Luggage Transfer from Le Puy En Velay to St Jean Pied de Port

[Anne&Pat]

We commenced walking the Via Podiensis on Saturday 13th April 2024. We are from Australia and find it easier to bring our stuff for the Camino in a suitcase, as we have extra clothes for before and after our Camino.
We hoped to be able to send our suitcase from Le Puy to St Jean, using La Poste, as we had done from Barcelona to Ivar in Santiago using Correos in 2018, when we walked the Camino del Norte!
On Friday morning we went to La Poste Principale in Avenue de la Dentelle in Le Puy with our suitcase wrapped in cling wrap, as advised by Ivar for sending suitcases to Santiago, and well labeled to our accommodation in St Jean, which we had previously booked and arranged with our hostess. She was happy to accept our suitcase and hold it for us for the five weeks while we are walking the Via Podiensis.
Our 19 kilo suitcase, one smaller suitcase inside a larger suitcase plus contents, only cost just over 35 Euros to send.
We were very pleased at how easy it was to do this and how helpful and efficient the staff at La Poste were.
We will confirm it’s safe arrival in due course.

 

[Former member 104756]

That's a great outcome @Anne&Pat I find La Poste to be a good service and the staff always helpful. But usually with Poste Restante they can only hold bags for about 2 weeks. To have a hostess in SJPP happy to accept your suitcase and hold it for 5 weeks is excellent. And just shows that it's always worth asking.

PS We (Australian / French couple) have been living on the Le Puy Way for the past year - about 3 weeks down the path from Le Puy en Velay - but we are leaving in early May - otherwise I'd suggest a catch up.

Bon chemin. It's a wonderful path.

 

[Anne&Pat]

That's a great outcome @Anne&Pat I find La Poste to be a good service and the staff always helpful. But usually with Poste Restante they can only hold bags for about 2 weeks. To have a hostess in SJPP happy to accept your suitcase and hold it for 5 weeks is excellent. And just shows that it's always worth asking.

PS We (Australian / French couple) have been living on the Le Puy Way for the past year - about 3 weeks down the path from Le Puy en Velay - but we are leaving in early May - otherwise I'd suggest a catch up.

Bon chemin. It's a wonderful path.

Thanks Pelerina, yes, it certainly was a good outcome. Sorry we can’t catch up at the start of May but your many posts on the Forum have been very helpful to us in our planning for this walk. Just completed Day 2 and are relaxing in Monistrol d’Allier! Tomorrow will be another challenging day. Weather has been amazing the last few days but it is supposed to change on Tuesday and we could even be in for some snow on Wednesday! We are really enjoying the walk so far in beautiful scenery.

 

[Former member 104756]

That's wonderful to hear. Even further along the track where we are, we have seen quite a few pilgrims in recent days Today was very hot. They looked a bit shattered. There are some tough stages in the first week or more. Take care.

 

[BlackRocker57]

We commenced walking the Via Podiensis on Saturday 13th April 2024. We are from Australia and find it easier to bring our stuff for the Camino in a suitcase, as we have extra clothes for before and after our Camino.
We hoped to be able to send our suitcase from Le Puy to St Jean, using La Poste, as we had done from Barcelona to Ivar in Santiago using Correos in 2018, when we walked the Camino del Norte!
On Friday morning we went to La Poste Principale in Avenue de la Dentelle in Le Puy with our suitcase wrapped in cling wrap, as advised by Ivar for sending suitcases to Santiago, and well labeled to our accommodation in St Jean, which we had previously booked and arranged with our hostess. She was happy to accept our suitcase and hold it for us for the five weeks while we are walking the Via Podiensis.
Our 19 kilo suitcase, one smaller suitcase inside a larger suitcase plus contents, only cost just over 35 Euros to send.
We were very pleased at how easy it was to do this and how helpful and efficient the staff at La Poste were.
We will confirm it’s safe arrival in due course.

This is great to hear @Anne&Pat ... I have often wondered if it still worked like this after my friends did exactly the same as you back in 2017 ... really very helpful to know this and thank you for taking the time to tell us

 

[Macca53]

Thanks for the information. My wife and I are planning to walk from Figeac to STDP this time next year and we were wondering if we could move a bag as you have done. We are finishing the walk off having done the leg from Le Puy to Cahors in 2015. I do recall that the first couple of weeks were difficult especially when climbing out of villages each morning. Certainly gets the heart rate up. Enjoy.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Our suitcase has arrived in St Jean with our hostess today!! Very quickly on the 3rd working day after we posted it! Most impressed with La Poste in France.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Our suitcase has arrived in St Jean with our hostess today!! Very quickly on the 3rd working day after we posted it! Most impressed with La Poste in France.

wonderful news Where are you staying at StJPP??

 

[Robbo55]

That's a great outcome @Anne&Pat I find La Poste to be a good service and the staff always helpful. But usually with Poste Restante they can only hold bags for about 2 weeks. To have a hostess in SJPP happy to accept your suitcase and hold it for 5 weeks is excellent. And just shows that it's always worth asking.

PS We (Australian / French couple) have been living on the Le Puy Way for the past year - about 3 weeks down the path from Le Puy en Velay - but we are leaving in early May - otherwise I'd suggest a catch up.

Bon chemin. It's a wonderful path.

Hi, I would love to seek your local knowledge - an Australian living in NZ, I am thinking of doing the C Le Puy next year. I had thought to start mid April, but now think that is too soon and maybe May is better...I don't mind cold, but don't like walking in the rain (which I know cannot be predicated) or in full summer. Also, what is a good luggage service enroute ...I think I will need to stay in some smaller towns to break up some of the longer stretches. Most grateful for any advice

 

[BlackRocker57]

Hi, I would love to seek your local knowledge - an Australian living in NZ, I am thinking of doing the C Le Puy next year. I had thought to start mid April, but now think that is too soon and maybe May is better...I don't mind cold, but don't like walking in the rain (which I know cannot be predicated) or in full summer. Also, what is a good luggage service enroute ...I think I will need to stay in some smaller towns to break up some of the longer stretches. Most grateful for any advice

Bonjour @Robbo55 @Robbo55 ... I am not sure who you were expecting to reply?? Pelerina has left the forum but we are of a similar mindset and both have a lot of experience on the GR65 Via Podiensis aka Voie du Puy-en-Velay ... so to respond to your questions :

It is pretty hard to say with any degree of accuracy what the weather will be like in any given year but just to say that in 2022 it was mild in April, warm to hot in May and warm to hot in June with several heatwaves in both May and June, mostly dry; in 2023 it was cool-ish in April, mild in May but unsettled with plenty of afternoon thunderstorms [i.e. unstable atmosphere], same in June last year but warmer including some very warm days; this year April, May and June were cool to mild with a lot of rainy days that have continued into July, there was also snow in April and May at the higher elevations; in general the weather has been unstable and unpredictable. You might like to check out MeteoBlue website for more details incl. a weather archive <https://www.meteoblue.com/en>

On balance, May cf. April is probably more reliable as far as rain goes ... but it is also the busiest month on the GR65 Via Podiensis so you may want to factor that in too.

As for luggage transfer services I have used La Malle Postale [Le Puy-en-Velay to Lectoure incl. GR651 Célé valley variante and GR6/36 Rocamadour variante], Transports Claudine [Conques to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port + GR651 Célé valley and GR6/36 Rocamadour variante] and the excellent new service «les Valises de Saint Jacques» [Moissac to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port] ...

Hope this helps a little