spain. For me, coffee and breakfast are generally better in Spain, but, in French villages that still have boulangeries ----- getting to start the day with a chocolate croissant is the best!
I'm really enjoying reading your notes Caminka!
Hi Camilla,Day 19: le Puy-en-Velay - Landos 27,5km
This is a continuation of my 2024 camino in France. For the first part, see my reports on Via Gebenennsis)
Through the night and in the morning storms and strong showers were sailing to and fro above le Puy. Still, everyone was up and about by 6am and at breakfast by 6h30. It was so nice to see excited faces of those who were starting, or more expectant faces of those who already came here walking. Amongst them was a german guy who started in Berlin, bivouaced a lot, and walked south to le Puy to have more company.
Because of the rain, I started only after 7am when there was a lull. Still, I kept a close eye on the clouds and on the possible roofs, so I managed to duck into a handy garage when the next barrage of rain came. And then into a bus shelter.
The Regordane follows the suburbs of le Puy for a bit more than 2km then starts climbing. The grass was of course all wet. I had a reprieve from the rain for just enough that I could photograph le Puy's silhuette entwined in the mist, then the next storm came down.
When I reached the plateau the rain calmed a bit and the going was good, on gravel and asphalt roads almost due south.
After Tarreyres the route descends a stony lane to the former railway viaduct, crosses it then climbs up even steeper and more stony lane. I briefly considered staying on the gravel voie verte (bicycle lane) but dismissed the idea - my legs get a lot more and more quickly tired on flat surfaces.
After this big valley the Regordane traverses a high plateau covered in still green fields, meadows and pastures with far-reaching views, and sprinkled with small villages. Very beautiful. Reminiscent a bit of Spain in May.
Every village had a big fountain but none were drinkable. That is 27km without a water source that I have seen! The route is exposed so plan accordingly. But I got to use my water filter!
I started to feel the 'strolling' flatish gravel roads after about 20km and by the time I reached Landos everything hurt. I detoured to the lovely romanesque church first because I doubted I would budge much once I was in the room.
I am sleeping in gite d'etape la Bascule in the centre of the village on the main road. There is another hiker here, a woman, but we each have our own rooms. Which are up steep flight of stairs, or two, if you are on the second floor. Bed €22, dinner €17-20, breakfast €8, washing machine €4, towel €4. I think I payed extra €3 for being vegetarian (an omelette instead of chicken and more salad instead of sausage), I've seen this a few times posted on internet sites of gites d'etapes on the Stevenson.
I am getting hungry, perhaps I should head downstairs and see if I can get an early dinner.
... Dinner was still excellent.
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Agree 1000%, not that it makes any difference on your end.I was (and still am) put off by the fact that I have to pay extra for a cheaper meal just because I am a vegetarian. Seems very unfair.
Ooooooo. Big distractions.menhirs
Oh. Myyyyyy. When I think French megaliths, I think Brittany. I had no idea there were so many in the SE.A short ascent later I was at the site of apparently the second largest megalithic site in France
It was still awesome to get close to and touch so many menhirs in such a small area.
But you managed. Wonderful images, @caminka !It was difficult to get a photo without one lurking in the background
I was most definitely glad I chose GR 68 here, but for the purists, it's not the Stevenson and it misses Mont Lozere.Brava! That's an interesting route you seem to have blazed between Le Bleymard and Florac, and would definitely be of interest to those walking the Stevenson, as it's quite a savings in time and energy. Mapy.cz shows that your route is 37.4 k with 955 meters of climbing, while the standard route on the Stevenson -- through Le Pont de Montvert and Bedoues -- is 46.2 k with 1263 meters of climbing.
Sounds gorgeous, too (although the Stevenson was also quite wonderful).
Keep on trucking. At this point, the Regordane is quite a bit east of you, so I'm very curious how you plan to get to Carcassone. Looking forward to finding out.
Picnic was comprised from locally produced food, that's why it was more expensive than dinner (two sheep cheeses and quarter of a kilo of dry apple slices). Dinner was a big bowl of quinoa with vegetables and a small loaf of rye bread with seeds.Must be an amazing picnic if it costs more than dinner!
With all the mention of streams and springs, are you using your water filter more often?
Wow. Gorgeous.
A fantastic day's walk from the sound of it - up Mont Aigoual, then down to a cozy (and I hope dry) campsite, and pizza.
For me this is utterly terra incognita, so I'm very grateful, @caminka, that you have taken the time to post. Merci!
Hope you have a cosy sleep
In your tent!
