Cele Route - accommodation recommendations for these stops?

[irishgurrrl]

Hi Folks,

I realise this question has been asked before but does anyone have recent accommodation recommendations for the Cele Route at our proposed stops below - Please only make recommendations if you have actually walked the route (and stayed in these places) Thanks We'll be walking from Le Puy en Velay but hope to take the Cele detour en route to St JPdeP (or in my friends case Moissac). Ideally the more recent the info the better as I realise some of the recommendations on other threads relate to people who walked the route several years ago and it may no longer be valid. I do have the Miam Miam Dodo so will refer to that if stuck but it is always nice to get personal recommendations

Figeac to Espagnac (26 km)
Espagnac to Marcilhac (15 km)
Marcilhac to Cabrerets (20 km)
Cabrerets to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (11 km)
St. Cirques to Pasturac (18 km)
Pasturac to Cahors (22 km)

Also how far in advance does the Cele route accommodation need to be booked? I read on one of the threads that it can be difficult to make a reservation due to groups?

Thanks folks!

Eilish

 

[scruffy1]

Marchihac-sur-Cele Gite Accueil Saint Pierre very nice very welcoming very clean very small - the grocery store is down by the river
Cabrerets-Gite du Bary and the attached restaurant La Roue is very good
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie the municipal gite is a renovated old building now quite a modern place-the town is magnificant after the tourists and their buses have left
Cahors-Le Relais des Jacobins!!! Serge is the very best-warm welcoming host, great cook, wonderful personality-please give him my regards-the bearded chap from Jerusalem and I hope he received the Christmas card I sent him! As you come to Cahors don't go running in but turn right and follow the river up to the next bridge past the intersection and pick up the yellow arrows-the first I saw on the Le Puy Chemin.

 

[scruffy1]

PS Marchihac-sur-Cele is a tiny little village, the gite is also very small and especially welcoming; the church is interesting and there is a short river walk-I don't like rest days as such they throw me off rhythm but this is perfect for a half-day walk and then a rest. One of the interesting things about these small places, they often possess an almost medieval quality as if nothing has ever changed nor ever will. Standing on the back porch of the gite looking across old buildings one can be deluded into thinking how permanent everything seems until you notice on the wall of the next house about 4-5 meters off the ground is a door, no steps no pulleys no access, just a door! Jean-Paul (if I remember his name correctly) says that houses are built then fall down, barns turn into houses and houses into barns anything might happen!

 

[irishgurrrl]

Great - thanks a million Scruffy! I had been checking some of the other recommendations on other threads but it looks like some of the places may no longer exist. Your recommendations really help

 

[irishgurrrl]

Marchihac-sur-Cele Gite Accueil Saint Pierre very nice very welcoming very clean very small - the grocery store is down by the river
Cabrerets-Gite du Bary and the attached restaurant La Roue is very good
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie the municipal gite is a renovated old building now quite a modern place-the town is magnificant after the tourists and their buses have left
Cahors-Le Relais des Jacobins!!! Serge is the very best-warm welcoming host, great cook, wonderful personality-please give him my regards-the bearded chap from Jerusalem and I hope he received the Christmas card I sent him! As you come to Cahors don't go running in but turn right and follow the river up to the next bridge past the intersection and pick up the yellow arrows-the first I saw on the Le Puy Chemin.

I've just reviewed your suggestions against the places I had kinda narrowed it down to and they are all the same! Yay

For Espagnac I have found 2 possible options (I think!) i.e. Chambre d'hote M. Dubruisson (not sure where it is located though) and the Gite Communal... and for Pasturac I found a gite owned by M et Mme Chazurac which looks nice

I guess from other threads if we decide to walk this route we need to book in advance... what was your experience Scruffy1? We might be well to leave it a little closer to the time as other threads mention issues if the weather turns wet...

Aragh, if it is meant to be it will happen

 

[scruffy1]

I've just reviewed your suggestions against the places I had kinda narrowed it down to and they are all the same! Yay

For Espagnac I have found 2 possible options (I think!) i.e. Chambre d'hote M. Dubruisson (not sure where it is located though) and the Gite Communal... and for Pasturac I found a gite owned by M et Mme Chazurac which looks nice

I guess from other threads if we decide to walk this route we need to book in advance... what was your experience Scruffy1? We might be well to leave it a little closer to the time as other threads mention issues if the weather turns wet...

