I'm heading to Le Puy the first week of May. My first camino adventure. The need for reservations concerns me. So please if anyone can elaborate.
There are three national holidays in France that fall in May: May Day (May 1), V-E Day (May 8), and Ascension (Thursday 40 days after Easter, which is moveable - falls on May 29 in 2014). I seem to recall some regional holiday around May 15 as well.
Each of these is taken as an opportunity for a "bridge" four-day weekend. So, with all this time off, the French love to go walking in the month of May. Frequently this is done in groups. So, it would be a fruitful use of time to lay out a schedule and start making reservations by email as soon as your
Miam Miam Dodo arrives. That being said, it is generally (not always) possible to find lodgings of some sort, at some price, at some distance off teh GR, and of some quality, even if you wait until the very last minute. Your chances will improve if you can avoid leaving Le Puy on a Sunday or Monday. But still, in May, I'd reserve a week out at minimum.