Oh my, that sounds cold! I hope that tonight you'll be able to get a better night's rest.Well... got maybe two hours of sleep. Don't know why I woke up before midnight but I couldn't go back to sleep at all. I went to pee four times and tracked progress from a full moon to cloudy to windy to calm before the storm to big storm right above us to windy to rainy and windy right now. I am not budging from the tent until it stops raining. I've got some splash back at the sides but otherwise everything seems dry. No pool below me, either.
I didn't freeze at least (I am at 1255m!). But I got everything on: merinos, thermos and puffy, liner, sleeping bag, anorak around the footbox, poncho on top.
The mattress is kinda hard on my hips and surrounding bones, though.
Yeah, no. It's noon and maybe hopefully the storms have had it for the day!Good you're getting some use from the tent and sleeping mat. Hopefully by the time you get this the rain has passed.
I think most of us underestimate how much insulation a building actually gives us. We tend to think that because we're sleeping with the windows wide open that the temperature is roughly the same outside as in but it's far from it.
I purchased a new tent for the next part of my home to Santiago journey, because the staging was becoming seriously annoying - 17 km one day, 35 the next. And it saves me mucking around so much trying to find accommodation once I hit France.
I set it up in the garden and slept in it a few nights ago.
It was good practice because whilst at home I seldom use more than a sheet at present, I needed my sleeping bag in the tent. It made me realize that I'm going to have to upgrade to my warmer bag for France ( annoying, because it's bigger and heavier - it may force me into a larger pack too: with current s.bag, tent, sleep mat and cook Gear my 32 litre is already Borderline)
It also reminded me of the fact that it always takes me a few nights to adjust to camping, practically every little noise woke me. I think I managed just three of hours of broken sleep.
Hopefully the soreness in your hips is just superficial and eases off quickly once you are up and about. Whilst a sleeping mat is significantly better than nothing, they don't even come close to a good mattress!
Yes, it can be. It really depends on the location, though, and in Europe that means a 'bit' younger, say around 6,000 bc.I am not a dolmen expert by any means, but this “double decker” one is really amazing! I know the dating process is usually unspecific, at least that’s my impression, but neolithic means as old as 10,000 BC, doesn’t it? That pretty much is beyond my capacity to really understand.
Were this one and its smaller cousin just sitting there waiting for you to visit? Nothing walled off?
It is, isn't it.Love the photos as always, that “double decker” dolmen (as @peregrina2000 calls it) is really neat, never seen anything like it.
Hope you get a decent nights sleep tonight, & that your shoulder improves dramatically.
One could write a book about the most awkward and funny translations. The Spanish are also pretty good at that. I've had a few good chuckles during my walks. It does make you wonder what, if any, source they use.They have very old google translate boards for 'bac a vaiselle' 'tub has dishes' and 'bac a linge' 'tub has linen'.
No, no, I get it, really. I just couldn't bring myself to 'like' the post, my legs were itchy! All good!Sorry @caminka, I meant that as a joke, obviously a bad one - after your list of costings for your pitch, I was meaning that after you'd paid for all that, they'd better not have charged you for the mosquitoes, too.
I've been delighting in all your dolmens and menhirs. What a walk!
True. I have quite a few photos of them, especially from my early caminos.One could write a book about the most awkward and funny translations. The Spanish are also pretty good at that. I've had a few good chuckles during my walks. It does make you wonder what, if any, source they use.
I don't react to every post so I'll just say here, they are just great!
I'm curious about your pack (sorry if mentioned somewhere). Since you carry a tent etc for camping you need extra space and carry more weight. Do you know how heavy it is? I would love to have the freedom a tent would allow but I am a real minimalist with regards to weight.
Wishing you another fine walking day
I've been wondering the same but I didn't want to derail the thread.So without your water and snacks you basically had a base weight of just eight and a half kilos, not bad considering your carrying your tent, sleeping bag, and mat!
My tent and sleeping mat combo weighs 1.4 kilos, presumably yours is similar. (I could drop 180 grams of that - my ground sheet- but I hate getting punctures in my tent floor).
The item I struggle most with is my sleeping bag. I have a cheap summer one, but I doubt that would cover the temperatures you've encountered. And my four season is old, hence very large and heavy ( it takes up over half my pack!). As I plan to walk earlier than you next year this could be an issue for me.
May I ask specifically what sleeping bag you're carrying?
And am I correct in assuming you have no cooking gear with you?
That is what I got at home. It's possible I later added one or two (small) things so my base weight is actually a little higher.So without your water and snacks you basically had a base weight of just eight and a half kilos, not bad considering your carrying your tent, sleeping bag, and mat!
My tent and sleeping mat combo weighs 1.4 kilos, presumably yours is similar. (I could drop 180 grams of that - my ground sheet- but I hate getting punctures in my tent floor).
