Camino from Montpellier

[Globetrottingpilgrim2010]

When exploring Montpellier, I stumbled upon scallop shell markers that led through the old city center and continued along the Aquadukt Saint Clement. I tried to follow the Camino markers, but eventually lost them once I passed the aqueduct. Has anyone walked this route? If so, can anyone share their experience or where can I find information regarding the route? Thank you in advance for any information.

 

[Bradypus]

I haven't walked the Chemin d'Arles myself but the CSJ website might be a good starting point for information about it.

Chemin d'Arles

The southern-most French route through Montpelier, via Toulouse to cross the Pyrenees at the Somport pass, continuing through Jaca and onto join the Camino Francés at Puente La Reina.

www.csj.org.uk

 

[OZAJ]

When I walked this route in 2012, it was recommended that pilgrims enter Montpellier by bus/tram from Vendargues and leave by bus/tram to Grabels.

I can't remember who did the recommending. Possibly the CSJ guidebook and also the hospis either side of Montpellier

 

[Former member 104756]

@Globetrottingpilgrim2010 Both thé Camino Arles and Camino Piemont Pyrénéen pass through Montpelier and the paths intersect again many hundreds of kms later at Oloron st Marie. The Arles Way begins in Arles and goes to the Pyrenees and Spanish border via the Col du Somport where it continues as the Camino Aragones. Thé Piemont goes to SJPP and continues over the Pyrenees and into Spain, via the Frances.

I’ve walked both and recommend the Arles Way over the Piemont any day. We loved the Arles / Aragones Way and would happily walk again There are threads on the forum for both Caminos. And information on thé CSJ website as suggested above by @Bradypus.

 

[JabbaPapa]

When I walked this route in 2012, it was recommended that pilgrims enter Montpellier by bus/tram from Vendargues and leave by bus/tram to Grabels.

I can't remember who did the recommending. Possibly the CSJ guidebook and also the hospis either side of Montpellier

I have bused into Montpellier only once, and that was purely because of a sunstroke - - I actually needed a rest day there to recover from it.

Personally, I don't dislike those walks into and out of that city, and I usually do dislike the suburbs, viscerally, but I do those walks regardless.

Probably because much of the Montpellier suburbia is villages that have been absorbed over time, so that they retain some local character.

Yes there's the navigation of the ring roads and so on, but it doesn't last that long really. And the Albergue is central, not displaced into some other suburb.

And University towns like Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Santiago, seem always a bit easier to walk through, to me anyway. YMMV I guess !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Both the Camino Arles and Camino Piemont Pyrénéen pass through Montpelier and the paths intersect again many hundreds of kms later at Oloron st Marie. The Arles Way begins in Arles and goes to the Pyrenees and Spanish border via the Col du Somport.

I would correct those two, though functionally they are in practice correct.

The Piémont Way technically starts near Béziers, actually at the coast not far from there, and the route between Montpellier and Béziers is actually a part of the Via Romieu, which is the Way between Catalonia and the main Via Romea from the South of France. It is only secondarily a Way of Saint James, historically anyway.

And also, the Arles Way actually starts at Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, and the principal importance of Arles is that it is a major crossroads of several Pilgrimage Ways, Rome and Santiago obviously, and more recently also Fátima and Lourdes, but there are two or three major routes to Rome that cross the bridge there, and at least three Caminos to Santiago, including a Way from Vézelay and Avignon.

 

[Dilbin]

When exploring Montpellier, I stumbled upon scallop shell markers that led through the old city center and continued along the Aquadukt Saint Clement. I tried to follow the Camino markers, but eventually lost them once I passed the aqueduct. Has anyone walked this route? If so, can anyone share their experience or where can I find information regarding the route? Thank you in advance for any information

It's also on Gronze with a lost off all accommodations

 

[tarredon]

I’ve walked both and recommend the Arles Way over the Piemont any day.

I just finished walking the Piemont Chemin and I’m curious as to why you preferred the Árles route?
Thanks!

