Vézelay - Le Puy en Velay

[Luka]

As more and more pilgrims seem to take this route from Vézelay instead of heading straight for St Jean Pied de Port, I thought this might be a place to ask questions and discuss about this part on the way to Santiago.

As I hope to walk here in september I have some questions myself:
- Do I need to bring a sleeping bag, or would a liner be just fine?
- Is it hard to get food on the route? Do the gites have cooking facilities or serve meals?

 

[Luka]

Hmm, unfortunately no experienced folks here... I still hope to walk (part of) this route in September and think I will risk it with just a liner and no sleeping bag (this would mean one kilo less to carry). They must have blankets in those gites.

 

[lovingkindness]

Hi, Luka. Last year when in Vezelay I enquired about hiking from Vezelay via Cluny to Taize, close to Le Puy. The Amies de St Jacques office & The Tourist Office didn't have any information. The shop run by the Monastiques de Jerusalem had only a sketchy guide for part of the way with mountainous paths and long distances between stages. It looked like initially I would have to carry food for a few days and camp out. It was early spring and I was extremely tired. After a few days deliberation I chose the Voie de Vezelay which is mostly flat. I know of several German peregrinos who hiked from Cologne to Le Puy without going as far south as Vezelay. I have an accommodation list some where. If I can find it I'll post it for you.

Cheers,
Lovingkindness

 

[Luka]

Lovingkindness, thanks a lot for you reply! I figured the route out already. It won't be flat, but the Morvan looks very beautiful. From Vézelay I will walk a part of the GR13 and then transfer to 'the Way of Cluny' (Cluny - Le Puy en Velay). I have found gites or other places to stay along the route (20-25 km apart). It is just that I don't know if they normally have blankets in gites d'etape.

 

[lovingkindness]

That's great, Luka. I don't think you'll need to take a sleeping bag. Using your own gear in a French Gite is actively discouraged for hygienic reasons. All that's required is a sleeping sheet. I found duvets and/or blankets provided along le Voie de Vezelay and Le Voie de Le Puy and in gites along various other GR routes not associated with les Chemins de St Jacques, too.

Cheers.

 

[Luka]

Thanks again! That seems like a good indication of what I can expect in the average gite d'etape in France. I'll take the risk. One or two nights without a blanket I will survive!

 

[julie]

Hi Luka, It's standard practice to take just a liner when you're walking in France. The gites supply blankets so it's not necessary to carry a sleeping bag.

You only need to carry a sleeping bag if you're walking in remote areas that have refuges rather than gites.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I met a Dutchman on the Cluny route who had walked from Vezelay, and who was going to finish this section of his Camino in Rodez. I am not sure where he got his info from, but I don't think he was just making his route up.... There is a marked route from Vezelay now that takes you to Assisi, and it does connect with the Cluny route for a few days. I am not sure if that was the route he had initially taken or not.
Margaret

 

[AJ]

First make sure there IS a gite. Then decide about the tent/sleeping bag/liner etc. France is NOT like Spain, particularly on the roads less travelled such as that between Vezelay and Le Puy. After Le Puy I suspect you will have no problems.

 

[Paulus]

Hi, Luka. Last year when in Vezelay I enquired about hiking from Vezelay via Cluny to Taize, close to Le Puy. The Amies de St Jacques office & The Tourist Office didn't have any information.
Lovingkindness

That's rather "strange" here !!
My wife wanted to give them our little card with our adress and telephone for pelgrims coming by for information but ...................... we weren't on the Voie the Vezelay , was the answer ...............
The association of St jacques in Vezelay only supports THEIR route !!
So they can't give you info on the Vezelay-LePuy route!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I think the GR-13 and GR-3 will get you from Vezelay to Le-Puy-en-Velay. Get IGN maps for details.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

The GR3 definitely coincides with some of the Chemin marked by the Association Rhône-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques from Cluny. However there are sections where the GR3 and the Cluny Chemin deviate from each other, and where the GR3 takes a much harder route.

