Wild camping in Le puy

[Nefeli]

Hello everyone!

My partner and I are planning on doing part of the camino Le puy in August 2016.
Unfortunately we will not be able to afford it, as i m reading that the prices are very different from the camino Frances which we did last year, but we dont want to allow this to stand on our way!!!

Since we love wild camping anyway, we are thinking about doing some along the way, and i was hoping that we could get some information from people that have already done it. It would mean a lot to us if you could share your valuable information!!
For exapmle are the locals ok with it? Is it legal? Is it easy to find a place to camp? Is it worth it or do you believe we should just travel fewer days? Is it bearable to carry all the gear needed? what kind of gear did you use?

Ps1 I ve read a lot of threads but most of them ended up giving information about the camino Frances, i would like to ask, if possible, to have some answers concerning solely the le Puy Camino.

Ps2 We understand and strongly agree that campers must respect nature and leave the campsite in the same situation that they find it, if not better, and respect their fellow pilgrims!

Thank you in advance!!

 

[billmclaughlin]

I have little knowledge of wild camping, but might I pose some questions?

what do you believe the cost per person is on the Le Puy route?

what is your budget per person per day?

Knowing this will help others provide advice.

 

[C2G]

Hello everyone!
Hello Nefeli,
I used a blog called " two incorrigible people walking in France". This couple outlines options from Le Puy for camping. Once you are on their blog, drop down the Le Puy route. Also, I just did the Le Puy route and did not find IG to be that different from the costs in Spain. Just a thought.
My partner and I are planning on doing part of the camino Le puy in August 2016.
Unfortunately we will not be able to afford it, as i m reading that the prices are very different from the camino Frances which we did last year, but we dont want to allow this to stand on our way!!!

Since we love wild camping anyway, we are thinking about doing some along the way, and i was hoping that we could get some information from people that have already done it. It would mean a lot to us if you could share your valuable information!!
For exapmle are the locals ok with it? Is it legal? Is it easy to find a place to camp? Is it worth it or do you believe we should just travel fewer days? Is it bearable to carry all the gear needed? what kind of gear did you use?

Ps1 I ve read a lot of threads but most of them ended up giving information about the camino Frances, i would like to ask, if possible, to have some answers concerning solely the le Puy Camino.

Ps2 We understand and strongly agree that campers must respect nature and leave the campsite in the same situation that they find it, if not better, and respect their fellow pilgrims!

Thank you in advance!!

 

[Nefeli]

I have little knowledge of wild camping, but might I pose some questions?

what do you believe the cost per person is on the Le Puy route?

what is your budget per person per day?

Knowing this will help others provide advice.

Hello!
Thank you both for your answer!

Our budget for camino Frances was 35-40 euro per day per person and the albergues cost maximum 15 euro and a meal aprox. 10 euro..
we will have the same budget in Le Puy, only there, the demi- pension alone is 30 euro so , to be safe, we should have at least 45 euro

Last year we found that cost for pharmacy should be taken into account plus some extra money for emergency situations

 

[hecate105]

Food and wine is more expensive in France and the albergues are generally more too. I have not done the LePuy route but have travelled in that area and many others in France. It is cheaper to wild camp - especially if you take a small stove. If you are walking you need to consider if you can carry all the kit. Small tent (1kg ) perhaps sleeping bags - or liners - or one of each to balance weight against weather! A small stove and gas cyclinder (campinggaz easily available in1 France)medium size pan - so you can cook a meal or boil water. If you pack all your clothes in a dry bag it will suffice as a pillow, a little Ecover washing up liquid will wash you, your clothes and pan.
It is generally easy to find somewhere to camp - if someone is about you can ask to camp in a field etc, but in practice people aren't usually around - so use sense, don't camp where there are livestock or crops, there are many marginal areas and also lots of picnic stops, woods, verges - churches almost always have a tap and an area on level ground outside. If locals see you they usually want to settle you somewhere they deem safe! Occasionally there are cheap campsites. Towns and villages usually cater for campervans and are happy for you to use the facilities. It is rare not to find anywhere suitable - but if you have some euros in hand it is a treat to sometimes stay in a b&b/albergue/hostel for a touch of luxury!
Have a great time!

 

[Nefeli]

churches almost always have a tap and an area on level ground outside.

Thank you Hecate!
Is the tap water ok to drink in France? do you have suggestions concerning light tents?