Aragh, if it is meant to be it will happen

I walked through during early Spring and there were very few other pilgrims-I try to reserve from day to day asking in the morning from whomever I stayed with to call ahead-my French is not terrible it borders on non-existent! This is also a courtesy if you wish the next stop to fix your dinner should they need to pop out and fill the larder. Close by Cabrerets is the Pech-Merle cave with drawings of prehistoric man on the walls don't miss seeing it! If it is pouring down and you don't feel like climbing slip-slide up to walk the ridge and to slide-slip back down again in the evening then road is also an option, you won't miss that much of the view due to rain but hey, you're Irish! Much more haze, drizzle, clouds, fog, rain, and mist at home then you will ever meet in Southern France!

 

[irishgurrrl]

I walked through during early Spring and there were very few other pilgrims-I try to reserve from day to day asking in the morning from whomever I stayed with to call ahead-my French is not terrible it borders on non-existent! This is also a courtesy if you wish the next stop to fix your dinner should they need to pop out and fill the larder. Close by Cabrerets is the Pech-Merle cave with drawings of prehistoric man on the walls don't miss seeing it! If it is pouring down and you don't feel like climbing slip-slide up to walk the ridge and to slide-slip back down again in the evening then road is also an option, you won't miss that much of the view due to rain but hey, you're Irish! Much more haze, drizzle, clouds, fog, rain, and mist at home then you will ever meet in Southern France!

Thanks Scruffy - we plan to book ahead as most advise here on the forum. We're going to start from Le Puy on the 15th April taking our time en route with 'sightseeing days' here and there in the particularly interesting/beautiful places Luckily my French is ok - well enough to get by with and hold a conversation at any rate.

 

[irishgurrrl]

I walked through during early Spring and there were very few other pilgrims-I try to reserve from day to day asking in the morning from whomever I stayed with to call ahead-my French is not terrible it borders on non-existent! This is also a courtesy if you wish the next stop to fix your dinner should they need to pop out and fill the larder. Close by Cabrerets is the Pech-Merle cave with drawings of prehistoric man on the walls don't miss seeing it! If it is pouring down and you don't feel like climbing slip-slide up to walk the ridge and to slide-slip back down again in the evening then road is also an option, you won't miss that much of the view due to rain but hey, you're Irish! Much more haze, drizzle, clouds, fog, rain, and mist at home then you will ever meet in Southern France!

One more question Scruffy1 if you don't mind - did you end up bringing a sleeping bag? (Yep that infernal question!)... we're debating it at the moment... I did bring it on the CF but that is a different route with different accommodation... for the most part we'll be staying in gites/chambre d'hotes style places along the Le Puy Route so I assume they will have clean sheets and blankets and the rooms will be warm enough..... and then I could just need to bring a silk liner... Alternatively I have a sleeping bag that weighs 600g... I'd love to ditch the extra weight but my cautious nature may win out in the end!

 

[scruffy1]

I carried a sleeping bag "just in case" and used it quite often one never knows when weather-health-blisters will stop you in your tracks in some lonesome part of the boondocks. The French are very concerned with possibilities of bedbug infestations and are much more conscientious about fighting them then in Spain-in many gites your backpack is left by the door in a plastic bag-not the most effective preventative measure but it worked and I saw nary a nasty critter. There is a plastic spray bottle available in pharmacies, in sporting goods shops, many kiosks-shops-convenience and bookstores catering to pilgrims all along the Chemin which will repel them. The stuff is instantly identifiable due to the cartoon figure bedbug adorning the bottle. I do not savor laying down my weary head down to sleep in anti-bug spray but the idea of being munched upon at night is even less attractive. My solution was to spray well, flip the mattress and spray again-wait a bit for it to take effect and to evaporate somewhat, then spread my silk liner (reportedly bedbug proof) as a sheet and pop into my own sleeping bag-not using sheets or blankets which goodness only knows…I repeat, I never saw a single one, never got bit (the marks come in threes) but if it was due to great luck or my precautions I don't know.

 

[irishgurrrl]

I carried a sleeping bag "just in case" and used it quite often one never knows when weather-health-blisters will stop you in your tracks in some lonesome part of the boondocks. The French are very concerned with possibilities of bedbug infestations and are much more conscientious about fighting them then in Spain-in many gites your backpack is left by the door in a plastic bag-not the most effective preventative measure but it worked and I saw nary a nasty critter. There is a plastic spray bottle available in pharmacies, in sporting goods shops, many kiosks-shops-convenience and bookstores catering to pilgrims all along the Chemin which will repel them. The stuff is instantly identifiable due to the cartoon figure bedbug adorning the bottle. I do not savor laying down my weary head down to sleep in anti-bug spray but the idea of being munched upon at night is even less attractive. My solution was to spray well, flip the mattress and spray again-wait a bit for it to take effect and to evaporate somewhat, then spread my silk liner (reportedly bedbug proof) as a sheet and pop into my own sleeping bag-not using sheets or blankets which goodness only knows…I repeat, I never saw a single one, never got bit (the marks come in threes) but if it was due to great luck or my precautions I don't know.

