Guide books available in Le Puy Cathedral

[JillM]

Hi all

I have my kit and I'm ready to go. I originally planned to start at St Jean Pied de Port, and I have the Brierley book for that.

Now I've decided to start in Le Puy and I need a guidebook for that section. I've read that I can buy the Miam Miam Dodo guide at the Cathedral in Le Puy. Big question: Is it in English?

If not, are there other guidebooks there that will be sufficient for me to use as I head off from Le Puy to St JPP?

Many thanks for any answes I receive...

... nerves are kicking in now...

 

[mspath]

Hi all

I have my kit and I'm ready to go. I originally planned to start at St Jean Pied de Port, and I have the Brierley book for that.

Now I've decided to start in Le Puy and I need a guidebook for that section. I've read that I can buy the Miam Miam Dodo guide at the Cathedral in Le Puy. Big question: Is it in English?

If not, are there other guidebooks there that will be sufficient for me to use as I head off from Le Puy to St JPP?

Many thanks for any answes I receive...

... nerves are kicking in now...

Jim,

The Miam Miam Dodo guide is in French, but with easy to understand informative symbols.

One useful guide in English is Le Puy to the Pyrenees
Alison Raju. CSJ, London, 2006. 48 pp. (Pilgrim Guides to the Roads through France #3). A succinct guide to the most popular of the French routes (GR65), listing accommodation and other facilities for pilgrims . You can see how to purchase it from the Confraternity of Saint James by clicking on the guide thread at the top of this section .

Another most useful source of pilgrim stops and information is the 2008 blog http://chemincamino08.blogspot.fr/ by one of the forum members, KiwiNomad. Her current blog http://dawdlingwalks.blogspot.fr/ is also in English and includes her camino along parts of the Le Puy and Frances routes this spring.

Buen Camino!

Margaret

 

[ranthr]

The Miam Dodo guide is in French, but you will manage with it anyway. The texts describe places to sleep, places to eat, shops and so on. There is an English flag if the people at a gite or so speaks English. The guide is in the maps, 1 cm = 375m. You do not need anything else , the chemin is good marked and there is nearly always a cross on a wrong way.
If you want to have a map, I guess you will find the 3 topoguidebooks in the shop in the cathedral. They are in French too, but you will manage with them as well as with the Dodo. Buy the first to see if you need it. You will surely find the next somewhere on the way.
I carried maps but never used for other than to prepare for the next day. The couple of times I was in doubt about where to go, no guidebook would have helped me. Bonne route!
Randi

 

[robertt]

Jill, congrats on choosing the Le Puy route. To think you'll soon be striding out of Le Puy, up and along the Aubrac, then down to all those pretty towns of the Lot! Does it get any better?

The Miam Miam Dodo guide, though it's in French, is very visual and well formatted as a reference. The authors even recommend tearing out the more discursive bits of their own book - for carrying purposes, of course. Buy new, since it is revised annually for Le Puy and the CF.

I have to agree with Margaret that the KiwiNomad's blogs are an excellent guide of the electronic sort. They will also give you some boosting. Keep in mind that our Irish friends are there at the Ultreia gite in Moissac, always ready to advise.

As for nerves...hey, walking the Chemin is an enormous event in one's life. More nerves!

 

[irishpilgrim]

Hi,
Just to agree with the two previous posters. The Miam Miam Dodo guide is very easy to follow. You just need to look at the symbols. The maps are very simple but adequate for the route which is very well marked. The distances also seem to be accurate.

It gives very good information on all the possible places to stay, prices, types of rooms etc. You will get the hang of it easily. Maybe you could get a french speaker to show you how to use it at first but I really think you will have no problem.
You have chosen a beautiful route and I am sure you will enjoy it.

Bon Chemin

Anna

 

[steve]

Just one more voice to recommend Miam Miam Dodo. We used it to plan each day's route and then check our progress as we walked. Sometimes we would arrive at a village in the afternoon, then consult Miam Miam Dodo to determine If the next village was possible.

 

[rickster]

What can you expect to pay for Miam Miam Dodo? I have seen prices ranging from 53 -172 US$ delivered to US. This is crazy.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I just paid $33.95 including shipping from amazon.fr.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

It cost me 17 Euro for a copy from the cathedral sacristy in Le Puy last May.
Margaret

 

[cecelia]

Hi rickster,
I got mine from the Confraternity of St James (http://www.csk.org.uk).It was 14 pounds and got to Canada very quickly.

 

[rickster]

Thank you all very much for the feedback on the guidebook pricing. Obviously, I didn't do a thorough enough job of shopping. Those prices are much more digestible.

 

[scruffy1]

Rickster, I have no French whatsoever not even a tiny bit however I am able to follow the Miam Miam very easily-do get it before hand and give it a thorough go through just to familiarize before leaving! No sense waiting until arriving in France to find your way through the forrest. Those albergue/gites which have someone around speaking English are clearly marked with a flag for easy id.
Scruffy

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Here is a site that shows the old Michelin map coverage and the new maps that are available:

http://www.omnimap.com/cgi/graphic.pl?i ... new-i2.jpg

This map series, 1:100,000, is suitable for both walking and biking. If the MMD maps are too sparse for your taste, these maps probably are available in tobacco and news stores in France. I have not found an internet site for purchasing them.

 

[rickster]

Scruffy and Falcon, thanks for the great advice. Rick

 

[hieudovan]

Here is a site that shows the old Michelin map coverage and the new maps that are available:

http://www.omnimap.com/cgi/graphic.pl?i ... new-i2.jpg

This map series, 1:100,000, is suitable for both walking and biking. If the MMD maps are too sparse for your taste, these maps probably are available in tobacco and news stores in France. I have not found an internet site for purchasing them.

Falcon, you are a fountain of knowledge. I'd read your posts in 2011 & 2012 before going on the CF April/May 2012. I'm planning to walk the Le Puy Route next and here you are again! Thanks for your helpful contributions. You'll hear more questions from me when the time gets near. For now I'm hoping that my life events will allow me to walk this route April/May 2013. Bon Chemin! -Hieu

 

[steve]

Miam Miam Dodo is also available at the tourist office in Le Puy, same price.

This May I hope to once again be walking Le Chemin, starting at Cahors, where I stopped several years ago.