LIVE from the Camino Need Help on Best walking route from Cherbourg to Tours

[Kevin Considine]

I still have about 10 days in Ireland on the first leg of my Camino and planning to ferry to Cherbourg and walk to Mt. Saint Michel before continuing on to Tours or somewhere on The Paris Camino as I make my way for Santiago. I have a list of stops my friend Wim from Dublin made a few years ago but am wondering if there are any recommended trails, routes, maps, gps tooks that could help? And accomodations. And I dont speak French unfortunately.

 

[Kitsambler]

Cherbourg and walk to Mt. Saint Michel before continuing on to Tours or somewhere on The Paris Camino

The French hiking association (FFRP) (http://walkinginfrance.info/beginners-guide/maps-and-guides/) has a web of long-distance (grand radonee) hiking routes all over the country. This map (http://www.gr-infos.com/gr-en.htm) is interactive and will give details of route and lodging for each section. There are also published guides for most of the routes.

 

[Aurigny]

Once you get to Cherbourg, you should be able to pick up a copy of this map -- https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2758530430/ -- issued by the French equivalent of the Ordnance Survey. It shows the preferred route from the Cotentin Peninsula, where you'll be arriving, down to the Spanish border, on a scale of 1:1,000,000. The big Carrefour or Auchan supermarkets have excellent map sections; that's where I bought mine.

Don't worry about not speaking French. You'll pick up a bit in the next few weeks, I imagine. Just remember to start every interaction, no matter where or with whom, with "Bonjour, m'sieu/madame." That's really important. The French get mortally offended when the courtesies aren't observed. Any time you come across someone, whether it's the proverbial man walking his dog or a shelf-stacker in the supermarket, those need to be the first words out of your mouth.

 

[Kevin Considine]

The French hiking association (FFRP) (http://walkinginfrance.info/beginners-guide/maps-and-guides/) has a web of long-distance (grand radonee) hiking routes all over the country. This map (http://www.gr-infos.com/gr-en.htm) is interactive and will give details of route and lodging for each section. There are also published guides for most of the routes.

Thanks

 

[Kevin Considine]

Once you get to Cherbourg, you should be able to pick up a copy of this map -- https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2758530430/ -- issued by the French equivalent of the Ordnance Survey. It shows the preferred route from the Cotentin Peninsula, where you'll be arriving, down to the Spanish border, on a scale of 1:1,000,000. The big Carrefour or Auchan supermarkets have excellent map sections; that's where I bought mine.

Don't worry about not speaking French. You'll pick up a bit in the next few weeks, I imagine. Just remember to start every interaction, no matter where or with whom, with "Bonjour, m'sieu/madame." That's really important. The French get mortally offended when the courtesies aren't observed. Any time you come across someone, whether it's the proverbial man walking his dog or a shelf-stacker in the supermarket, those need to be the first words out of your mouth.

Yes i have been to France and have French friends so I know about thise courtesies but good to be reminded and the map sounds like just what I need. Merci.

 

[Me Fein]

I still have about 10 days in Ireland on the first leg of my Camino and planning to ferry to Cherbourg and walk to Mt. Saint Michel before continuing on to Tours or somewhere on The Paris Camino as I make my way for Santiago. I have a list of stops my friend Wim from Dublin made a few years ago but am wondering if there are any recommended trails, routes, maps, gps tooks that could help? And accomodations. And I dont speak French unfortunately.

You could contact Tony Grouard at loireatlantique@compestelle-bretagne.fr for information.He gave a talk in Dublin back in January for Camino Society Ireland(report on their online magazine).He also speaks english
Buen Camino agus go n-eiri an bothar leat.

 

[Kevin Considine]

A huge thank you to fellow Camino Forum member Wim van der Does who drove down to Roundwood on the Wicklow Way and helped me by downloading pilgrim routes on GPS to Maps.me from a Dutch website: www.santiago.nl

From having nothing, i now will arrive in Cherbourg with all I need. The Camino and its community provides as I felt it would. Simetimes winging it is the best plan.

Fun night with 2 old Camino Junkies looking over maps talking about our previous Caminos. Wim is on the left.