Water in Southern France? And other problems.

[Camino2014]

I will be walking from Lourdes to St. Jean PdP in June.

I was wondering: are the fountains on this route (Chemin du Piemont) readily available, fairly common, and CLEAN (potable) to drink from? Where can these fountains be found?

Also I speak no French. Will this be a problem? I speak fluent Spanish, however, and fluent English (obviously).

Another question: Where can I stay on this route? Can someone give me names of auberges/gites (WITH CONTACT INFO) in the following towns - Lourdes, Asson, Arudy, L'Hopital St Blaise, St Just Ibarre, Mauleon Licharre.

Lastly: How tough is the terrain on this section?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

 

[FatmaG]

Have a look under

http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...e-plage-to-puente-la-reina-or-pamplona.10239/

There you can find plenty of details from my walk.

Mostly, no problem finding water - except for some parts.
Whether it is hard or not without French, I cannot tell you, but others might...

Great walk, but very different from a rather "comfortable" or busy camino.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Your fellow pilgrims mostly will speak only French, and everyone along the way will know very little English. Plan to get by with a smile and hand gestures. When no one understands you, relax, and remember that louder is not clearer and additional, complex English vocabulary/synonyms will not improve things. Stick to simple subject, simple verb, and simple object. Your message, even in English, may get through. You can find assistance in English at most Office de Tourisme.

 

[t2andreo]

In your research you may find multiple statements that all cemeteries in France have potable water sources (to water flowers presumably) and you can refill there. While it is true that many or all "cimiteries" have a water tap. However, it is NOT true that they are all from potable sources.

There have been recent postings in other conversation threads about this, and the ensuing problems. Perhaps you could use the Google search capability at the top of this page to search for "water France" or "water Le Puy" or "water Vezeley." The results should show some of these cautionary tales.

Bottom line caveat emptor. Stick to cafes, gites, generous residents, or other apparently safe sources of drinking water in France.

I hope this helps.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I had no problems finding clean drinking water from Lourdes forward.

 

[dutchpilgrim]

Drinking water in France is available at any grave-yard (tap water).

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo.

 

[Kanga]

Oh for goodness sake, of course the tap water in France is safe to drink.

Some people with particularly sensitive stomachs can be upset by the different mineral balance in water in different places. That does not mean the water is unsafe, it just means some people take a day or two to adjust.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

the tap water in France is safe to drink

The difficulty is defining tap water. Many town square taps are labeled non-potable. Countryside taps may not be from central treated water systems. Most are labeled potable or non-potable. I disagree that all taps at cemeteries are potable. I have two bad water incidents from cemeteries affecting four people.

If you stick to treated water taps, you will be fine. Bars often have a tap on the beer dispenser that delivers cold water, quite a treat on a hot day. No bar seems to resent being asked for water, though I have always been a patron as well.

 

[NicoZ]

South of France is heavily tourist. Plus many expats. Doesn't mean everybody speaks English of course.

 

[lynnejohn]

I will be walking from Lourdes to St. Jean PdP in June.

I was wondering: are the fountains on this route (Chemin du Piemont) readily available, fairly common, and CLEAN (potable) to drink from? Where can these fountains be found?

Also I speak no French. Will this be a problem? I speak fluent Spanish, however, and fluent English (obviously).

Another question: Where can I stay on this route? Can someone give me names of auberges/gites (WITH CONTACT INFO) in the following towns - Lourdes, Asson, Arudy, L'Hopital St Blaise, St Just Ibarre, Mauleon Licharre.

Lastly: How tough is the terrain on this section?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

You still have 3 months to learn some French!

 

[Camino2014]

Post-Camino Update!!!

Having walked the Voie du Piemont in June, I can now say that yes, there were abundant sources of water. HOWEVER, I only encountered ONE fount that was marked "eau potable". Therefore, the majority of the time I was drinking tap and bottled water.

We walked during the hottest week of the year and became severely dehydrated twice, once outside of Arudy and again the day after outside of Oloron Sainte Marie. I had to knock on farmhouse doors and ask in horrible French (I basically repeated "petit de eau s'il vous plait" over and over again) for some water!!

Moral of the story: If you are a trusting person, you will have no problems with water on this route. BUT, if you are a wimpy American like me who will do anything to avoid a nasty stomach bug, water IS an issue and you will have to fill your bottles FULLY before departing your accomodation... ESPECIALLY in summer!

Bonne chance et bon chemin!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'm an American.
I guess I'm not wimpy.
I drank the water all along the way from Lourdes to Spain and didn't have any problems with the fountain water at all.
Maybe it's my sturdy Azorian genes...