Thanks - I suspect I will bring my sleeping bag 'just in case' as well. Its amazing how the body temperature drops if cold or hungry so it may be no harm to bring it. Yes I have a bed bug treatment spray but prefer to spray everything (rucksack, sleeping bag etc) before I travel rather than using it in-situ. Worked for me so far at any rate. Its a good reminder to get that sorted in the next week or two before I go

 

[julie]

I don't like to carry unnecessary weight so leave the sleeping bag at home when I'm walking in France (with the exception of the GR10 because some of the accommodation is a bit rustic). Communal gites are my preferred sleeping places and I've never had a problem with a lack of blankets or bedbugs.

The numbers in the Valley vary - the first time I walked through, there were four of us in the gite in Cabrerets. Rather than staying in Cabrerets the second time, I walked on to St-Cirq-Lapopie. Locals I spoke to along the way told me they hadn't seen any other walkers that day yet there were a lot in St-Cirq-Lapopie when I arrived. You often find groups of French people walking local paths rather than the pilgrim route so it's difficult to judge whether booking is advisable. Better to be on the safe side.

 

[irishgurrrl]

I don't like to carry unnecessary weight so leave the sleeping bag at home when I'm walking in France (with the exception of the GR10 because some of the accommodation is a bit rustic). Communal gites are my preferred sleeping places and I've never had a problem with a lack of blankets or bedbugs.

The numbers in the Valley vary - the first time I walked through, there were four of us in the gite in Cabrerets. Rather than staying in Cabrerets the second time, I walked on to St-Cirq-Lapopie. Locals I spoke to along the way told me they hadn't seen any other walkers that day yet there were a lot in St-Cirq-Lapopie when I arrived. You often find groups of French people walking local paths rather than the pilgrim route so it's difficult to judge whether booking is advisable. Better to be on the safe side.

Thanks Julie - good to read another perspective.

 

[scruffy1]

This has turned into a rather convoluted post and probably should have been done as a private conversation due to all the space but I will add another thought. Many gites require one to leave you backpack out and wrapped in plastic - prepare your shower essentials and a bag for unmentionables, socks, and anything else you may want to change, your diary and/or a book and pack them on top of your backpack the night before for easy removal that next evening. Nothing like rummaging through half your belongings while standing out on the front porch with a cold breeze blowing up your…well, you get the idea.

 

[irishgurrrl]

This has turned into a rather convoluted post and probably should have been done as a private conversation due to all the space but I will add another thought. Many gites require one to leave you backpack out and wrapped in plastic - prepare your shower essentials and a bag for unmentionables, socks, and anything else you may want to change, your diary and/or a book and pack them on top of your backpack the night before for easy removal that next evening. Nothing like rummaging through half your belongings while standing out on the front porch with a cold breeze blowing up your…well, you get the idea.

Thanks Scruffy1 - didn't realise that was the normal more than the exception so good to know! It seems like a pain in the you-know-whatsits considering everyone is normally tired after a days walking but if I suppose its better than getting bedbugs...

 

[Desota]

Could someone point out the pages of MMDD that I could find this variant for the Cele valley?
Much appreciated,
Desota.

 

[StuartM]

PS Marchihac-sur-Cele is a tiny little village, the gite is also very small and especially welcoming; the church is interesting and there is a short river walk-I don't like rest days as such they throw me off rhythm but this is perfect for a half-day walk and then a rest. One of the interesting things about these small places, they often possess an almost medieval quality as if nothing has ever changed nor ever will. Standing on the back porch of the gite looking across old buildings one can be deluded into thinking how permanent everything seems until you notice on the wall of the next house about 4-5 meters off the ground is a door, no steps no pulleys no access, just a door! Jean-Paul (if I remember his name correctly) says that houses are built then fall down, barns turn into houses and houses into barns anything might happen!

Marcilhac is beautiful, I've spent happy times there over the years. Very fond memories. The church has some odd legends associated with it, one that in the 8th century it was a hotbed of heresy. A local saint, Namphaise, a former general of Charlemagne, was allegedly sent to investigate reports of things such as cannibalism and child sacrifice.