There is one deviation in particular where you need to to be very careful, just after the mountain village of Montarcher. The signs aren't very big where the route deviates, but the difference in the routes here is apparently enormous.The Amis guide to the Cluny route takes the 'Chemin' route from this point, and it then takes 60 km to reach Le Puy. The Chamina guide to the Cluny route follows the GR3 from the same point and takes a distance of 85km to reach Le Puy. Some of this last part of the walk using the Amis guide is not easy, but I have a French friend who has walked both routes, and he told me that the GR3 route in this area is very difficult. It is very mountainous, and you have to walk some long distances where there are no gîtes. The two routes come back together again near Polignac, not far from Le Puy.

The GR3 route is marked with red and white balises, while the Cluny Chemin is marked with small coquille balises. On routes after Le Puy, the coquille 'direction' is mostly not very relevant to the direction you walk in, but from Cluny to Le Puy you must follow the direction the 'base' of the shell is pointed in as that shows your direction.
On parts of the Chemin from Cluny as marked by the Amis, you can follow either the GR3 markings or the coquille markings. But where the routes deviate, you must follow the coquille markings only if you wish to take the chemin rather than the GR3.
Margaret

 

[lovingkindness]

Hi, Luka. Last year when in Vezelay I enquired about hiking from Vezelay via Cluny to Taize, close to Le Puy. The Amies de St Jacques office & The Tourist Office didn't have any information.
Lovingkindness

That's rather "strange" here !!
My wife wanted to give them our little card with our adress and telephone for pelgrims coming by for information but ...................... we weren't on the Voie the Vezelay , was the answer ...............
The association of St jacques in Vezelay only supports THEIR route !!
So they can't give you info on the Vezelay-LePuy route!

Ah, what a pity. Something in me still hankers for Cluny & Taize...and Jerusalem ....

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Each segment of the Voie de Vezelay is maintained by a local group. Some have built gites. Others provide accommodations in the homes of volunteers, who will pick you up at, say, the church, and provide bed and a dinner, then return you to the church in the morning. Others seem to do nothing.

The balises are up to the local group as well. In some places the markings are great. In some they are non existent. In some they are confusing or wrong! It is advisable to take a good guidebook or accurate maps. At one couple's farm gite, we were warned that the next day would be difficult because we were going into the territory of a different group, and they had not done the waymarks.

I am not surprised that there was disinterest in an off-camino facility. I don't think it showed a lack of enthusiasm for pilgrims. It more likely was a territoriality, not uncommon among the French!

 

[Luka]

Thanks all for your replies!

This is the information I found earlier on the Dutch Santiago website:

There is no official description of the route between Vézelay and Le Puy-en-Velay. People used to use the GR13 and GR3. Since 2002 a Santiago route exists from Cluny to Le Puy. Using part of this 'Way of Cluny' pilgrims can compose the following connection:

1. From Vézelay to Uxeau: GR13 Traversée du Morvan (148 km)
2. From Uxeau to Paray-le-Monial and Marcigny naar La Bénisson-Dieu (77 km)
3. From La Bénisson-Dieu: Way of Cluny' to Le Puy (215 km)

Part 2 is a connection between GR13 and the Way of Cluny. I have a Dutch translation of parts 1 and 2. I think the original in French is out of print. Together with the maps I have bought, this should be sufficient. For part 3 I have the description (with maps) in French.

- I have found mostly gites d'etape along the route, some special accomodations for pilgrims (the refuges of Paulus for example), some hotels and two campings.
- After reading some of your posts I decided to bring just a liner and leave my way to heavy (1200 grams) sleeping bag at home.
- KiwiNomad, I think the route you mentioned (the alternative of the GR3) is the Way of Cluny. This means that I should be able to avoid the hardest parts (however the GR13 through the Morvan is going to be pretty tough as well, I expect).
- I know quite some blogs from people who walked from Vézelay to Le Puy-en-Velay, so it should be possible. As more and more people seem to choose this route, it will probably soon become a more official route.

In September I hope to walk the bigger part of this route. I will start in Auxerre (2,5 days before Vézelay) and end in Montbrison (about 100 kms before Le Puy). Afterwards I will inform everyone here about the possibilities!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

- KiwiNomad, I think the route you mentioned (the alternative of the GR3) is the Way of Cluny. This means that I should be able to avoid the hardest parts (however the GR13 through the Morvan is going to be pretty tough as well, I expect).

