Accommodation on Le Puy route (September/October)

[Amby]

Hi,
I'm planning to start Le Puy Via Podiensis in the last week of September. I aim to get to Saint Jean Pied de Port in about 5 weeks (more if necessary). I'm 72 years old, am fairly fit and have experience of hill walking. I'll be travelling alone and carrying my own backpack. I speak French. My plan is to book accommodation for the first night in Le Puy and a second in Montbonnet but then play it by ear depending on how I get on. Is this feasible given the time of the year and the fact that I'll be travelling alone ?
I'd be grateful for any advice on this question.

 

[Former member 104756]

HI Amby It's a wonderful path. I'm sure others will chime in. But to kick things off, in no particular order.

1. I suspect, not based on any evidence, that numbers starting late September will be lower than earlier in the month.
2. You'll discover that many gites and chambre d'hotes offer demi pension (dinner, bed and breakfast). And so they like to know a little in advance if you are hoping to stay / eat there. Sometimes the day before, or the morning of, is sufficient notice - but that would depend on availability.
3. The fact that you speak French will make your accommodation arrangements easier e.g. for calling ahead.
4. As you are starting late September, you may find that some gites are closed further along the path. Some seem to close around mid October, but some stay open all of October or beyond.
5. With a bit of research (see Gronze link below) you can start to look at your options depending on how far you typically like to walk.
6. As a general statement, the first 200 kms or so is the most difficult in terms of terrain. Gronze will give you the elevations. That may play into your distances.
7. Another general statement - we live in Lectoure which is on the Le Puy Way. We have noticed that there are many (perhaps even the majority) walking with day packs. So that means they are having packs/luggage transported which means accommodation has likely been reserved. That could play into availability.

I suggest Gronze as a starting point - it will show you accommodation, distances between, elevations, accommodation options - and, importantly for you, the information usually includes when they are open i.e. April til end of October, all year etc.

Camino de Le Puy | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino de Le Puy (o Vía Podiensis) es el principal camino por Francia y la más importante vía de peregrinación medieval europea. La primera peregrinación documentada es la del obispo Godescalc entre los años 950 y 951. Se inicia en Le Puy-en-Velay, en la región de la Auvernia, y hoy en día...

www.gronze.com

Hope this helps for now.
Bon chemin.

 

[Former member 104756]

PS @Amby Sorry I accidentally posted before completing my reply - now edited with more info.

 

[Michelle G Daoust]

Hello/Bonjour Amby,
May your walk be joyful! You may enjoy joining the GR 65 private facebook group - for those walking the Via Podiensis…Le Puy route. I found it useful and informative for my walk from Le Puy to SJPP last year (mid August to mid September). Here is a photo of the facebook page. Request to join if you are interested in up-to-date information/reviews/suggestions etc.

 

[Jopoke]

We did this in May and struggled with some accomadation. With this in mind I booked the gites 2 nights ahead via email or phone call.

 

[Former member 104756]

We did this in May and struggled with some accomadation. With this in mind I booked the gites 2 nights ahead via email or phone call.

May is typically a very busy month on the Le Puy Way and some other paths in France. Many French pilgrims make their way to SdeC in stages over a number of years (often a week or two at a time). As there are usually 3 long weekends in May many pilgrims choose May to walk, as do other hikers.

I suspect there will be fewer people leaving Le Puy in late September, when @Amby plans to start. I'll be interested to hear how he / she gets on.

 

[Amby]

May is typically a very busy month on the Le Puy Way and some other paths in France. Many French pilgrims make their way to SdeC in stages over a number of years (often a week or two at a time). As there are usually 3 long weekends in May many pilgrims choose May to walk, as do other hikers.

I suspect there will be fewer people leaving Le Puy in late September, when @Amby plans to start. I'll be interested to hear how he / she gets on.

Yes, my assumption is that end of September and October will be less popular. The only possible snag I can see are the Toussaint school holidays at the end of October. But I should be well on my way to Saint Jean Pied de Port by then. I let you (and others) know how it goes!

 

[Former member 104756]

I'd say to look us up when you are coming to Lectoure - it's a lovely town and many pilgrims stay the night here - but by the time you get here, we will be walking. We are leaving Lectoure on 1 October to walk to SJPP and on to SdeC. First time back on the Frances since 2013.

 

[Kitsambler]

You're fairly safe for the first ~3 weeks (as far as Cahors). After that, be aware of the French autumn school holiday, which occurs in mid-October but with specific dates varying by district. Many gites will nominally close on All Saints (1 Nov), but if there are no reservations, they may close up earlier. Your best bet on local knowledge for open lodging is probably tonight's host; all the hosts know each other and stay in active touch. Plus, they speak the local dialect. Have tonight's host call ahead to locate lodging for tomorrow.
Weather will get wetter and cooler as you progress, but you'll also be at lower elevation as you progress as well, esp. after the first week when you get off the plateau.
It's hunting season; plan to have some bright orange article of clothing in your wardrobe as a safety measure.
It's a beautiful walk - Bon chemin!

 

[Former member 104756]

Your best bet on local knowledge for open lodging is probably tonight's host; all the hosts know each other and stay in active touch. Plus, they speak the local dialect. Have tonight's host call ahead to locate lodging for tomorrow.

Yes that's good advice and hosts on the Le Puy Way are happy to do.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

HI Amby It's a wonderful path. I'm sure others will chime in. But to kick things off, in no particular order.

1. I suspect, not based on any evidence, that numbers starting late September will be lower than earlier in the month.
2. You'll discover that many gites and chambre d'hotes offer demi pension (dinner, bed and breakfast). And so they like to know a little in advance if you are hoping to stay / eat there. Sometimes the day before, or the morning of, is sufficient notice - but that would depend on availability.
3. The fact that you speak French will make your accommodation arrangements easier e.g. for calling ahead.
4. As you are starting late September, you may find that some gites are closed further along the path. Some seem to close around mid October, but some stay open all of October or beyond.
5. With a bit of research (see Gronze link below) you can start to look at your options depending on how far you typically like to walk.
6. As a general statement, the first 200 kms or so is the most difficult in terms of terrain. Gronze will give you the elevations. That may play into your distances.
7. Another general statement - we live in Lectoure which is on the Le Puy Way. We have noticed that there are many (perhaps even the majority) walking with day packs. So that means they are having packs/luggage transported which means accommodation has likely been reserved. That could play into availability.

I suggest Gronze as a starting point - it will show you accommodation, distances between, elevations, accommodation options - and, importantly for you, the information usually includes when they are open i.e. April til end of October, all year etc.

Camino de Le Puy | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino de Le Puy (o Vía Podiensis) es el principal camino por Francia y la más importante vía de peregrinación medieval europea. La primera peregrinación documentada es la del obispo Godescalc entre los años 950 y 951. Se inicia en Le Puy-en-Velay, en la región de la Auvernia, y hoy en día...

www.gronze.com

Hope this helps for now.
Bon chemin.

You have posted a very helpful summary, @Pelerina. I walked with two friends in very late May and all of June. I'd heard about festivals, etc in May so we avoided that month. As it were, there were still quite a few groups of French walkers, but they mostly cleared out after Conques and Figeac.We spoke almost no French, but the gite owners would call ahead for us to reserve the following night, which worked quite well as we the next day picked out ahead of time. A few times we had helpful tourist offices make the call for us.