Keep an eye out for scuba divers about 500m before the village. A spring rises in the river bank and it is one of the longest/deepest in Europe. People travel from around the world to dive here.

 

[Kanga]

Could someone point out the pages of MMDD that I could find this variant for the Cele valley?
Much appreciated,
Desota.

I've given away my copy so only have the App on iPhone. The variant starts at Beduer, (so find Beduer, just after Faycelles) and the book will have a note on that page. The villages are Beduer, Boussac, Corn, Sainte Eulalie , Espagnac, Marcilac.

Hope that helps.

 

[Desota]

Thanks Kanga,
Now I see the special pages in the back of the MMDD. 7 pages of plan Cele!

I've given away my copy so only have the App on iPhone. The variant starts at Beduer, (so find Beduer, just after Faycelles) and the book will have a note on that page. The villages are Beduer, Boussac, Corn, Sainte Eulalie , Espagnac, Marcilac.

Hope that helps.

 

[AMDG56]

What is the difference in the main route and le cele variant and would people recommend it?

 

[Kanga]

What is the difference in the main route and le cele variant and would people recommend it?

I've walked both routes. The Cele I think is my preference. It is very beautiful and feels rather untouched by time. We met no other pilgrims along this variant. The main route you will be with more people so it is more sociable, and still has plenty of cultural and landscape interest. It goes from Beduer to Cajac (on the Lot) - a fairly easy flat walk through scrubby woodlands, past an impressive dolman, then down into Cajac which is a little river town ( great farmers market, can't remember which day) with a lovely old central area around the church. You then climb out of the river valley and up onto the limestone plateaux and walk along part of the ancient Roman road - this part is very remote and isolated - to Limogne-en-Quency, then gentle farmland to Varaire and Bach, where the two routes meet up again (assuming you go from the Cele to St-Cirq-Lapopie).
The Cele is a deep river valley all the way, surrounded by steep sides and in places spectacular cliffs. Small villages, some with houses actually built into the cliff walls. Prehistoric cave art at Peche Merle not to be missed, and must take the route to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie - perfectly preserved medieval fortress town high on the Lot . From Saint Cirq you head directly south to rejoin the normal route at Bach - where you have a meal at the renowned Auberge Lou Bourdie (Monique, the chef/owner featured in a Jamie Oliver episode).

 

[marbuck]

Wow. That sounds wonderful Kanga, just waiting for my map so as I can fully understand the area you are talking about. My map and my MMDD should be here soon, it's weeks since I ordered it. Meanwhile I just go back over old posting on the Le Puy route just to keep my enthusiasms up.

 

[Glenshiro]

Marcilhac is beautiful, I've spent happy times there over the years. Very fond memories. The church has some odd legends associated with it, one that in the 8th century it was a hotbed of heresy. A local saint, Namphaise, a former general of Charlemagne, was allegedly sent to investigate reports of things such as cannibalism and child sacrifice.

Keep an eye out for scuba divers about 500m before the village. A spring rises in the river bank and it is one of the longest/deepest in Europe. People travel from around the world to dive here.

Oh so THAT accounts for why I saw the sappeurs-pompiers scuba unit in the river - I did wonder.

I walked the Cele valley in June this year and loved it - it is very quiet, saw hardly any other walkers. Stayed in the Hotel de la Vallee in Brengues (plain and simple, good food) and the Hotel des Grottes in Cabrerets (ditto) before joining the Lot valley where I stayed at the lovely and very friendly gite in Pasturat from where it is an easy half-day walk to Cahors. Intend to go back some time and walk the main route from Figeac to Cahors.

 

[Lori Butler]

I walked the Cele route in mid July and did not meet anyone on the trail but there was always a fellow walker at my night's lodging. It is beautiful, solitary, and as others have said, feels untouched by time. You pass by strange rock formations and caves, and houses built into the cliffs, and always the river is close. It was the highlight of my walk. My route was:
Day 1 Figeac-St. Eulalie -Stayed at Les Anons du Cele which was fine, marvelous food and friendly hosts.
Day 2 St Eulalie--Sauliac sur Cele. I have to put in a plug for one of my favorite places on my whole trip--L'Autre Chemin. The hosts were wonderful, the setting beautiful, meals excellent and it was extremely good value. i would have loved to stay an extra day there.
Day 3 Sauliac--St Cirq Lapopie (take care not to miss the turn in Bouzies like I did. I ended up doing a few extra kilometers on a busy road).
Day 4 St Cirq--Pasturat. I did not go south to Bach but took the route to Pasturat, stayed at the lovely give there and walked into Cahors the following day.