5 day walk on Le Puy route to St Jean PDP

[sfoley]

Hi,
I have a time to do a 5 day walk next week to St Jean PDP before walking on the Camino Frances in Spain. Would anyone have any recommendations for 5 stages to arrive in St Jean PDP and if i can get a map of the route stages off the internet and accomadation, would i need to book in advance(my french is poor).

regards,
sfoley

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Hi,
I looked up my stages for the last five days before SJPP and they were: -Uzan -Cambarrat -Navarrenx - Aroue -Ostabat -SJPP.

I think it is a great idea to start for a few days on this route, but the tricky bit might actually be to get to your chosen starting point, as a lot of this landscape is very rural, and public transport is thin on the ground. Uzan for instance is a very rural little village.
I walked through here in May when it was pretty much necessary to book, but May is apparently one of the busiest months. (We happened to 'coincide' with a large group from Aire sur l'Adour to SJPP, which meant we had to stay a few places we might not otherwise have chosen.)

On the Miam Miam Dodo site you can see a Map. http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Selection/CarteFrance.html Click on the rectangles for Arzacq and Arthez-de-Béarn to get closer to where you want to go. This map only leads you to advertised accommodation though: there is more on the actual route. You can see a list of more accommodation here: http://www.xacobeo.fr/ZE1.03.Puy_gites.htm Look to the end to see PYRENEES ATLANTIQUES (64)

There is an e-mail address given for the Arzacq Tourist Office: http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Selection/InformationArzacq.html Quite often someone will be able to reply in English at tourist offices, but not always. They might be able to advise on public transport for the area.
Margaret

 

[sfoley]

Thanks for the information KiwiNomad06. I think maybe i will try this option next year when i have more time to prepare. I will do a few stages from Roncesvalles instead.

regards,
sfoley

 

[bjorgts]

I have done what you wanted too, but I walked four days to SJPP. Then you have no problems with the tranport. I took the train which goes from Bayonne to Pau. Take this train to the town Orthez. A taxi brought me a few kilometers to the small village called Argagnon. There the Le Puy - SJPP - route cross the main road. So I just went out of the taxi and started my walk which ended in santiago. I wantede to do it that way, because I did not want to start by crossing the Pyrenees. It was some nice starting days. Recomended.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I have done what you wanted too, but I walked four days to SJPP. Then you have no problems with the tranport. I took the train which goes from Bayonne to Pau. Take this train to the town Orthez. A taxi brought me a few kilometers to the small village called Argangnon. There the Le Puy - SJPP - route cross the main road. So I just went out of the taxi and started my walk which ended in santiago. I wantede to do it that way, because I did not want to start by crossing the Pyrenees. It was some nice starting days. Recomended.

Great plan, bjorts! I see from my map that Argangnon is very close to Cambarrat, which was one of my favourite gites on the Le Puy route....
Margaret