 

[jdpiguet]

Hi Nefeli,

Almost all cemeteries have a tap, and yes France is a civilized country where tap water quality is often better than PET bottle water...

Buen Camino,
Jacques-D.

 

[hecate105]

We use a Terra Nova Superlite Solar 2.2 - which is 1.8kg - you can see it on this site (http://www.outdoorkit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=298) but none available! We paid £300 i think, and have used it in sun, rain and high winds, and an awesome storm where we were on a cliff top with no shelter! It stood up to it all - so i can wholeheartedly recommend! You may be able to track one down or get one secondhand. Otherwise Terra Nova are rated for good, lightweight tents, they cater for backpackers and cyclists. The principal reason for getting this one was that it has a door each side - so whoever wants to nip out for a pee several times can do so without waking their grumpy husband! Also when cycling/camping in the UK there is somewhere for the dog to sleep without getting him fully indoors! (there's a spacious flysheet area each side - great for packs/boots/dogs etc... It is dull green on the outside which is good for stealth camping and yellow on the inside leading us to name it the 'yellow coffin' - as we can never understand on the first night out how we are going to manage in such a small space without killing each other! If we ate less cake and drank less beer - there would be much more room..
Water throughout France and Spain ( and most European countries) is fine - if you are lucky you will find springs at which you can fill up at - sometimes you will have to queue..
Best tip is - if the tent has to go away wet - heavy dew, a downpour - make sure you get it out later in the day and dry/air it, nothing is worse for tents than being mashed up wet all day. We often have morning coffee or afternoon tea with the tent flapping around tied to the bench or trees nearby!

 

[Nefeli]

Hecate thank you so much, your posts are trully helpful!! Ill keep in mind the cake part as well!

 

[billmclaughlin]

Hello!
Thank you both for your answer!

Our budget for camino Frances was 35-40 euro per day per person and the albergues cost maximum 15 euro and a meal aprox. 10 euro..
we will have the same budget in Le Puy, only there, the demi- pension alone is 30 euro so , to be safe, we should have at least 45 euro

Last year we found that cost for pharmacy should be taken into account plus some extra money for emergency situations

Your budget sounds fine or even rather generous. Just remember that your 25 euros in Spain cover bed and dinner. Your 30 euros in France cover bed and dinner and breakfast. And while there's lots of variation from place to place and within each country, you're getting more value (better facilities, greater privacy, more and better food) on the Le Puy route, in my experience, and therefore spend less on lunch and fruit/snacks. (Perhaps my preference for French bread and pastry is showing.)

 

[Nefeli]

I could never go somewhere with 5 euro spare money per day.. I think its not safe..

 

[Oztrekker]

I think france is double that of spain. I payed 18 for a dorm bed at times.

Entrecote is 30euro per kilo in france 15euro a kilo in spain.

A friend camped in trailer parks, like the beau riveage in conques, and the ine in figeac etc.

There is not allot of stealth camping sites.

You can set up on track at times, but you will have pilgrims treking past checking out your stuff - encampment.

It would be nice to have fountains in remote spots of the track like in frances. But lepuy offers little in the way of anything, no man made shelter from the hot sun, no seating on the tough ascents.

So yep it is doable, but get google maps and an orange sim card so you can detour off track to the super market.

Remember the triangle is where the front of your phone is pointing.

Set a marker on the supermarket.

Oz

 

[Nefeli]

Thank you Oz!

 

[irishgurrrl]

Hello everyone!

My partner and I are planning on doing part of the camino Le puy in August 2016.
Unfortunately we will not be able to afford it, as i m reading that the prices are very different from the camino Frances which we did last year, but we dont want to allow this to stand on our way!!!

Since we love wild camping anyway, we are thinking about doing some along the way, and i was hoping that we could get some information from people that have already done it. It would mean a lot to us if you could share your valuable information!!
For exapmle are the locals ok with it? Is it legal? Is it easy to find a place to camp? Is it worth it or do you believe we should just travel fewer days? Is it bearable to carry all the gear needed? what kind of gear did you use?

Ps1 I ve read a lot of threads but most of them ended up giving information about the camino Frances, i would like to ask, if possible, to have some answers concerning solely the le Puy Camino.

Ps2 We understand and strongly agree that campers must respect nature and leave the campsite in the same situation that they find it, if not better, and respect their fellow pilgrims!

Thank you in advance!!

