Hello all potential Le Puy walkers,
I feel I must leap in here in defence of the Alison Raju guide. I carried it (often in my pocket - because it is a convenient size) for the Le Puy leg that I did in 2007. I found the guide very reliable in terms of directions. If I found myself in a spot where I was uncertain as to which way to go, which did happen from time to time, I would refer to the guide and invariably things were EXACTLY as described, and I was able to sort out the dilemmas I had. In addition to that, as a non French speaker, I found that the historical / cultural tips that Alison provides about the villages and towns I was passing through were also very helpful. At first glance it might appear a dry and dull tome, but in my experience it accomplishes exactly what it purports to! To compensate for the lack of maps I carried some photo copied "cut and pasted" road maps (double sided to save weight) and this helped with naming towns in the distance etc.
Also, in relation to the gites along the way that especially fulfill the needs of pilgrims, there is a substanial list on a website (beginning with "Les Herbergment ..... chemin Compostelle"). I marked these in the guide and where possible I stayed in them. However, it will depend on the length of your walking day as to whether it is possible to stop there or not.
Another comment with regard to cost is that the Vezelay path is the cheapest of all the french paths that I have walked thus far. In seven and a half weeks walking from Troyes (a week north of Vezelay) to Irun (via St Jean Pied de Port) I only spent $3,400 AUD (excluding air ticket and health insurance), but this included train travel to Troyes, postage, all food and accomodation, museum entrances etc etc.
Nonetheless - the Vezelay, the Le Puy and the Arles paths are very beautiful - but each are very different. regards, Janet
