Unfortunately, I can't help you with the western routes. My wife and I have walked from our home in Holland to Santiago, following the bright red and the bright green routes.
The northern part had almost no pilgrim accomodations. This was no problem for us, carrying our large backpack including a tent. So we did a lot of camping (and the occasional hotel room). Although every now and then we saw shells at private homes or churches. They would provide us with a place to sleep or offer to make us lunch.
But I guess all the routes lack the infrastructure you might be accustomed to when walking caminos in Spain.
When we got further south, it got better: monasteries, gîtes, more camping grounds. Because we liked to camp we did so as much as we could. Especially the municipal camping grounds offer basic (but good) facilities for a very low price.
And, because people would recognize the shells on our backpacks, we had a number of experiences that have become very dear memories. Just a few of them:
- In Belgium we were offered a place to spend the night for free. We ended up in an abandoned restaurant (which apparantly had been going bankrupt a long time ago), sleeping on a dirty floor. After having taken a look at the toilet suddenly my need to use it had completely dissapeared. But we managed to ride it out. Although we were up and walking about an hour before sunrise.
- In Reims the cathedral was closed to the public that afternoon. Being pilgrims eager to visit the cathedral on our way south, we were allowed to enter, to find there was a rehearsal going on by a professional French opera singer singing 'Ave Maria'. This was magical and brought tears to my eyes.
- A bit further south we crossed a part of France called Champagne. Passing the entrance of one of the famous vineyards, we were stopped by the owner who recognized our shells. Turned out he had walked to Santiago when he was younger. We had a very pleasant chat and he invited us in for a tour around the vineyard and some champaign tasting. When we left, I noticed the sign at the entrance saying the fee for such a tour was € 45,- per person. The tasting was so good that we stopped at the first camping we could find (I know, you're supposed to spit it out).
- North of Vezelay we had to climb a mountain. It wasn't very high, but it was very steep. On top there was a farm. The elderly couple who were living there invited us into their garden and gave us cool drinks. When we were getting ready to leave, they insisted on having a picture taken of us. Of course we didn't mind. He then took us inside the farm where, in the living room, they had this wall that was covered with photos of pilgrims of many years that had passed and paused there. It makes me feel honoured knowing that my wife and I are up there too.
- Further south, during a hard climb up a mountain alongside a small tarmac road, a car coming up from behind stopped. The man offered us a lift to avoid this and a next climb and didn't mind us being dirty and sweaty. He said his Rolls (yes, it was one of those!) needed cleaning anyway. We kindly thanked him and tried to explain these hard climbs are actually part of the fun.
Those were just a couple of nice and fun experiences you might run into on your way through France. If you are open to it, there might also be a number of very meaningful encounters (the ones that are hard to put down in writing).
I'd say "Go for it".
Si l'on s'apprête à cheminer vers Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, plusieurs itinéraires s'offrent à nous. La voie du Puy est la plus utilisée
www.chemindecompostelle.com