Sleeping bag or no?

[TMcA]

My wife and I will spend nearly three weeks on the Chemin du Puy starting October 5 from Le Puy. Right now we do not plan to carry sleeping bags, having read on the forum that they are not necessary in the gites and other accommodations along the way. We will carry only our silk liners which will save ourselves a couple of pounds each. Will these liners alone be acceptable to the proprietors of the places where we will stay?

From a study of the posts on the Le Puy section of this very helpful forum, we will: take the train from the Lyon airport into the city and then on to Le Puy; purchase the Orange telephone card and make reservations in advance at the places we wish to stay; use the Miam Miam Dodo guide (already purchased); and, utitlize Blue Marble for caching in Paris the things we will need there after our hike

In addition to the help obtained on this forum, we should thank the many hikers we met last spring on the Camino Frances who nominated this portion of the Chemin du Puy and who further advised us that we must do this hike in autumn.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Will these liners alone be acceptable to the proprietors of the places where we will stay?

Yes.

 

[Kitsambler]

Yes, you'll be fine with a liner. Blankets will be available. You may need to ask for them, so make sure your French includes that phrase. If you're not already brushing up on your French, get cracking! It will make a huge difference in how much you enjoy this trip. At that time of year, it will be really important to look downstream for lodging reservations and for availability of supplies. Your gite hosts can call ahead for you, and find out what the situation is. Tourism Offices are also terrific resources. As always in France, plan ahead for weekends, school vacations, and other holidays. All Saints' will occur during your trip, and that's a major one. Many establishments close after that.

Bon Chemin!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

it will be really important to look downstream for lodging reservations

When the crowds have tapered off, hosts stop opening automatically, so you will need to call ahead so that they will be there. They will be very welcoming, but they do not hang around all week on the off chance that a pilgrim will drop by! If you cannot make a basic phone call, ask the current host to call ahead for you. Two to three days of advance reservations are a good idea, and be sure to cancel if you won't be using a reservation.