Vezelay-SJPDP Refuges/Albergues/Gites

[Deleted member 397]

Thought some of you might be interested in some of the accommodation I came across this year from Vezelay to SDC concentrating on those in France. As a comment I was quite surprised how some of the French villages were quite bereft of hotels,shops,bars etc making food a problem. This is solved in several of the places available to stay in by the marie providing food in the albergues that can be purchased-even beer in the fridge! In the first 10 days or so I spent in France I was he only one staying in the refuges, which is quite lucky as most had only 2 bunk beds. Generally they were well equipped with full kitchen-fridge,stove,microwave etc some even had hair dryers and washing machines.
Crozant wasone of the least comfortable;no showers (you could use the sports stadium at the end of town).

 

[Deleted member 397]

Re: Vezelay-SJPDP Refuges/Albergues/Gites Part 1

One of the highlights was definitely Gargilesse, one of the most beautiful villages in France,home of the maison Georges Sands and located in a very picturesque valley. The gite is i the area next to the historic church and opposite the tourist office. The refuge is upstairs and each person (there were 3 others) each had a private room. There was also a well supplied kitchen (+ washing machine) plus separate showers (2) and toilets (2). La Souterraine was in a very impressive chateau run by an English couple-once again private room (15E) dinner was of course extra but was served in the dinning room with candleabra. Hagetmau,as can be seen, was a tent which backed on to a shower block-one for each tent

 

[Deleted member 397]

The Limoges refuge was right next to the church run by the sisters of St Francis-once again a private oom with a kitchen available. The Pellegrue refuge is above the toursit office,I hadn't intended staying there but felt a bit tired that day. Once again I was the only one there. The refuge in Orthez is in a magnificent old building-the refuge is upstairs reached by winding spiral stone staircase. One of the best-2 separate rooms one with 3 single beds the other with 2 single beds. I think it had only bee opened a year or so as everything looked brand new-including the washing machine

 

[Deleted member 397]

The refuge in Thiviers was located at the bottom of the town in a well equipped camp site. One half of the cabin was akitchen the other had 2 bunk beds.
I won't bore you further but just thought some of you might be interested in the rage/type of accommodation available on this route.And you don't have to run to get a bed!

 

[gittiharre]

Fantastic info, thank you so much. I am intending walking this route next. Regards, Gitti

 

[Deleted member 397]

Thanks for the response! At least one person has had a look,I suppoose the majority think the Camino Frances is the only camino. I used the french guide from the Amis and found it very useful.Let me know if you would like any further details.

 

[anniethenurse]

Thanks for the great info! I have bookmarked your post in my Macbook, but haven´ t yet decided which route to take. I have two weeks either in May or September. It looks like it is going to be Porto to Santiago. Still looking for more in info on the alternative routes and have to make my choice later.
annie

 

[squirepeter]

Thanks 'Omar' for all your information which I have written down.
I walked the Camino Frances in '02/'03, (two bites) and am now walking 'les chemins' in france.
This year I will be walking the route from Vézerlay in June/July and have already purchased the new (4th) edition of the Itinéraire, by Monique et Jean-Charles Chassain, which came off the press late January. Hope that my legs hold out :arrow:
thanks again from Peter Morgan/Colac

 

[jl]

Hi Squirepeter, By the time you get to the south of the path it will be starting to warm up - especially in Landes, where so many trees have been felled by storms. I began from Vezelay in early July (about a month behind Omar) and I found that I was very often the only one staying in the Refuges. It took me nearly a month to remember to organise the refuges for the weekend. Often you pick the key up form the Marie, and so you need to have this organised before they close on a Friday night. I was fortunate in that I mangaed to find someone, who knew someone, and could chase them up on my behalf so that I could gain access, however after this happened a few times I tried to remember to organise it ahead of time on the Friday. Mme Chaussain's guide is excellent, and she was in the office to greet me when I called there on my way through Vezelay.

I have only just got onto the forum, my computer doesn't like it these days, and so my visits are rare - PM if you want more info. Regards, Janet

 

[dcjenyc]

My French is execrable. Did Le Puy to Santiago and got by okay. Did you have any language difficulty?

 

[jl]

Hi there, I don't speak French at all - other than to tell them I don't - and to greet and farewell people. I discovered that the few words that I did say were said with such an appalling accent (I did try) that I couldn't be understood anyway. I found that miming, putting in the odd word that I learnt along the way, and even showing the word helped. I typed up the words from the Chaussain guide that have been translated by Alsion Raju onto a double A4 page and kept a copy of that in my pocket for translating the guide. By the end of the journey I found that I could read the guide quite well. So yes - I did manage, even without speaking more than a few words. Cheers, Janet

 

[MoLudlam]

We have just completed the Vezelay route part of the way from Limoges to St Jean. We normally had the refuges to ourselves and most of them were great. Hagetmau no longer puts up pilgrims in a tent but has a nice house on the edge of town. The only frustrating bit is that you have to go to the ´City Vert´on the other end of town to collect the key, only to find that the refuges was back at the beginning of the town.

 

[ellenopreis]

see in Thiviers also the new Domain:

Domaine le Bost

http://www.pilgrimsinthiviers.blogspot.com

 

[fotina]

Hi,
Thank you for posting some photos of the varius accommodation. I did the walk back in 2008 from Vezelay to Saintiago, and It brought back some great memories when I came accross your phots. I laughed when I saw the tent. I was horrified when they told me the accommodation for pilgrim was in the middle of the field. I was going to continue on as I dint think that it woul dbe safe place for the night but at the last minute I decided to check it out and what a surprise. I loved it and the town was very pretty.
It really was a fantastick walk, not many people on it but the ones that I met were nice and I have kept in contact with a couple of them.

Fotina

 

[Wiebke]

I walked here in March 2011 and I found a lot of very nice newly renovated Gite / Refuges. Although a lot of them do not open till 1rst or even 15th of April. But if you call up front most time they let me in ...
A few times I also stayed with private people at their house (for free). Very friendly and welcoming. But normally one has to call up front to make arrangements.

I guess over the years and with more pilgrims the accomodations get better taken care of.

Wiebke