I am planning to walk from Geneva to Santiago from mid Apr to mid July next year. I have walked the Sentier de St Jacques (GR65) and Camino in the past, and hope to have had a Cov19 inoculation before I depart. Does anybody have any idea how many pilgrim hostels will be open en route?
Bonjour
@Catwith9lives
.... No, sorry, nobody knows how many pilgrim hostals will be opened in France next April to July. However, there are other places to sleep if one has a strong enough constitution. All one needs is the courage to ask and keep on searching, to walk a little further than desired, then knock on every door until there is a welcome. The alternative is to carry a tent, a mat + sleeping bag. Avoiding others is not such a bad thing in these COVID-19 times.
This summer (July, 2020) I hitched a ride to the French/Swiss frontier and set off along
la voie de Genève (GR65). My starting point was Neyden, aiming for Saint Gilles du Gard (nr Arles), then Albi (le Tarn) and on to Girone (Spain). I got as far as Albi before needing to make a detour. Before I could get going again the second wave of COVID-19 was upon us.
Most days I would set off at first light walking through the cool of the day into the frying heat of a late afternoon sun (30° - 42° Celsius). Then I would set about finding somewhere to sleep - a bed, a couch or a humble floor in whichever village I happened to stumble. Preferring to make enquiries face to face, I walked without internet connection: I introduced myself to the local authorities; I visited cafés and commercial enterprises and occasionally made music in the streets -greeting everyone who was out and about.
And so, I slept….in a bed; on a camp stretcher; on couches + cushions + mattresses; in a tent and a teepee and more than once on a length of cardboard tossed on an old linoleum floor. French folk are wonderfully kind!
Then I arrived in Le Puy-en-Velay. It was the week of
les Fêtes de l’Assomption de la Vierge Marie (14 + 15 August). Although celebrations had been cancelled due to Covid, tourists and pilgrims still flocked. Certain streets were packed with holiday makers. Accommodation was fully booked. There wasn’t a bed to spare at the gîtes for pilgrims nor in other places within my means. I enquired at la mairie and la gendarmerie without success then talked with a Sister who just happened to be in the street helping an elderly gentleman. He took me home.
The walk was solitary. Between Neyden and Roquefort d’Agen where I eventually ground to a halt, I rarely met another pilgrim.
I walked without mobile phone or route-finding gadgets. From Neyden to Le Puy i carried a
Topo Guide (GR65) and the
Jaune Guide 2019 which has accommodation and service suggestions (many places were closed).
Happy planning!
Lovingkindness
ps There are others on the forum who have shared an account of their adventures along
le voie de Genève, for example,
@Aurigny,
@Davey Boyd,
@carolus @gittiharre and
@Kitsambler. You will find their stories and lots of information here:
Geneva to LePuy | Camino de Santiago Forum.
Cheers.