Yes it is Luka, but the break between the two happens just after Montarcher so you won't reach it this time. I imagine the route through the Morvan could be quite difficult- all the best!

Oh and by the way, your break-down of the routes you are planning to take was very timely. Someone just asked me a question about Vezelay-Cluny-Le Puy on my blog and I wasn't able to answer them. I have referred them to your post!
Margaret

 

[Luka]

Live from the spot! I am in Auxerre now. Looking forward to my first day of walking!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Bon Chemin Luka! Enjoy Vezelay. I gather the Abbey is amazing, but haven't seen it myself.
Margaret

 

[Paulus]

Live from the spot! I am in Auxerre now. Looking forward to my first day of walking!

Bonne route and see you wednesday !!!!

 

[lovingkindness]

Bon courage and many blessings, Luka.

 

[Paulus]

Yes,

Luka was here last night and stayed in our little refugio Bahia. I had a rehearsel with my band so my wife had a very nice evening talking with Lonneke!

Bonne route, Lonneke !!!!

Paul+Hanneke

 

[Luka]

Thanks, Paul! My stay with you both was certainly one to remember!

I am in Retournac now. And no, I didn't walk 50 kms a day. After a long debate in my head I skipped a part. Will know later if this was a wise thing to do. I just wasn't enjoying myself anymore. I had to bridge a gap between the GR 13 and the Way of Cluny. Just didn't take the dull, lonely path down D-roads anymore. The Morvan was wonderful though!

Two days and I will be in Le Puy already. Strange...

 

[LTfit]

Hoi Lonneke,

Leuk om te lezen dat je tot zover bent gekomen! Felicitations! Ga je helemaal tot aan SJPdP lopen?

Afgelopen zondag heb ik aan jou gedacht tijdens mijn eerste etappe van het Pelgrimspad vanuit Amsterdam. Ik dacht dat het tijd was om ook vanuit huis (nou bijna)te gaan lopen.

Bon chemin en courage!

LT

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Luka- happy arrivals in Le Puy. I like being able to visualise where you are! There are a couple of steepish hills on the last day that I wasn't expecting...
Margaret

 

[Luka]

@LTfit wat grappig dat jij nu ook vanuit NL begonnen bent! Ik hoop ooit naar Santiago te lopen, maar doe het in stukjes. Net mijn laatste wandeldag gehad.

@KiwiNomad, the last two stages before Le Puy were very beautiful! Yep, some steep hills, but wonderful views. Le Puy is very beautiful indeed! I recognize btw what you wrote in your blog about loneliness. But the last two days I was on the GR 65 and that is the other way around. So many people... Still don't know what I prefer.

Today was my last walking day. Going back to le Puy this afternoon and from there back home...

 

[LTfit]

Safe travels home Lonneke!

btw last Sunday did Stages 2 and 3 of the Pelgrimspad

 

[Peronel]

Hi Luka,

I'm planning this for the autumn of 2014 as part of a longer walk from Bury st Edmunds to Santiago. Like you, I want to walk via Cluny and - like you - I'm struggling to find info on the route. I'd be really grateful for anything you can tell me!

Thank you,

Nel

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Here's a guidebook in French for the route from Vezelay to Le Puy. You can't see 'inside' so I don't know if it goes via any of the Cluny route. http://www.chemin-compostelle.fr/boutique/france/vezelay-le-puy-en-velay/
Margaret

 

[Peronel]

That's brilliant - thank you. I've been struggling to find out much of anything at all.

 

[Luka]

If I remember well that one combines the GR13 and the GR3. The route I took was a bit shorter: from the GR13 straight to the Way of Cluny. But then you have to 'connect' those two with about 80 kms of road walks. Boring and a bit dangerous as well, because of the cars and the farm dogs not used to pilgrims. Plus it can be pretty hard to find a place to stay and places to get food. But that will probably be the same on the GR3.

 

[Metropolly]

Hi Luka,

I'm planning this for the autumn of 2014 as part of a longer walk from Bury st Edmunds to Santiago. Like you, I want to walk via Cluny and - like you - I'm struggling to find info on the route. I'd be really grateful for anything you can tell me!

