A camino through Lourdes

[Bert45]

There is a blog by Charl Durand recounting his camino from Lourdes in 2015. http://charldurand.blogspot.com/2015/07/this-camino-thing.html .He went through Asson, Arudy, Laruns, Gabas, Sallent, Biescas and Sabinanigo to Jaca, where he joined the Aragonés. Does this route have a name? Is it well signposted now? (He got lost at least once). Thanks.

 

[JabbaPapa]

That's part of the Piémont Way at start, over a variant to the final part of the Cami Catalan via Huesca, leading into the Aragonés from Jaca.

The variant over the Pyrenees may not have its own special Camino name, as it's one of a dozen or more of such tertiary routes over those mountains.

 

[Felipe]

It is apparenty the Voie (Way) d'Ossau, at least until it reaches the border.

Depuis Lourdes (par les Pyrénées Atlantiques)

Document de présentation.

www.xacobeo.fr

 

[Mark McCarthy]

It is the Voie du Piemont (GR 78) up to either Sainte-Colome or Oloron-Sainte-Marie where you can basically take a left and head over the Jaca pass. If you take the route at Sainte-Colome as Felipe says it is called the Voie d'Ossau (GR 108). The Voie du Piemont then carries on to join the Camino Frances at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The routes are all marked to the GR standard which is generally quite good but it is still possible to get lost as signs sometime can be obscured by plant growth. If you do get lost, you can use Google Maps or MAPS.ME to orientate you to the next village. I suggest googling GR 108 for more details.

 

[IngridF]

Beautiful route! Buen Camino.

 

[Isca-camigo]

I went this way. It's not really waymarked on the Spanish side, there is boards or signs occasionally telling you this is the Camino de Santiago,I used the guide I picked up in the pilgrims house in Arudy at the start of the Void d Ossau to keep in mind which way I should be walking
I stayed in two places on the French Side after Arudy, an Albergue in Laruns and then a B+B in Gabas, I would book the later one in advance. I turned up at 5ish absolutely knackered and got the last place, literally pulling up at the same was a couple on their tandem who missed out. After Gabas within about 100 metres you come to a split off,you either can go right which takes you by the pic du midi and onto Somport or left which takes via Portalet a less higher way, there is shops and a hotel about half way on the frontier, its still 1900 metres and it leads you to Sallent du Gallego.
The French Side after Laruns is a bit of killer, Caminka on this forum walked it in 2012ish, she went the pic du midi way, and the blog you posted he walked it the year after me. They both walked the road from Eaux Chaudes which is about half way between Laruns and Gabas, I followed the Chemin, it was one of the most difficult sections I have done anywhere, I would go via the road next time, I was destroyed a bit and didn't feel capable of going fully over the Pyrenees the next day, so I got a taxi to Sallent,I didn't have the option of staying on in the B+B the next day as it was booked out.

 

[Felipe]

Here there is a general guide, topo info and Google Earth downloadable files. I looked at GE, and this way looks beautiful but very, very tough. There is a stage that seems to me way out of my league....

 

[Isca-camigo]

The guide I had gave the route being 15 Kms from Laruns to Gabas, that link does as well. I'm going to disagree, I'm pretty sure its 20+.It was tough going,I started at 8am and apart from taking a break for 30 minutes in a Eaux Chaudes I was constantly at it. As it says it's a very narrow gorge, and it's covered in lush vegetation. There is no straightish path taking you constantly forward sometimes you go are going backwards, sometimes zig zagging, sometimes clambering down a slope hoping your backpack doesn't give you that extra momentum when you hit the path/ledge.It definitely felt like take a step forward then take two steps back kinda day , I remember using a guide cable to hold on to at one point as I went along on a narrow path with a steep drop. You are never more than 40-50 metres from the road which connects Spain and France, but it feels like it might as well be on another continent, on the 2nd half there is usually a drop to the fast flowing river between you and the road. I'm not usually bothered about walking alone, I become absorbed with the details and the efforts of the moment but there was a few times on that day I wished I was with another person for safety. Ironically when I got the taxi the next day, I realised that I had got the worst bit out of the way and going over the Pyrenees would have been easier than the previous day of the lead up to it, the upper level pastures looked stunning from the taxi.

 

[donalomahony]

Hi @Bert45

There is lots of information on this Forum re. your question. Use the "search" feature with the Key word "Piemont"

 

[Isca-camigo]

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/lourdes-jaca-via-portalet.29374/

 

[athiker93]

I walked this route in 2013...but went on to St. Jean Pep instead of Jaca. I then walked to Santiago...and on to Fatima I. Portugal. I these were perfect Book ends.

 

[Kat Kostrzewska]

When I cycled Tolosana I met on the outskirts of Toulouse some pilgrims who were walking to Lourdes. Personally I cycled from Lourdes to Saint-Jean_Pied-du-Port and then to Compostela. It was super cool. And albergue in Lourdes is unforgettable.