Hi,

Last year I met a young Swiss guy who wild camped along the route - from what I gather it was not every night but the majority of nights apparently.... He tended to do longer distances than me (but had been walking from Geneva so was well used to it by then)..... He told me he was generally able to find places to camp.... he just took his time along the route during the day, waited until twilight and when it was quiet went a little off chemin to somewhere suitable. From what I gather, he did not bring a tent but had some kind of waterproof cover for his bag...(possibly a bivy type thing but as I didn't see his gear I don't know for sure)... (we were lucky last year and had very little rain).... I kinda wish now I had asked him to show my his camping gear so I could see exactly what he used.

I don't necessarily recommend that you camp without a tent though.... Personally I wouldn't camp without one but each to their own I guess!

Tent wise there are many ultralight options although they tend to be more expensive.... Personally I have a Tarptent Double Rainbow which weighs in at around 1.2kg and sleeps 2. They are made to order in the US and you have to seam seal them yourself.... I find mine great Here's the link to their website: https://www.tarptent.com/
They have lighter tents than the version I have - I just like to have space and the reviews were great for this particular model. It holds up brilliantly in windy/wet weather which would be important here in Ireland!

Another brand I have heard great things about is http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml - the duplex tent has received fantastic reviews and its one I will probably invest in at some stage given it weighs in at only about 620g including stakes!!!!

Unfortunately I don't have the contact details of that Swiss guy so cannot help you there.

Not sure how the locals would take it.... his type of camping was definitely more 'stealth' camping so its not like people would have known he was there in the first place.....

 

[GAUVINS]

I've camped all the way from Paris to Le Puy. Campsites vary in quality and prices but average under 8 euros for 1 person, probably just a bit over 10 for 2.

Gîtes are expensive. I rarely asked for prices but when I did the range was 40-60 per room + 6-9 for breakfast, exclusive of dinners. Note that this was above Le Puy, where there are fewer gite communal.

MMDD is extremely helpful if you want to plan for accommodations.

Wrt tent - ZPacks duplex is great but (a) requires trekking poles, ideally 120mm, (b) you better be in good terms with your partner because the footprint is minimal. But it is best of class.

Wrt stove - a tough one. Certainly not camping gas stoves because the container is way too heavy. Maybe a primus with disposable containers, but you have to dispose of them... Ultralight backpackers are often qfans of alcohol stoves. Google Esbit. Your may also want to consider MSR's whisperlite since you travel with a partner. Whisperlite is the traditional, rock solid solution. But it sets you back close to 1kg..

Wrt to stealth camping - (a) I spoke yesterday with an "environment police". He confirms that bivouac (setting up at dusk and breaking at dawn) is accepted practice, but open flame fires may or may not be OK. (b) given the price of standard campings, you may conclude that WCs and showers are worth a couple of euros.

It is certainly possible to carry all of the required gear. You can find my list here. I wouldn't change much (ditch one t shirt and one pair of socks. I've lost my hat on the first day and never missed it. I would shop some more for the backpack but could have ended with the same model anyway).

 

[Bungle]

Hello everyone!

My partner and I are planning on doing part of the camino Le puy in August 2016.
Unfortunately we will not be able to afford it, as i m reading that the prices are very different from the camino Frances which we did last year, but we dont want to allow this to stand on our way!!!

Since we love wild camping anyway, we are thinking about doing some along the way, and i was hoping that we could get some information from people that have already done it. It would mean a lot to us if you could share your valuable information!!
For exapmle are the locals ok with it? Is it legal? Is it easy to find a place to camp? Is it worth it or do you believe we should just travel fewer days? Is it bearable to carry all the gear needed? what kind of gear did you use?

Ps1 I ve read a lot of threads but most of them ended up giving information about the camino Frances, i would like to ask, if possible, to have some answers concerning solely the le Puy Camino.

Ps2 We understand and strongly agree that campers must respect nature and leave the campsite in the same situation that they find it, if not better, and respect their fellow pilgrims!

Thank you in advance!!

Have done a lot of wild camping in the UK but decided not to do so on the Le Puy route due to lack of knowledge of the route in April, the extra weight and the ability to find a camping site each night - big mistake, as there are plenty of places to wild camp (some of them are in really great places). The Aubrac is a great place for wild camping. On the last few days before St Jean it will be a little more difficult to find a wild camp due to fences, but a lot of the fields are empty!
You will miss out on a bit of the social side (much of the chatter in gites brings new relationships).

