From Lourdes to Somport via Oleron-Ste-Marie

[Reineclaude]

Hi

I'm planning to start this years walk from Lourdes (tickets already organized, so it better be possible ) to Puente la Reina in August.

Can you recommend a good guide from Lourdes to Oleron st. Marie?

Have anyone walked the stretch recently?

Hope you can help me - I'm already excited!

Reineclaude

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Look here on stages 18 and 19:

http://vppyr.free.fr/vpp-index-etapes.php3

And here:

http://pilgrim.peterrobins.co.uk/routes ... emont.html

 

[sillydoll]

Hola Reineclaude
I walked that route last year. It was a lovely walk - the Aragones route is very rugged and beautiful.
You can read about it here: http://www.2009pilgrims.blogspot.com

 

[Reineclaude]

Thank you both! Just what I needed. Time to press print and just enjoy reading it all. Maybe I'll get back to you with questions about hostels/hotels.

I did a 15 km training walk today - feet, boots and legs are just fine

Camino carma..
Reineclaude

 

[dutchpilgrim]

Hi,

Very detailed info on:
http://www.aucoeurduchemin.org/spip/-Et ... ml?lang=fr
I used the maps walking from Lourdes to StJean Pied de Port in oktober 2008.

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo.

 

[sillydoll]

This is a good website for pilgrim accommodation in Spain:
http://www.jacajacobea.com:80/listado_albergues.php

I have attached a list of places where we stayed from Lourdes to Pamplona via Eunate last year.

 

[Reineclaude]

Thank you all!

I'm now almost ready for take off...next Thursday!

Sil, will it be a good idea to book hotels in advance?

And will there be bars/restaurants along the way?

I'm very excited, my first time walking in France.

 

[Alan Pearce]

Hi Reineclaude

Of course you are excited! I hope you have a great camino.

I found the stretch between Lescar and Oloron-Ste-Marie to be hard going, and there were no bars/restuarants along the way. It was a hot day and I suffered from not taking any water with me. This was 2 years ago, and things may have changed, but perhaps you might carry some extra water and some food to be safe.

Buen camino!

Alan.

Be brave. Life is joyous.

 

[Janeh]

A good guide for you to carry might be "Le Chemin d'Arles", La Voie du Sud by Rando guides - they have all the info you need plus maps from Lourdes to Oleron. Assuming you are in France you should be able to pick a copy up as they are very popular and my sister had no trouble finding one for me in Grenoble. cheers, bon chance, Jane (PS I am following the same route from September 10th)

 

[sillydoll]

I would try to book ahead in France. Not so necessary (or possible) in Spain.

Last year when we arrived at Asson - the first stop after Lourdes - someone else had booked the room with the 2 double bunks and we had to sleep on the floor in the foyer of the little school house. There is nowhere else in Asson.
The Pilgrims' info office at Lourdes will have a list of places where you can stay, with phone numbers.
But here are the details we had:
For Asson: Accueil Saint Jacques, 3, rue des Pyrénées , Asson Tél : 05 5 71 04 83 Capacité : Sleeps 4 Prix : 10 € /

At Arudy we booked ahead - email Fr Pierre for accommodation at: pierrs@orange.fr
Accueil paroissial au Presbytère : Home of the Parish Rectory, 2 rue Baulong, 64260 Arudy : Accommodation 8 persons + shower + kitchen + possibility of meals in advance (he is a wonderful cook!)

Oloron Ste Marie: Booked ahead. Relais du Bastet, 12, place de la Résistance - Tel. 06 77 19 82 85 12,50 € per night 2€ for sheets. http://www.relaisdubastet.fr

Sarrance - booked ahead: Sarance has a monastery and you have to book that in advance. Or, you can stay we stayed 3km before Sarrance at the Les Fontaines d’Escot, a former monastery and St James study Centre - 200m from the path - you just have to cross the river bridge. They offer special discounts for pilgrims: Two pilgrims in a twin or double room is €15 each pilgrim
http://fontaines.selfip.com/pyrenees-ba ... -rooms.php

Borce has pilgrim accommodation in a little chapel (St.James) with gite d'etape for 6 - it is the first building on the left side when entering the village”
If that is full (as it was when we arrived) there is the Gite Communal in the town with 40 beds. This has a shop and a bar attached to it!