 

[caminka]

When exploring Montpellier, I stumbled upon scallop shell markers that led through the old city center and continued along the Aquadukt Saint Clement. I tried to follow the Camino markers, but eventually lost them once I passed the aqueduct. Has anyone walked this route? If so, can anyone share their experience or where can I find information regarding the route? Thank you in advance for any information.

you stumbled upon chemin d'arles (or via tolosana). you can help orient yourself with geoportail's topographic maps. a bit outdated at times, but still very very useful.

another pilgrim route now leaves montpellier SW towards fabregues to connect with voie du piémont pyréneen in carcassone, but according to several reports from pilgrims I've met that have walked it this summer this portion is still extremely scarcely waymarked.

 

[caminka]

I would correct those two, though functionally they are in practice correct.

The Piémont Way technically starts near Béziers, actually at the coast not far from there, and the route between Montpellier and Béziers is actually a part of the Via Romieu, which is the Way between Catalonia and the main Via Romea from the South of France. It is only secondarily a Way of Saint James, historically anyway.

And also, the Arles Way actually starts at Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, and the principal importance of Arles is that it is a major crossroads of several Pilgrimage Ways, Rome and Santiago obviously, and more recently also Fátima and Lourdes, but there are two or three major routes to Rome that cross the bridge there, and at least three Caminos to Santiago, including a Way from Vézelay and Avignon.

we really need a map of the routes in france. they are popping up left and right these last years!
I've never stumbled upon via romieu in france before!

also, I am unclear on where voie du piémont starts now. it used to start in narbonne-plage, but since they are developping the montpellier branch, in now seems to start there and the narbonne branch seems to be more or less abandoned.

 

[Former member 104756]

I just finished walking the Piemont Chemin and I’m curious as to why you preferred the Árles route?
Thanks!

Just a personal preference. And difficult to articulate, but …. I preferred the combination of landscape, towns, villages, gites and ‘camino feeling’ of the Arles. And, although both are quiet routes in terms of pilgrim numbers - or at least that was our experience on the Arles (April 2016) and the Piemont (April 2022) - the Arles Way had enough pilgrims walking to offer a greater sense of community and shared path, while we saw only 3 or 4 pilgrims in total on the Piemont, most walking just for a few days so we didn’t see them more than once. It was similar numbers when we walked the Mozarabe some years ago, but it somehow had more of a ‘camino feel’ to us than the Piemont.

To the extent that our surroundings and encounters with others contribute to the feeling of Camino, I did not often have that feeling on thé Piemont. I felt that way at the time and in hindsight. It was camino # 12 or 13 for me and the only one that I can’t picture myself wanting to walk again if given the time. I’ve never had that feeling before. All others I’d happily walk again, and some I have done. But, that’s only my experience.

 

[Globetrottingpilgrim2010]

When I walked this route in 2012, it was recommended that pilgrims enter Montpellier by bus/tram from Vendargues and leave by bus/tram to Grabels.

I can't remember who did the recommending. Possibly the CSJ guidebook and also the hospis either side of Montpellier

What was the reason for this? Was it a security issue, road safety issue? Incomplete route?

 

[kiwi-couple]

I just finished walking the Piemont Chemin and I’m curious as to why you preferred the Árles route?
Thanks!

I would love to hear about your Chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen. Was it a difficult in any way - terrain, distances to facilities, accommodation etc? And was it scenic on the whole? My husband and I are interested in walking this chemin but we hear more negatives than positives about it.

 

[tarredon]

I would love to hear about your Chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen. Was it a difficult in any way - terrain, distances to facilities, accommodation etc? And was it scenic on the whole? My husband and I are interested in walking this chemin but we hear more negatives than positives about it.

It’s not a simple answer. There were some quite difficult things about this route, but I still really enjoyed it! It’s not a route that I would ever consider walking alone however. We did most of the road as a group of six pilgrims, including two of my sisters and a couple we had walked part of the Camino with previously. It was very nice to have our own built-ins Pilgrim companionship because we did not see many other pilgrims on this road. However, we often saw one or more other pilgrims at night, or at least we heard rumors of them from our hosts at places where we stayed.

