Camino de Santiago - Via Podiensis

Le Puy to the Pyrenees on the GR65

By Dave Whitson

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ISBN

9781786311023

Availability

Published

11 Jul 2022

Edition

First

Pages

296

Size

17.2 x 11.6 x 1.7cm

Weight

350g

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Guidebook to the Via Podiensis (Chemin du Puy) pilgrim route along the GR65 through southern France to the Pyrenees. The 750km route links Le Puy-en-Velay with Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and the start of the Camino Francés to Santiago. Includes Célé Valley and Rocamadour variants.

Seasons

Spring and autumn are ideal: pleasant temperatures and reasonable precipitation. Summer can be hot but it's less crowded and many businesses/attractions have extended opening hours. The route is technically feasible in winter but sees few walkers, and many services close.

Centres

There are very few towns exceeding (or even approaching) a population of 10,000. The major population centres are Le-Puy-en-Velay, Figeac, Cahors, Moissac, Condom and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Notable smaller places include Conques, Espalion, Rocamadour, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Lauzerte and Navarrenx.

Difficulty

No special equipment is required and the route is navigable by all walkers. It is easily scalable to ability, with regularly spaced accommodation and baggage transport available. Most days involve tiring ups and downs on uneven terrain but nothing technical.

Must See

The Aubrac plateau, a stunningly rugged high-level region; the Lot Valley, containing a series of 'the most beautiful villages in France', perched on the winding river; the Célé River Valley, featuring limestone cliffs, prehistoric cave paintings and more idyllic villages; the pilgrimage centres of Rocamadour and Conques; the Western Pyrenees

ISBN

9781786311023

Availability

Published

11 Jul 2022

Edition

First

Pages

296

Size

17.2 x 11.6 x 1.7cm

Weight

350g

Overview

This guidebook describes in full the 735km Via Podiensis (GR65), a historic pilgrimage route through southern France from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where the trail meets the famous Camino Francés to Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Also detailed are 2 major variants: the Célé Valley (GR651) and Rocamadour (GR6 and GR46). Split into 28 stages, the full route takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete but can be divided into shorter sections - Figeac and Condom are well positioned to break the walk into three 2-week chunks. It can be adapted to suit all abilities, with regularly spaced accommodation and baggage transport available, and is best walked in spring and autumn, with May and September the most popular months. Abundant accommodation options offer a warm welcome to walkers and pilgrims and a chance to enjoy delicious home-cooked meals made with local ingredients.

Walking directions are accompanied by 1;100,000 maps showing the route line and the facilities available at different locations. Accommodation listings provide invaluable information on where to stay. There are useful town maps for Cahors, Condom, Figeac, Le Puy, Moissac and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and a stage planning table listing intermediate distances between accommodation means the schedule can be easily customised to individual requirements.

The Via Podiensis leads pilgrims and walkers through the best of French village life, offering a unique combination of pleasant trails, quaint historic communities and cultural delights. It passes through charming Estaing, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and Lauzerte, and visits pilgrim shrines including Conques and Rocamadour. Pilgrims carrying on to Santiago can either proceed directly from Saint-Jean on the Camino Francés or transition (via the GR10) over to the Camino del Norte - a skeletal outline of the routes linking Saint-Jean and Irún, Spain, is included in the guidebook.

Table of Contents

Overview map of the Via Podiensis

Route summary tables

Map key

Introduction

The stories of St James and St Roch

The Via Podiensis: yesterday and today

Regions encountered along the route

A turbulent history

Planning your walk

Choosing your route

When to go

Preparation and planning

Being a pilgrim

Getting there and back

Where to stay

Tips for making the most of your walk

What to pack

Food and drink

Postal services and baggage transportation

Telephones and internet

Other local facilities

How to use this guide

Route descriptions

Route summary information

Walking directions and waymarking

Municipality information headings

Accommodation listings

Elevation profiles

Maps

GPX tracks

Planning tools

The Via Podiensis

Stage 1 Le Puy-en-Velay to Montbonnet

Stage 2 Montbonnet to Saugues

Stage 3 Saugues to Domaine du Sauvage

Stage 4 Domaine du Sauvage to Aumont-Aubrac

Stage 5 Aumont-Aubrac to Nasbinals

Stage 6 Nasbinals to Saint-Côme-d’Olt

Stage 7 Saint-Come-d’Ôlt to Estaing

Stage 8 Estaing to Conques

Stage 9 Conques to Livinhac-le-Haut

Stage 10 Livinhac-le-Haut to Figeac

Stage 11 Figeac to Cajarc

Stage 12 Cajarc to Varaire

Stage 13 Varaire to Cahors

Stage 14 Cahors to Lascabanes

Stage 15 Lascabanes to Lauzerte

Stage 16 Lauzerte to Moissac

Stage 17 Moissac to Auvillar

Stage 18 Auvillar to Lectoure

Stage 19 Lectoure to Condom

Stage 20 Condom to Éauze

Stage 21 Éauze to Nogaro

Stage 22 Nogaro to Aire-sur-l’Adour

Stage 23 Aire-sur-l’Adour to Arzacq-Arraziguet

Stage 24 Arzacq-Arraziguet to Arthez-de-Béarn

Stage 25 Arthez-de-Béarn to Navarrenx

Stage 26 Navarrenx to Aroue

Stage 27 Aroue to Ostabat-Asme

Stage 28 Ostabat-Asme to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Célé Valley variant

Stage C1 Figeac to Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie

Stage C2 Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie to Marcilhac-sur-Célé

Stage C3 Marcilhac-sur-Célé to Cabrerets

Stage C4 Cabrerets to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

Stage C5 Saint-Cirq-Lapopie to Cahors

Rocamadour variant

Stage R1 Figeac to Lacapelle-Marival

Stage R2 Lacapelle-Marival to Gramat

Stage R3 Gramat to Rocamadour

Stage R4 Rocamadour to Labastide-Murat

Stage R5 Labastide-Murat to Vers

Stage R6 Vers to Cahors

Connecting to the Camino del Norte

The GR10

The Voie Nive Bidassoa

Appendix A Stage planning tables

Appendix B Useful sources of information

Appendix C English–French glossary

Appendix D Suggestions for further reading

Appendix E Major festivals along the way

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GPX files

Sample Route

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Dave Whitson

Dave Whitson is a high school History teacher in Portland, Oregon and a graduate of the University of Washington. He made his first pilgrimage in 2002 on the Camino Francés and was inspired to return with a group of his high school students, which he did in 2004. He has made long-distance treks in Norway on the Pilgrim Road to Nidaros, in England on the North Downs Way to Canterbury, and in Turkey on the Lycian Way, all told walking roughly 10,000 kilometers on pilgrim roads in Europe.

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