 

[Galuh]

Hi,

The best tent 1 kilo (2p) : http://www.soellaart.nl/power-lizard-ul rom VAUDE 409 euro's

 

[michael]

Have a look at ultra light backpacking websites specifically the use of tarps and bivvi bags.
You can get bug nets that hang under tarps and ultimate tarp is also a cape held up with a walking pole.
The idea behind wild camping is arrive late leave early and leave no trace.
Some people are able to 'cafe hike' so take no stove or provisions other than for the day and of most essentially water. Note the ref already made that cemeteries in France have a tap marked as drinking water I think its 'eau potable' but cant be bothered to look it up.
Be careful looking at ultralight though it can get addictive.

 

[Oztrekker]

I have stealth camped a few times.

I cooked some steak and i had two dogs and there master visit me. So check winds when cooking. Dogs cab pick smells up from a long wsy away.

It was quite a shock.

 

[pierre_bzh]

Hey,

Prices: I agree with the others. usually about double what you spend in spain.

I did the Le Puy Way with a tent (tarptent notch, light gear) in september 2015. Stayed on campsites mostly, for one person it was from €5 to €10/night but that includes the tent so you would not double for 2 people, except for the few places where there is only a luxury campsite. Didn't camp that much after the first 15 days as you miss on the social side of things in gites.

Temperature should be ok. It might get cold on the Aubrac plateau, I think it was like 0°C early september there and windy which didn't help. Cold night. The Aubrac (3 nights up there probably) could be cold even in August. At 'Le Sauvage' especially. But they let you pitch your tent outside for free.

Water: Every cemetery in France has drinkable water as required by law. There is quite a few fountain with potable water along the way also.

Legality: Bivouac (overnight camping) is legal in France. And since you'll be going through mostly rural France I doubt very much the local gendarmes will bother with you. They know you're a pilgrim.

Now on the unsaid 'rule' of camping on the le puy way (This is what I experienced anyway): If there is a camping in the village where you stop for the night, then the gites will not let you pitch your tent outside (they are okay with it but want to keep good relations with their neighbors, makes sense). And in the same way people in the village will refer you to the camping.

If there is no camping, the gites should be okay with it for free or maybe a token Euro to use the shower as very few people camp (you will see tons of people with their phones every morning try to book/cancel their reservations, you'll be almost the only person with a tent), and if the gites don't have a garden or just refuse, the villagers (meaning the shop in the village) will tell you where you can pitch it. And it could very well be in the garden by the church. (happened to me just after Cahors). Gites are also usually okay with you joining the evening pilgrim's menu. usually about €10.

Now I met a few wild campers (Polish, Austrian, Quebec) that were camping in the wild. or in public parks (In Conques the little picnic area as you enter this stunningly beautiful village was a spot used by the Austrian girl. Just go there late pitch your tent, nobody goes up there that late, or nobody cares). Otherwise I don't think any of them mentioned any problem. Just stop late and leave early and you'll be fine. Quebec girl mentioned noisy hinds at night...

My take is : You won't have any trouble doing that. Pick the villages without camping sites or pitch your tent somewhere near a field. Don't be afraid to ask the local farmer/villager/... This is rural France and they'll know you are a pilgrim and will be fine with it. (mostly)

Gear: Keep it light. Ultra light hiking forums will help you there. My backpack was 6.5kg with the tent, lighter than most people without a tent.

 

[SYates]

... My backpack was 6.5kg with the tent, lighter than most people without a tent.

That truly is impressing!!! Care to share your packing list? Buen Camino, SY

 

[pierre_bzh]

That truly is impressing!!! Care to share your packing list? Buen Camino, SY

Can't give the exact list as it is on the old pc that died last december and stayed in France. However for the camping stuff and backpack:

- Backpack was 1.05kg I believe (Trimm Dakata 45).
- Tarptent Notch 0.77 kg (Needs walking sticks to be set up).
- ground insulation arlight 127... 127g.
- inflatable 'mattress' Klymit - Inertia X-Lite. 173g (do not recommend if you move in your sleeping bag, it ends up above you...)
- sleeping bag: Pajak Radical 1Z 1°C 680g.
- Some Ferrino inner sheet for the sleeping bag about 200g.

Don't think I'm missing anything for the camping stuff.

 

[long trails]

My experience of wild camping in Europe is that France is probably the best country for this. That's the case for campervans/motorhomes too.

I was told that you can wild camp anywhere on the Le Puy provided you are within a certain distance of the trail.

Camping as much as possible will have a massive impact on your budget which will alow you to eat more good food!