The Way of St James France, GR65: Chemin De Saint-Jacques Le Puy
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Book title: The Way of St James France, GR65: Chemin de Saint-Jacques Le Puy-en-Velay to the Pyrenees My copy of the book: Third edition 2018 (first published 2003) ISBN: 978 1 85284 876 7 Updates by Nicole Bukaty, written in September 2020 in the town of Crieff, Scotland after having walked the route in July/August 2020 Page numbers given with quotes from the guidebook are from the above edition. Recommended additional sources: 1) Miam-miam-do-do 2) https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-le-puy 3) http://www.refuges.info/ Accommodation: there are many more new options available Note: km are given from the 3 different sources. Abbreviations are: Cicerone guidebook – CC, gronze.com website – GZ, Miam-miam-do-do guidebook – MD Table shown here is for pp. 41-143 of “The Route” itself between Le Puy-en-Velay and Aire-sur-l’Adour. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 0 Arrival in Le N/A p.42 General note: It p.42 Puy-en Le Puy-en-Velay: it is possible to must be stressed Note that the 16/07 Velay camp in the garden of the nun’s just how hard it is to créanciale (pilgrim Thursday seminary at the Association Grand find passport) comes pp.42-44 Séminaire Accueil Saint Georges (4 shops/restaurants/ca at a cost of 4 Km: rue Saint-Georges, 43000 Le Puy- fés open on the euros. 0 en-Velay, France) for under 5 euros. section between Le The first week to Ideally first go to the donativo pilgrim Puy-en-Velay and Conques is very accommodation (Gîte d'étape Le Conques. busy and Relais du Pelerin Saint Jacques) and accommodation they will call and then take you to the scarce. even seminary. All close to the cathedral. campsites were full at times. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 1 Le Puy-en- pp.46-48 p.49 p.47 p.46 Velay to Regarding the variante via Les Bains, Saint-Privat-d’Allier In Saint-Christophe- La Roche – 17/07 Rochegude pilgrims will notice signs along the is full accommodation-wise very sur-Dolaison greetings from Friday waymarked GR65 advising to be often. everything shut even dogs, can give pp.45-50 cautious and NOT take the variante as p.50 on a Friday morning one a fright! Km: people have often got lost. Accommodation available at – no facilities at all. p.48 26.5 Rochegude: Gîte de Rochegude p.49 Recommend CC +33 471 02 78 79 or +33 633 70 48 In Saint-Privat- eating in 26.1 GZ 10, 14 spaces with kitchen, meals d’Allier there is a Montbonnet available. mobile food truck unless carrying serving from approx. food as arriving in 6pm Saint-Privat there are no food facilities between 1:30pm and 4pm p.46 “from Le Puy (625m) to the Lac d’Oeuf (1206m) the 20km stretch between Montbonnet and Saint-Privat-d’Allier is all, continuously, uphill”. This is incorrect and also inconsistent with the altitudes given further on in the guide for these towns. In fact, Montbonnet to Saint-Privat is all downhill. Indeed from Le Puy to Montbonnet the route is uphill or flat but later downhill. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 2 Rochegude p.54 p.55 to La Clauze Gîte d'étape communal de Saugues La Clauze has no 18/07 is CLOSeD but others to select from bar/shop and never Saturday pp.51-55 p.55 had one according Off-route (1.5km) accommodation to locals. Locals Km: available in Grèzes: Gîte d'étape Le shop in Saugues so 23.5 CC Chaudron du Gévaudan, +33 471 it is important to 24 GZ 744 535 or +33 673 609 998, 6 ppl, stock up there! Also kitchen and breakfast available important as until p.55 Domaine du Sauvage there is La Clauze: the shelter Réfuge nothing directly on Maison de la Béate is fantastic with the route, only by good stock of wood for the stove, veering off route very much a clean bothy with a lot of (2km return) space, benches, safe area, big table, well maintained building, lovely neighbours. