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  1. MichaelC

    Reserve early to avoid disappointment!

    There are a few, but they are not common in the first half of the route. In general people call and make a reservation the night before. The hosts will usually call for non-French speakers. After Moissac there are larger places that can accommodate spontaneous guests. You are mostly staying in...
  2. MichaelC

    CELE Variant itinerary

    Your stages match the ones I took. I don't recall any being "strenuous," but I had also started in Le Puy so was in trail-shape by then. I think it would've been harder if I had started there. There are lots of ups and downs, but nothing that is rugged or dangerous. I didn't realize how...
  3. MichaelC

    Le Puy to Conques - May 6, 2023 start

    I remember it was a long climb but don't recall frightening parts. I don't like heights, & don't recall any parts that scared me. By contrast, there was a bridge in Spain that I had to inch over slowly. There are some boulders on the ascent, the kind that require you to use your hands to help...
  4. MichaelC

    Le Puy to Conques - May 6, 2023 start

    If these are your two choices, then take the second. Ten days will be more pleasant than eight days. I agree with ranthr that gronze is a good resource for planning your stops. Another I really like is the Camino Planner. Pick your start and end points (Le Puy and Conques), then you can play...
  5. MichaelC

    Via Podiensis

    I agree 100% with everyone who recommended walking in the standard direction. But also: one day I walked 5km in the wrong direction. I did a loop around a town in the Aubrac & walked right back up the hill I had just descended. The scenery definitely does NOT look the same coming vs going!
  6. MichaelC

    4 most beautiful days on Podiensis

    I had a head start! Last weekend I was talking with a friend, who dreams of a long Camino, on the best way to introduce his husband to the idea by starting with a shorter walk. I agree so strongly with this. To me Le Puy to Conques makes almost the perfect short-pilgrimage. You have an...
  7. MichaelC

    4 most beautiful days on Podiensis

    Welcome! While I enjoyed every stage of this camino, the ones after Aire-sur-l'Adour weren't near the top. Here are the number of days it would take, on average, to walk between towns with train stations. Three days will be challenging ... but if you can pull five there are many more options...
  8. MichaelC

    Best Time of Year to Start Camino Le Puy

    I started Aug 20. There was a heat wave for a few days, but I didn't think it was too bad. Mostly the weather was perfect. I also enjoyed walking with all the French vacationers. I actually missed them in September when the crowds thinned out - not that there was ever a "crowd" like on the...
  9. MichaelC

    Le Puy Lodging Reservations via Tourist Offices

    One of the standard afternoon rituals at most gites is for the patron or patronne to help English speakers make calls for the next day. I actually don't recall many tourist offices, but I wasn't looking for them either. I ended up reserving my first five days via email. If you want to start...
  10. MichaelC

    Full Chemin du Puy, from Le-Puy to Saint-Jean in February

    Another thing to think about: the pilgrim ritual of arriving at an albergue, hand washing your clothes, and hanging them out to dry in the sun isn't going to work when it's cold and wet and the sun goes down early. I don't really know how people who walk in the winter do it!
  11. MichaelC

    Le Puy April 2023 here I come!

    It was more of an emotional feeling. For non-French speakers, it means “outside the Camino.” I learned the term from French pilgrims. It’s not even a bad thing, just different. For instance: One night at dinner there were two of us walking, and six who were on a motor tour of SW France. At...
  12. MichaelC

    Le Puy April 2023 here I come!

    With that amount of time your choices would be: Le Puy to Conques: Nine to ten days. Add two days to reach Figeac. Conques to Moissac via La Voie du Célé: Ten to eleven days. Seven to eight days if you end in Cahors. Both are fantastic, though since most pilgrims bypassed the Célé it...
  13. MichaelC

    payment by credit card in gites on the Podiensis

    I marked al the town with an ATM on the Miam Miam Dodo map, and that helped me plan ahead for the sections without any.
  14. MichaelC

    LIVE from the Camino Walking from Le Puy - after a rocky (anxious) start!

    That is an excellent plan! At least try to cross the Pyrenees as far as Conques
  15. MichaelC

    LIVE from the Camino Walking from Le Puy - after a rocky (anxious) start!

    Glad you made it! I was worried following this thread that you wouldn't start. It's a great walk. However, it's polite to book ahead one day in France. It's not about you, it's about the gite. The gite owners will do their shopping and prep dinner based upon how many people have reserved...
  16. MichaelC

    Le Puy and French Cooking

    It was rare to meet other native English speakers, so I'd be surprised if there were books in English. But if you are ok with French, search for Compostelle, recettes du chemin by Anne-Marie Minvielle. It divides the route from Le Puy to Compostelle into 25 "grand stages," and offers two...
  17. MichaelC

    Busy-ness on the GR65 currently?

    Le Sauvage was the only bottleneck when I walked too. As for no one starting before 8 am - I though that was very civilized! It was a shock entering Spain & meeting so many people who would start walking before the sun was up.
  18. MichaelC

    Availability of Taxis on Entire Camino Le Puy

    I know people who paid for rides with the baggage transfer companies, so that will be an option even in places without taxis or buses.
  19. MichaelC

    Recommendations for rest days

    I rested in Estaing and Moissac. I agree with kayagee66 that there aren't any towns that need an extra day (unlike Burgos and León on the CF). Plan for a couple, but take them as you need them. Almost every town we walk through is lovely, but there's not always a lot to do. I found that I...
  20. MichaelC

    Fear of heights - Le Puy July 2022

    It's funny how fear of heights works. I hated that bridge in Spain, and refused to talk to anyone until I was over it - even though it was perfectly safe. I don't remember anything like it on the Le Puy route. There are some rocky climbs, but it's not like walking along the edge of a drop off...

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