The trail is certainly not the most difficult of all Camino trails. I am sure that the San Salvador and the Norte in Spain have more difficult sections and Le Puy in France is said to be more difficult as well. However, the difficulties we faced on this trail were more than any of us had ever faced on the Camino Frances or the Camino Portuguese. Also, there is no doubt that it was difficult to find services along this route. We went through many days where there were no villages with any kind of services or anything that was open at the time that we passed through. This wasn’t all negative, we learned to enjoy our breaks, which consisted of simply drinking the water we brought along and eating the snacks that we carried with us, something I didn’t think I’d be able to do after indulging in the constant coffee breaks along the Camino Frances.

Accommodations and food are actually the high points of this Camino, although they required a lot of preparation on my part. It is impossible to walk this route and just stop when you feel like stopping and find a place to stay on the fly. The accommodations need to know you’re coming and they need to have a 2 to 3 day notice in most cases. Accommodations along the piedmont Pyrenees route Are varied and interesting. They consist of various homestays some of which are donativo, presbytery dorms, municipal pilgrim dorms, yurts, camping places that also offer Pilgrim dorms, etc. Most of these places will feed you and that’s why they need to know you’re coming. They need to have time to buy the food they use to prepare your meals.

I am attaching a link to the blog that I did while I was on this Chemin, you can check out the pictures and see some of the scenery that we encountered. The travel that we did two weeks prior is also on the blog, so you can skip to two September which is the date that we started actually walking and it goes through early October.

Chemin du Piedmont 2022 plus | FindPenguins

A private adventure by Tina

findpenguins.com

 

[kiwi-couple]

It’s not a simple answer. There were some quite difficult things about this route, but I still really enjoyed it! It’s not a route that I would ever consider walking alone however. We did most of the road as a group of six pilgrims, including two of my sisters and a couple we had walked part of the Camino with previously. It was very nice to have our own built-ins Pilgrim companionship because we did not see many other pilgrims on this road. However, we often saw one or more other pilgrims at night, or at least we heard rumors of them from our hosts at places where we stayed.

The trail is certainly not the most difficult of all Camino trails. I am sure that the San Salvador and the Norte in Spain have more difficult sections and Le Puy in France is said to be more difficult as well. However, the difficulties we faced on this trail were more than any of us had ever faced on the Camino Frances or the Camino Portuguese. Also, there is no doubt that it was difficult to find services along this route. We went through many days where there were no villages with any kind of services or anything that was open at the time that we passed through. This wasn’t all negative, we learned to enjoy our breaks, which consisted of simply drinking the water we brought along and eating the snacks that we carried with us, something I didn’t think I’d be able to do after indulging in the constant coffee breaks along the Camino Frances.

Accommodations and food are actually the high points of this Camino, although they required a lot of preparation on my part. It is impossible to walk this route and just stop when you feel like stopping and find a place to stay on the fly. The accommodations need to know you’re coming and they need to have a 2 to 3 day notice in most cases. Accommodations along the piedmont Pyrenees route Are varied and interesting. They consist of various homestays some of which are donativo, presbytery dorms, municipal pilgrim dorms, yurts, camping places that also offer Pilgrim dorms, etc. Most of these places will feed you and that’s why they need to know you’re coming. They need to have time to buy the food they use to prepare your meals.

I am attaching a link to the blog that I did while I was on this Chemin, you can check out the pictures and see some of the scenery that we encountered. The travel that we did two weeks prior is also on the blog, so you can skip to two September which is the date that we started actually walking and it goes through early October.

Chemin du Piedmont 2022 plus | FindPenguins

A private adventure by Tina

findpenguins.com

Thanks so much for such full and informative reply. There is certainly much to think about but it, for some unknown reason, really appeals to us. Thanks also for the link to your blog. I have tried it and found that I need to have an account on the app.

 

[tarredon]

Thanks so much for such full and informative reply. There is certainly much to think about but it, for some unknown reason, really appeals to us. Thanks also for the link to your blog. I have tried it and found that I need to have an account on the app.

I’ve been told that it’s possible to read the blog without creating an account, but I haven’t tried that myself. However, starting an account is free so it could be worth doing.