CANFRANC Estacion - can book ahead at the Pepito Grillo. Habitaciones hostel Price: 8€ Tel: 974-37-31-23 : 4 bed room 56.00 € - Habitación 4 personas Incl breakfast.
Also La Tuca Casa Rurul - €20 double http://www.lospirineos.info/latuca/reservas.htm

JACA - Can’t book – new albergue – 2 beds in a cubicle. newly built, Tel: 974-35-51-16. Excellent rehabilitation of the old hospital of pilgrims in the streets Conde Aznar. 6€
Or. Mamre: http://www.casamamre.org/mamre/index.ph ... =view&id=7 18€ triple room or 14€ pilgrims’ room. (Closed 10 – 14 June)

Suggest Taxi to San Juan de la Pena The price is about € 35 round trip plus about an hour waiting time for the taxi driver so you can see the Monastery. San Juan: 10am – 2pm and 3pm – 8pm. 6€ pilgrims
Don't recommend walking down - especaiily in bad weather! It is extremely steep, rocky, precipe edges.

Santa Cicila – wonderful albergue, kitchen and Internet room upstairs. Cant Book

Arres: Can't book. Shelter, run by hospital volunteers, comfortable and fraternal, has 20 beds. http://www.santacilia.es/

RUESTA - 14th June – 28km: Can’t book
Refuge in the two houses rehabilitated. 72 in bunk beds, hot water, heating, blankets, lounge and dining room. Sleep is 10 € - breakfast 3.50€ more. They also provide meals for 7 euros and prepare food bags for 4 euros. Phone: 948-39-80-82. http://www.ruesta.com/precios.htm

SANGÜESA – 15th June - 22km: Can’t Book
Refuge in Labrit street on the way into town. Run by the Daughters of Charity, who kept clean and cozy. It is essential to have a credential. Keys from the City residence. Phone: 948-87-00-42. 8€
Or: Pilgrim beds available at the camp site next to the river
Hotel Yamaguchi. Tel: 948-87-01-27; double with bath, from 40 euros.
The pension Navas. Tel: 948-87-00-77; double with shared bath, 25 euros.

Izco – 16th June - 18km Can’t Book
Refugio, new construction. Eight beds in bunks, with hot water, kitchen and lounge. Open from May 15 to October 15. The keys are in the sale of Izco. Phone: 948-36-21-29. It costs 6€

Monreal – 17th June - 10km Can’t book 6€ Albergue de Monreal - calle de La Corte,nº 1

Eunate 18th June – Albergue attached to the church
7 mattresses on the floor – wonderful meal and breakfast, special blessing in the church.

Hope this helps,
Sil

 

[Reineclaude]

Thank you for helping! I love this phase of reserache!

Thank you Sil for all the information on accommondation - I'll get started on booking ahead in France and see how it goes when we get there. I'm not bringing a matress (on my two past camino I never used it) so hopefully, and as always on the camino, I'll find a place to sleep!

I'll post my experiences when I'm back in Denmark in September.

Buen camino to you all!

Rikke - Reineclaude

 

[Anniesantiago]

Regarding San Juan de la Pena, depending on the weather, it is a good walk from Sta. Celia but do NOT attempt it from Jaca... I walked all day and never got there. The hospitalera is Sta. Celia may allow you to stay two nights if you tell her you are visiting the monastery. It's also possible to hitchhike from the main road at Sta. Celia at least part way to the monastery.

The taxi is another option.
I'm sorry I did not see it and will make a special effort next time to see it.

 

[Josefine]

Hi, I have spent some time reading post about how to walk in France and then get to Somport and the Aragonés. I see that those of you who have started in Lourdes continue to Oleron and the Arles route to Somport. But as far as I can see you could walk Lourdes, Asson, Arudy, Béost, Gaban to St Christine du Somport but I can't find any post about that alternative. Why would that be? Is the other altenative more beutiful, more accomodation or something else? Going to Oleron is also a longer way to Somport so I feel curious about this and would like to now the reasons you have had.

Josefine

 

[Deleted member 3000]

This shows the route without going to Oloron:

http://www.aucoeurduchemin.org/spip/spi ... rticle=655

 

[sillydoll]

Some info I saved on this route:
Besides the Chemin du Piémont, which runs E-W through Lourdes, the GR101 provides an alternative via Lourdes to the usual Arles route, connecting the GR653 at Maubourguet with the Somport via the Arrens and Ossau valleys. Though this is more direct, the latter stage of this is a mountain path rather than a pilgrim route, climbing to nearly 2500m. From Gabas it corresponds with the Ossau valley route over the Col des Moines.