Thank you,

Nel

Hello Peronel! Are you still planning to walk Bury St Edmunds to Santiago via Cluny? I'd love to hear what you've discovered about this route, as I'm planning to hop over the mountains to Le Puy from Vezelay myself next month, and am starting to think it might be worth taking in the whole Cluny route instead of trying to meet it half way somewhere in the Morvan! By the way I walked London to Santiago via Vezelay last year, so can give you some pointers if you need them (thought it seems you are a much better planner than I am!)

 

[Luka]

Is there anyone with recent information about Vézelay - Le Puy en Velay? I have walked until Paray-le-Monial (2012) and hope to continue on from there next spring. My plan is to walk to the Way of Cluny (2 days of roadwalking) and from there to Le Puy en Velay. Or would it be better to start from Uxeau and take the GR3 to Le Puy?

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Is there anyone with recent information about Vézelay - Le Puy en Velay? I have walked until Paray-le-Monial (2012) and hope to continue on from there next spring. My plan is to walk to the Way of Cluny (2 days of roadwalking) and from there to Le Puy en Velay. Or would it be better to start from Uxeau and take the GR3 to Le Puy?

My info would be from 2012. The Cluny route is well marked though you need to watch in the forests as the coquille balises are quite small. I used two guide books- the Chamina one, and the orange Amis guide. Often the GR route and the Amis Cluny route coincide, though there is an important difference near the end near Montarcher, where the routes diverge until they reconnect in St Paulien, the last town before you reach Le Puy. The GR3 route from near Montarcher is very mountainous and you have to walk long distances between accommodation. I was warned to take the Amis route and not the GR3 by a French friend, and the hospitalero in La-Chapelle-en-Lafaye was giving the three of us there the same message. You have to keep your eyes peeled for the divergence, as it only has small markings (that would be covered over if there was any snow!)

 

[Luka]

Thanks KiwiNomad! I have the Chamina guide (with two routes: from Cluny to Le Puy and from Lyon to Le Puy). From Paray-le-Monial it should be about two days walking until I can connect to the Way of Cluny at Briennon or La Bénisson-Dieu. Although I really didn't like the roadwalks in between the GR13 and the Way of Cluny, it still seems and easier option than connecting to the GR3 more up north.

 

[Rachael]

Thank you, everybody! I was originally thinking of the Lemovicensis, but have decided to start walking from Auxerre to Vezelay, then down to Le Puy via Cluny. I also want to pass by Bibracte and Autun, so I've been cobbling together maps and guidebooks.

 

[Luka]

I still hope to be back next year. Still don't know if it is gonna happen and (if so) when it is gonna happen. Might be May 2015, might be July 2015. If so, I would like to continue on from where I ended in 2012: Paray-le-Monial. From there I want to walk to Le-Puy-en-Velay (and then to SJPP and SdC). Does anyone have new information about the route and accomodation options?

 

[Rachael]

I start walking from Auxerre on April 9th. I'll be following the Chemin d'Assise until I get to Cluny, then using the Cluny-Le Puy Chamina guide and the Guide Orange (if the CSJ will put it up for sale).

Getting nervous, but happy!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I start walking from Auxerre on April 9th. I'll be following the Chemin d'Assise until I get to Cluny, then using the Cluny-Le Puy Chamina guide and the Guide Orange (if the CSJ will put it up for sale).

I can give you the contact details from inside an Orange guide if you want to write away to get one in France... The orange guide is the one with the best info about accommodation etc, but the Chamina guide has the best maps. Not sure if you know, but from just after Montarcher the route in the Chamina guide, and the route in the orange guide are majorly different. Several people told me very strongly to follow the orange guide until Le Puy from that diversion, as the route in the Chamina guide is very mountainous with very long stages. The two routes rejoin near Polignac, just a few kilometres before you reach Le Puy. I can give you more info if you want.
Margaret

 

[Rachael]

Thank you, KiwiNomad! I've been in communication with the folks at the Confraternity of St. James (who apparently have it in stock according to their email to me), but just need to put it up on the website so I can purchase it.

