Considering the CF May 2025, but start with a taste of the VP/Le Puy?

[BobY333]

Suzanne and I may be back at it in the Spring. The hardest part right now is getting our heads around committing to 5-6 weeks of being away.

Assuming we get there...we've always wanted to walk through rural France. We're thinking maybe 5-7 days into SJPdP. We're both in good shape and aren't particularly concerned about mountains (we've walked the San Salvador). We typically walk about 25k/day.

Any views on where to start? We plan to fly into Paris and then I assume take a train to the region.

 

[Bill905]

Why not consider starting in Lourdes? Quite easy to get to, and an interesting destination in itself. Probably about 150 kms from SJPP.

Another town along the VP about 5 - 7 days from SJPP is Pomps. You would have to research how to get there by public transport. It's pretty small. There is one tough stage just after Landaco, to the Chapelle de Soyarce, up a hill of about 2 kilometers, and a magnificent view at the top.

 

[BobY333]

Why not consider starting in Lourdes? Quite easy to get to, and an interesting destination in itself. Probably about 150 kms from SJPP.

Another town along the VP about 5 - 7 days from SJPP is Pomps. You would have to research how to get there by public transport. It's pretty small. There is one tough stage just after Landaco, to the Chapelle de Soyarce, up a hill of about 2 kilometers, and a magnificent view at the top.

This is very helpful, thanks!

 

[BillW]

With regards to the Le Puy route...

Here is an option that I did with my sisters two years ago, that adds three days to the Camino Frances...

Day 1: Navarrenx.

Start in this lovely walled city on the Le Puy route (GR65).

Day 2: Saint-Palais.

Saint-Palais is on a variant of the GR65, and is a gorgeous town. It's a bit of a walk to get there, so we walked to the Gite in Aroue and the owners there helped us call a cab to Saint-Palais. It's about a 5-10 minute ride. Aroue is just a little village with virtual nothing in it. (The Ciccerone book is good at showing the variant route to Saint-Palais, if you want to scope it out.)

Day 3: Ostabat-Asme or Larceveau.

If you leave from Saint-Palais, there are two large hills on this stage. It's a nice warm up for the Pyrenees. This is one of my favorite stages on the Le Puy route. Lovely views all day.

Day 3: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

A pleasant walk, and quite a shock as you go from a quiet trail with no one on it, to a town full of pilgrims. A beautiful city though. I've been here twice, and loved it both times.

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If you want a longer walk than this, you could start a few days earlier on the trail in Arthez-de-Béarn, Arzacq-Arraziguet or Aire-sur-l'Adour (or something in between), but none of those towns stand out as anything special to me.

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FWIW... The first 10 days out of Le Puy are really nice. If you walk those, you would love it, but it would be a full day of train/bus rides to get to SJPDP when you're ready to jump ahead.

 

[BobY333]

With regards to the Le Puy route...

Here is an option that I did with my sisters two years ago, that adds three days to the Camino Frances...

Day 1: Navarrenx.

Start in this lovely walled city on the Le Puy route (GR65).

Day 2: Saint-Palais.

Saint-Palais is on a variant of the GR65, and is a gorgeous town. It's a bit of a walk to get there, so we walked to the Gite in Aroue and the owners there helped us call a cab to Saint-Palais. It's about a 5-10 minute ride. Aroue is just a little village with virtual nothing in it. (The Ciccerone book is good at showing the variant route to Saint-Palais, if you want to scope it out.)

Day 3: Ostabat-Asme or Larceveau.

If you leave from Saint-Palais, there are two large hills on this stage. It's a nice warm up for the Pyrenees. This is one of my favorite stages on the Le Puy route. Lovely views all day.

Day 3: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

A pleasant walk, and quite a shock as you go from a quiet trail with no one on it, to a town full of pilgrims. A beautiful city though. I've been here twice, and loved it both times.

=====

If you want a longer walk than this, you could start a few days earlier on the trail in Arthez-de-Béarn, Arzacq-Arraziguet or Aire-sur-l'Adour (or something in between), but none of those towns stand out as anything special to me.

======

FWIW... The first 10 days out of Le Puy are really nice. If you walk those, you would love it, but it would be a full day of train/bus rides to get to SJPDP when you're ready to jump ahead.

This looks like a great plan, thanks!

 

[SongKhonGair]

We started in Toulouse last April, and walked via Lourdes and SJPP.

Someone else suggested your starting at Lourdes, and I second that.

The day we left Lourdes - via the Sanctuary's back gate - and followed the river to Lestelle-Bétharram was one of my favourite days. We stayed the night in a monastery just to top it off, looking out over the river and an ancient-looking bridge.

The next day, almost to Arudy, was tough. Some Tour de France-worthy uphill sections. We hadn't planned to go that far, but were unable to find accommodation along the way. (There was a sign advertising accommodation in a shop window at Bruges. Alas, the shop was closed with the owners away on vacation.) We stayed in a B&B at Sainte-Colome.

After that, a half-day to Buzy, just past Arudy. We had time to make it to Oloron, but were a bit worn down from the previous day.

Buzy to Oloron-Sainte-Marie was another magical day. Mostly off road, mostly thru forest, mostly downhill. We twice sighted wild deer.

We only encountered five other pilgrims since leaving Toulouse. Four of those were in the Oloron albergue.

From Oloron we followed the path to Préchacq-Josbaig then cut across to Navarrenx. And at Navarrenx we joined the Le-Puy, with many many French pilgrims. We were the only non-French speakers that first night, but made to feel welcome. And the French have a particular way about their albergues, a different / positive experience.

I think we may have enjoyed more camaraderie during the next few days into SJPP than we did later on the actual Camino Frances.

 

[Lexicos]

5 days out of SJPDP would have you starting at Arther-de-Béarn if you’re doing roughly 28 km per day. 7 days out would see you starting at Aire-sur-l’Adour. I’ve done the full Le Puy route once and again 3/4 of it this year. It’s a stunning route, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, no matter where you start.

Bonne Chemin!

 

[David]

Further back than seven days but my first Camino in 2005 in March I started at Moissac on the le Puy, I was living in France then and chose Moissac as it has a main line railway station.

Walking in France was marvellous, the most enjoyable Camino experience I have ever had. Beautiful countryside, friendly people, welcoming hosts, great food .. also meant that by the time the Napoleon Pass appeared I was match fit to walk over it.
I loved every moment in France (was a rude shock, both cultural and geographical, when I walked into Spain).

Just one thing - Caminos in France are also GR hiker routes and lots of French hikers do weekends or short breaks and so on - so the routes are distorted in many places to give hikers a thrill - it may veer off, go up a ridiculously steep hill, along a ridge, and then down again to only a little further on from where you started .. I ignored all those "coo, look at the view" hiker deviations.