Links between these routes
The Chemin du Piémont is being marked the length of the foothills of the French Pyrenees as the GR78, eventually from the Panissars route at Narbonne but currently from Fanjeaux near Carcassonne via Pamiers, St Lizier, St Bertrand de Comminges and Lourdes. For more details, see vppyr.free.fr; also the sites of Association du Chemin de St Jacques in Ariège - http://www.ariege.com/cheminstjacques/info.html
and Randonnées-Ariège for Ariège; Haute-Garonne FFRP; Hautes-Pyrénées FFRP.
The Pyrénées-Atlantiques Amis de St Jacques have waymarked the route on to the Arles route at Oloron and the Roncesvalles route at St-Jean, described in a Guide du Bourdon and on their website. The book Le chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen (Rando Editions) describes a route from Narbonne Plage, which from Mirepoix largely corresponds to this route.
Lo Camin Nostre, linking Narbonne with the Arles route at St-Gervais-sur-Mare via the abbey of Fontcaude, is being developed by the Fraternité Jacquaire de Septimanie - the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Amis have marked a route linking the Arles route at Lescar (near Pau) with the Le Puy route at Arthez-de-Béarn and the Vézelay route at Orthez.
see Voie Littorale for links between that route and Tours route a link between Le Puy and St Gilles is provided by the Chemin de Régordane.
Other crossings
The Chemin du Piémont can be used to access various other Pyrenean crossings, which will eventually link with the Camino Aragonés:
a link from Arudy to the Somport via the Ossau valley and the Col des Moines/Collado de los Monges (2168m) has been marked by the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Amis.
A variant of this, Lou Camin dou Seignou (under development), crosses the Col de Peyrelue and descends the Gállego valley to Sasal W of Sabiñánigo from Lortet W of St-Bertrand, the GR105 has been marked via the Hospice de Rioumajou and the Port d'Ourdissetou/Puerto de Urdiceto (2403m) to Gistain in Aragon. From here the GR19, GR15 and a PR can be followed W to the Camino Aragonés near Jaca. See site of the Hautes-Pyrenées Amis, and overview on the Hautes-Pyrenées FFRP site.
The local Amis de St-Jacques plan a route along the Garonne valley from Toulouse to St-Gaudens and the Chemin du Piémont at St-Bertrand. In the meantime, the GR86 links Toulouse with St-Bertrand and Bagnères-de-Luchon. This will continue via the Hospice de France to Roda de Isabena.
Besides the main route over the Panissars, the Roussillon Amis de St-Jacques are developing other crossings from Perpignan:
via the Têt valley to the Cerdagne and the Spanish border at Bourg-Madame. This can be linked with Montserrat using the GR11 between Bourg-Madame and Núria and the Camí Dels Amics De Núria.
via the Vallespir to the Col d'Arès, which is marked from the Col to Ripoll on the Núria route.
A book Les Chemins Catalans de Compostelle: Sur les traces de nos origines: Guide du visiteur en Pays catalan is published by Editions Copylux of Arles-sur-Tech, but these routes are not always the same as those being developed by the Amis. See guidebook map on ACIR site.

And from Peter Robins:
If you're interested in the mountain passes, overview of routes at http://vppyr.free.fr/vpp-index-transversales.php3 where there's also lots of photos of the Col des Moines route. The National Park site is at http://www.parc-pyrenees.com/index_english.htm.

 

[Josefine]

Thank you Falcon and thank you Sillydoll, you are a real source of information. I will look into this.
Josefine

 

[sulu]

If you're interested in the mountain passes, overview of routes at http://vppyr.free.fr/vpp-index-transversales.php3 where there's also lots of photos of the Col des Moines route. The National Park site is at http://www.parc-pyrenees.com/index_english.htm.

Hi Sil,
I can't get into either of these sites, is it just me?
This route sounds really interesting.
Sue

 

[sillydoll]

Sorry about that. Peter sent me those links some time ago.
The first one has given me an error message but the second one opens -
http://www.parc-pyrenees.com/

 

[sulu]

Thanks, got that one now. Lovely pictures