I wrote to the Haut-Beaujolais tourism website, but they do not presently have it. I have not heard back yet from the Rhone-Alpes Amis, so I might not have the right address.

Any info you can send is wonderful, and many thanks!

 

[Rachael]

Marion at CSJ is sending me the the new Guide Orange, and it's ONE MONTH TODAY that I land in Paris.

Butterflies in my stomach!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Glad to hear Rachael. The Orange guide is definitely needed on the Cluny route. I see you have walked the Camino Frances- but one major difference you'll find on the Vezelay, Cluny sections is that there are not many other pilgrims around. The Cluny route is very beautiful and interesting, and passes through many interesting old towns etc, but it is mostly quite solitary for a walker. You will probably need to be quite self-reliant, though there are some lovely people running the gites and also people who have you in their homes. They are listed in the Orange guide.
Margaret

 

[Rachael]

Solitary is often pleasant for me, and I am usually alone when I do backwoods packing in my area.

I planned to bring my Solplex tent (16.2 ounces) since I assumed that there would be few places for pilgrims, but the 2015 Michelin camping guide for France shows a fair number of campgrounds to pitch along the route. However, if the Guide Orange shows that it makes more sense to leave the tent at home, I'll happily do that.

Also, I figure that once I get to St. Jean, I will have plenty of company from then on. I can hardly wait to see Danielle at Auberge du Pelerin again.

Thank you so much, Margaret!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Hi Rachael,
There are enough places for accommodation along the Cluny route if you are walking in April- though I gather it can be quite tricky in summer when people are holidaying in the area. You might encounter some snow at higher altitudes. Once you reach Le Puy you will have plenty of company! I left from Le Puy on a weekend and couldn't believe how many others were on the route after the quiet of the Cluny route!- but I think the majority of them were doing day walks.
Margaret

 

[Rachael]

I am experiencing alternating excitement and anxiety, but the thoughts of seeing Vezelay, Bibracte, Autun, Anost, Cluny, and the lace museum in Le Puy-en-Velay are all tipping me towards the former. Each place has a connection, from my confirmation saint, to two of my favorite eras of history and church reform, to my favorite composer (Francis Poulenc), to a religious votive form I've studied (la vierge ouvrante), to one of the crafts I've practiced for years (bobbin lace).

I'll stop gushing on like a schoolgirl now. ;-)

 

[Rachael]

Less than 20 days!

How many more times will I check through my pack to make sure I have everything, but not too much?

 

[Luka]

I feel your excitement! I'll be continuing my pilgrimage from Paray-le-Monial the 4th of May...

 

[Rachael]

I fly to Paris tomorrow at 16:30! Those butterflies in my stomach are now HUGE.

Downloaded Ivar's app, running a last load of laundry, and made sure the bank knows I'm in France and Spain for the next while. My first two weeks are booked for accommodation, from hotels to campsites (I'm bringing my Zpacks Solplex tent).

My pack weighs in (without water) at a bit less than 5 kg.

 

[Luka]

Wow, less than 5 with a tent?
Buen camino!

 

[pudgypilgrim]

My pack weighs in (without water) at a bit less than 5 kg.

I'd love to see your packing list!

 

[Rachael]

My pack is also made by Zpacks, so it's 17 ounces empty. I also added another kilo before leaving, so I'm up to six kilos without food and water.

I will get together a packing list when I get back.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing it.

 

[GAUVINS]

I have walked from Paris through Vezelay and now almost at Le Puy.

I've built my route prior to leaving from Paris and follow tracks on a GPS watch with backup on my phone.

I had planned my route with stops where there are campgrounds, usually following a GR trail. Stages vary in length from as little as 18k to as long as 40.

In my experience, trailside marking is definitely not enough to find your way. Even gps traces or gmaps routing is occasionally deficient, with forest trails vanishing.

24 hours of packed food supply is probably enough. (I carry 48h - there's a can of tuna that will be called dead weight next week). But do not miss supply points as you go through. Most villages are losing their population and facilities are closing.

I didn't try to identify gites on the way. From the information I've gleaned, they probably cost 40+ euros a night on average.

I am usually (always) the only walk in camper. The route is lonely, and full of interesting discoveries.