The item I struggle most with is my sleeping bag. I have a cheap summer one, but I doubt that would cover the temperatures you've encountered. And my four season is old, hence very large and heavy ( it takes up over half my pack!). As I plan to walk earlier than you next year this could be an issue for me.
May I ask specifically what sleeping bag you're carrying?
And am I correct in assuming you have no cooking gear with you?
Omigosh, you manage to jog?! I confess I sometimes have thought along these lines buy am very quickly reminded of the hopping backpack.I've been wondering the same but I didn't want to derail the thread.
Given all you're carrying the weight is understandable but double that of mine. Of course it would be possible but then my propensity to jog downhill would be impossible
I'll confess that I downsized from an Osprey 35L with an external frame to an Osprey 30L with foam that hugs my back just for the downhills. The first backpack would flop up and down but the one I've used since 2019 fits nice and snug.Omigosh, you manage to jog?! I confess I sometimes have thought along these lines buy am very quickly reminded of the hopping backpack.
Lanshan 1 pro, with the modifications I've made it's 943g all in. (Trekking pole tent)Your tent and mat must be very light!
I wasn't planning on using it till after le Puy. Now I am very glad I have a back-up option. Today is my third night in a tent in a row. Tommorrow looks like another one. In all, I have used it five times so far. There was one night with only camping available (le Pouget, and I knew this in advance) and tommorrow is another full gite d'etape. There are other options but prices are €60 and climbing quickly.Whilst you haven't used your tent all that often, it must have been great to have had it on the handful of occasions you've really needed it.
I was eying the Lanshan, but am very glad I decided for a free-standing tent despite the weight of the pole support. Mat is almost obligatory under mediterranean pines, their needles are big and pointy.Lanshan 1 pro, with the modifications I've made it's 943g all in. (Trekking pole tent)
Hi @caminka, just a quick note to say how much I enjoy your delightful and informative posts and that it was not only your remark about the little s******g s***s that made me grin today but also your remark about a weird sounding owl that went something like oooohoo oooohoo.
In German Uhu is a common name for a type of owl, and in Dutch it is Oehoe but pronounced the same way. It is called Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) in other languages. I am not claiming that your owl in the pine tree above your tent was one of them but it did seem to speak their language.
Summer in Provence? Everyone in Paris escaping the Olympics?tommorrow is another full gite d'etape.
You are amazing, @caminka. If there were an Olympic camino event, you would be a serious contender for a gold medal! How you've made your own way has been inspiring to read! With amusing moments like this. I bet not amusing at all in the moment.crossed over to top-up my water in the park, then had to climb over two fences to get back to the correct side of the Canal to continue
Likewise. I wasted some time just now on the Merlin app trying to find a possible match.it was not only your remark about the little s******g s***s that made me grin today but also your remark about a weird sounding owl that went something like oooohoo oooohoo.
They arranged for the keys to the stadium area and the changing rooms. The grass looked nicely fluffy, and I had five showers, two squatters, one washing sink, and a charging port. Not bad at all.
Er, I don't know about that. Since I started on more obscure or tailor-made caminos, pretty much every time something like this happens.You are amazing, @caminka. If there were an Olympic camino event, you would be a serious contender for a gold medal! How you've made your own way has been inspiring to read! With amusing moments like this. I bet not amusing at all in the moment.
Haha. Done this myself, trespassing to avoid a 2km walk-around. Down to the "do I have time for a photo? erh, better not..."awww, come on, this can't be real, I am not going back down, is there anyone around?, there's no one around, let's go, ooop we go, steady, steady, zoom to the other side (do I have time for a photo? erh, better not), ooop across this one, ha!, there we go.
Ditto. More than once. Except I often filmed mine because I had my GoPro on my rucksack strap.Haha. Done this myself, trespassing to avoid a 2km walk-around. Down to the "do I have time for a photo? erh, better not..."
I have slept in some odd places over the years (empty appartment, lumpy couch of a moto club, several meeting rooms of parishes, cellar of a casa-torre, art studio, tents of all sizes and descriptions), not always with a shower but always with a toilet, and it always works out in the end.Ditto. More than once. Except I often filmed mine because I had my GoPro on my rucksack strap.
All the while thinking "here's hoping the Farmer doesn't come along.... " .
@caminka , so lucky to be given the keys to the gym. My closest was the shower block for a yet to be opened camp site on Corfu. I, too started by camping but after hours of torrential rain I retreated at 1:00 a.m. to the shower block. Toilet, shower (cold , but still), solid walls and roof, and a dry floor - what more can you ask for!
Well done on completing this latest adventure, I hope you take a day at least to enjoy the pool before moving on again. Swimming seriously helps the legs and back after days - let alone weeks - of walking!
I've said this before, but many thanks for posting your adventures - it's really appreciated.
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