Cluny...Le Puy and The French Way

[shefollowsshells]

I think we have decided that this is what we are going to be doing next Summer/Fall.
I walked The French last September to the coast and now three (maybe four) of my children are going to join me on this route. History is real important to us which is why we have decided to add Cluny.

I have read thru blogs etc...
ANY additional information, or even any notations of wonderful places to stay would be much appreciated.
I am nervous about getting lost on Cluny route with children ages 15,13,11...
I am also concerned that the price a day might be larger than I thought...

I think we will be doing August,September into October time frame.
Any words of encouragement or advice to consider would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Neve

 

[Kitsambler]

I recommend you PM to KiwiNomad, a member of this forum who has most recently walked that route.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I spend at least 10E more per day in France, so proportion that up for four people. You may have mostly chambres d'hote and hotels until you get to Le Puy. This spring the gites were filled with French randonneurs who had reservations weeks and months ahead, so we ended up in hotels quite a bit.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I walked on the Cluny route last year. It is a spectacular route, but it is quite difficult in places with some big ascents and descents, with a few longish days. The markings on the Cluny route are fairly thorough, but the balises are quite small, and sometimes far apart if the route goes straight ahead. I was nervous I was going to miss /had missed turn-offs, especially in forest, but never actually did. (The first time I got lost was in Le Puy itself!) There are not many fellow walkers on the Cluny route, and maybe the children will find that social isolation hard.

I was expecting to find it more expensive but it never worked out like that. Mostly I did stay in gites, that either had a kitchen or where a meal was provided. However, I started from Cluny in late April and arrived in Le Puy early May, so it wasn't the busiest time on the Cluny route. I think that in summertime the gites get quite full with French families on holiday, but most often I was the only person staying during the time I walked.
Margaret

 

[FlechaCadaDia]

Thanks to Margaret/KiwiNomad whose blog first introduced me to the Cluny path--I walked it this past May. (Cluny to Le Puy, Le Puy to SJPP, SJPP to SdC)
I was there in May, which is said to be the busiest time in France, but I saw only five other pilgrims my whole 12 days until Le Puy.
I stayed four or five times in people's guest rooms.
The Guide Orange, which you can buy thru the CSJ website, lists the types of lodgings and the names of people who will host pilgrims. (That type of stay is called an "acueille Jacquaire" (A Jamesian welcome.)
I also stayed at a couple communal gites that towns run.
People much prefer you to phone ahead for this type of thing. The Guide Orange has #s.

By the way--I actually started 10 km before Cluny--at the ecumenical contemporary monastery of Taize. It's a very beautiful and unique place. A fresh monastery with fresh faith--a nice pairing with historical Cluny.
check it out: www.taize.fr

I'm happy to answer any questions I can.
Be sure to read KiwiNomad's blog...

 

[shefollowsshells]

Thank you all !!! I had read KiwiNomad's blog and that is what sparked my interest, Flecha I am now very interested in adding your addition.
I wondered how long did it take you to do the full thing to SdC?
I'm sure I'll have many more questions as time goes on. Any guide books, detours...would be much appreciated. With that said I am taking good notes from the forum and information from previous posts BUT feel free to drop any advice my way.

Thank you,

 

[gypsy9]

Has anyone recently walked this Way?
Merci and Bon Chemin!

 

[HaraldS]

Well, I walked from Cluny to Le Puy in the fall of 2014, if that counts as "recently" ...

 

[lovingkindness]

Has anyone recently walked this Way?
Merci and Bon Chemin!

Hello @gypsy9

@bjorgts posted a video of his hike from Cluny, here. There's also a conversation about which guidebook to use. I hiked the trail in the opposite direction, summer 2016.

Bonne route!
Lovingkindness

 

[SUSIE]

Well, I walked from Cluny to Le Puy in the fall of 2014, if that counts as "recently" ...