 

[kiwi-couple]

I’ve been told that it’s possible to read the blog without creating an account, but I haven’t tried that myself. However, starting an account is free so it could be worth doing.

Thanks, I'll have a look later when on my computer. I really appreciate you sharing with me.

 

[Globetrottingpilgrim2010]

It’s not a simple answer. There were some quite difficult things about this route, but I still really enjoyed it! It’s not a route that I would ever consider walking alone however. We did most of the road as a group of six pilgrims, including two of my sisters and a couple we had walked part of the Camino with previously. It was very nice to have our own built-ins Pilgrim companionship because we did not see many other pilgrims on this road. However, we often saw one or more other pilgrims at night, or at least we heard rumors of them from our hosts at places where we stayed.

The trail is certainly not the most difficult of all Camino trails. I am sure that the San Salvador and the Norte in Spain have more difficult sections and Le Puy in France is said to be more difficult as well. However, the difficulties we faced on this trail were more than any of us had ever faced on the Camino Frances or the Camino Portuguese. Also, there is no doubt that it was difficult to find services along this route. We went through many days where there were no villages with any kind of services or anything that was open at the time that we passed through. This wasn’t all negative, we learned to enjoy our breaks, which consisted of simply drinking the water we brought along and eating the snacks that we carried with us, something I didn’t think I’d be able to do after indulging in the constant coffee breaks along the Camino Frances.

Accommodations and food are actually the high points of this Camino, although they required a lot of preparation on my part. It is impossible to walk this route and just stop when you feel like stopping and find a place to stay on the fly. The accommodations need to know you’re coming and they need to have a 2 to 3 day notice in most cases. Accommodations along the piedmont Pyrenees route Are varied and interesting. They consist of various homestays some of which are donativo, presbytery dorms, municipal pilgrim dorms, yurts, camping places that also offer Pilgrim dorms, etc. Most of these places will feed you and that’s why they need to know you’re coming. They need to have time to buy the food they use to prepare your meals.

I am attaching a link to the blog that I did while I was on this Chemin, you can check out the pictures and see some of the scenery that we encountered. The travel that we did two weeks prior is also on the blog, so you can skip to two September which is the date that we started actually walking and it goes through early October.

Chemin du Piedmont 2022 plus | FindPenguins

A private adventure by Tina

findpenguins.com

When I click the link it says ‘This Trip is Private.’ Therefore, unable to access.

 

[Former member 104756]

@tarredon Excellent summary and your points on the practicalities resonate with our experience. It’s counterintuitive but often the case that the very quiet routes require the most planning for accommodation - the Piemont more than most. We began thinking we’d try to ‘free range’ as much as possible - just a day ahead - but that wasn’t practical. Your ready made group of family and çamino friends probably gave you that sense of community that I missed. I walk with my darling husband and we have walked and enjoyed many of the quieter routes. I agree this is not one I’d recommend for a solo walker unless solitude is the goal. Also, we began on 1 April, from Carcassonne - we were the first pilgrims at all of our accommodation - perhaps more people walking later on.

 

[tarredon]

When I click the link it says ‘This Trip is Private.’ Therefore, unable to access.

Try this one: https://findpenguins.com/7mjuc7ui92...90?s=7e9f0bcd65bd3c005d0869fbf0ca754a23855b0d

 

[kiwi-couple]

Try this one: https://findpenguins.com/7mjuc7ui92...90?s=7e9f0bcd65bd3c005d0869fbf0ca754a23855b0d

Thanks

 

[Sixwheeler]

When I walked this route in 2012, it was recommended that pilgrims enter Montpellier by bus/tram from Vendargues and leave by bus/tram to Grabels.

I can't remember who did the recommending. Possibly the CSJ guidebook and also the hospis either side of Montpellier

This is a Top Tip unless you enjoy walking g through dull suburbs.

 

[Globetrottingpilgrim2010]

Try this one: https://findpenguins.com/7mjuc7ui92...90?s=7e9f0bcd65bd3c005d0869fbf0ca754a23855b0d

Thank you!