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 3 La Clauze to p.58 p.57 p.56 Saint-Alban- Entrance to Saint-Alban: important to The refuge on the road at the The only facility 19/07 sur- dissuade walkers to head via the Chapelle Saint-Roch is very well directly on the route Sunday Limagnole shorter route to the centre as the cars kept and can be used for sleeping if itself until Saint- drive very quickly, so worthwhile needed Alban is the Km: pp.55-58 advising to follow the waymarking Domaine du 25 CC carefully and avoid temptation of a Sauvage. 25 GZ shortcut. Off-route by about 1- 1.5km one way is the village of Chanaleilles with the Café du Pont mentioned in the CC guidebook. p.58 The donation based accommodation is at number 34 Grand rue, not 37, and is called Gîte Aux amis dans le Chemin The Gîte Le Refuge du Pèlerin at number 37 Grand rue is not donation-based but also has camp spots with an ecological bathroom and shower at 2 euros per tent Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 4 Saint-Alban- p.63 p.62 p.62 In hot weather, sur- Beware the misleading accommodation Camping possible at Les Quatre Café Chez Régine water feels scarce, 20/07 Limagnole adverts which indicate that the Chemins has closed down. particularly for a Monday to Les accommodation is closer than the quick cool-down Quatre actual distance! for the body but Km: Chemins even drinking 25.5 CC water. 25.6 GZ pp.58-62 Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 5 Les Quatre p.64 p.64 p.63 Chemins to From Montgros: a detour to the The communal oven in Rieutort Excellent free toilet 21/07 Nasbinals Cascade Déroc (waterfall) is a d’Aubrac serves as a shelter and facilities for walkers Tuesday necessity – an oasis in the middle of the can be slept in. just after leaving La pp.62-64 Aubrac plateau desert! There and back Nasbinals has a Gîte communal, on Ferme des Km: it is approximately 5km. the Rue Principale, +33 466 325 947 Gentianes. The first 15.5 CC or +33 466 325 017, excellent of many to come! 15.3 GZ space, kitchen, big garden. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 6 Nasbinals p.66 p.66 to Saint- The section between Nasbinals and The mention of a “bothy” 22/07 Côme-d’Olt Aubrac does not allow for dogs, even accompanied by the past tense Wednesday on leads and pilgrims are asked to use “when shepherds and their flocks pp.65-71 the road for these 10km. were up on the plateau” may indicate Km: p.70 to certain walkers that this is now a 33 CC The two options described for the final useful shelter for pilgrims to stay 32.2 GZ stretch to Saint-Côme-d’Olt are overnight which is not the case. All inaccurate. In bad weather the 3.5km if un-guarded shelters/refuges (which road in option a) may in fact be less we call bothies in the UK) can be sheltered from rain and also road- found on. walking in poor visibility is not advisable. The “scenic detour” mentioned in option b) is, in fact, the p.67 official waymarked route and is not HOWEVER, there is a refuge called “very steep” as described in the CC Abri de Rigambal just near the old guidebook, particularly in comparison to sanatorium before arriving in Aubrac other sections of the route taken as a (15 minutes away from arriving). whole. Describing it as “only worth it” In Aubrac, the hotel la Domerie, they should the weather be nice also does kindly allow campers in their garden not express enough how wonderful the The Abbaye de Bonneval is closed views are onto the town from the hill on for the time being a clearer day – one of the highlights p.69 from the entire route. The communal oven in L’Estrade is indeed only a shelter and it would be very difficult to try to sleep there p.70 The Couvent de Malet is not a donation-based accommodation p.71 The campsite at Saint-Côme-d’Olt is quickly full. Day, date Section Route updates Accommodation updates Facilities updates Additional notes and km walked and from diary page numbers Day 7 Saint-Côme- p.71 p.75 p.74 d’Olt to Km difference caused by detour to visit The campsite in Estaing can be Excellent free toilet 23/07 Estaing the Vierge Notre-Dame-de-Vermus p.71 reached (2km) by the D167 as facilities at the Thursday this adds 2km, the waymarked route indicated in the guidebook but there church in Trédou, pp.71-75 takes you that way, the shortcut is also a quieter and shorter route incl.