Hi Harald
I would love to see the stages you walked and any information of accommodation, spiritual or interesting places not to miss.
I am planning to walk in the next week or so- but I am finding a bit of difficulty planning my stages as I prefer to walk an average of 20-25km per day especially if its hilly. Any advice would be welcome. Which variantes did you take?
I have bought the latest Orange guide book as well as the 2018 Grande Randonnee GR Topo Guides- Cluny-Le Puy.
I have also read all the links but there does not seem to be any latest info.
Thank you in advance.

 

[SafariGirl]

Hello @gypsy9

@bjorgts posted a video of his hike from Cluny, here. There's also a conversation about which guidebook to use. I hiked the trail in the opposite direction, summer 2016.

Bonne route!
Lovingkindness

That’s interesting Lovingkindness; I’m thinking of doing the same. How did you find it going the other way (eg: ease of following the route)?

 

[lovingkindness]

That’s interesting Lovingkindness; I’m thinking of doing the same. How did you find it going the other way (eg: ease of following the route)?

Bonjour, @SafariGirl, From Le Puy en Velay I followed the old GR 3 route rather than the current Chemin de Saint Jacques.

I do not have my diary at hand so cannot be specific. However, if I remember rightly, I had some confusion the first day out from Le Puy. I didn,t realise that there were two options and that at a certain point the GR3 took a different direction from le chemin de St Jacques. I hiked without a gps or telephone.

Overall, with a guide book at hand plus searching for the GR red + white signs and also engaging in frequent conversations with the locals, I reached my destination by the end of each day. I have forgotten the details re signing but i think that during the first week from Le Puy en Velay there may also have been an occassional yellow sign post indicating the Gorge route.

The GR3 is a beautiful trail. I enjoyed the physical challenge.

Bonne route!

 

[NavyBlue]

Hi all,

Yes, there are two ways between Egurande (south of Montarcher) and Le Puy : the GR3 and the "Voie Bolène", this latter one marked with shells and probably a more historical path.

Information in the field is much clearer for the southbound pilgrims (or was in 2013. Some controversy in the neighborhood for obvious commercial reasons...). No wonder most of the pilgrims quit the GR3...




We took the GR3. The Apinac-Retournac (or Leignecq-Retournac) stage is quite challenging, with two rivers to cross in the bottom of deep valleys.

 

[SafariGirl]

Bonjour, @SafariGirl, From Le Puy en Velay I followed the old GR 3 route rather than the current Chemin de Saint Jacques.

I do not have my diary at hand so cannot be specific. However, if I remember rightly, I had some confusion the first day out from Le Puy. I didn,t realise that there were two options and that at a certain point the GR3 took a different direction from le chemin de St Jacques. I hiked without a gps or telephone.

Overall, with a guide book at hand plus searching for the GR red + white signs and also engaging in frequent conversations with the locals, I reached my destination by the end of each day. I have forgotten the details re signing but i think that during the first week from Le Puy en Velay there may also have been an occassional yellow sign post indicating the Gorge route.

The GR3 is a beautiful trail. I enjoyed the physical challenge.

Bonne route!

Thank you Lovingkindness. I’m impressed that you did it sans phone. I don’t speak French but appreciate the advantages of doing so and will start resurrecting my long-forgotten schoolgirl vocabulary toute suite! Many thanks for the details.
All the best
Michele

 

[SafariGirl]

Hi all,

Yes, there are two ways between Egurande (south of Montarcher) and Le Puy : the GR3 and the "Voie Bolène", this latter one marked with shells and probably a more historical path.

Information in the field is much clearer for the southbound pilgrims (or was in 2013. Some controversy in the neighborhood for obvious commercial reasons...). No wonder most of the pilgrims quit the GR3...

View attachment 44792
View attachment 44793

We took the GR3. The Apinac-Retournac (or Leignecq-Retournac) stage is quite challenging, with two rivers to cross in the bottom of deep valleys.

View attachment 44794

Thanks for this information and the pictures. All the best