- Time of past OR future Camino
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Tom,I'm looking at options for a camino starting in France for the first time. I have been interested in the Arles route for a while. Recently an excellent pilgrim I met a few years ago has said he'll walk the Arles route later this year. I've been invited to join him. I have plenty of good reasons why it's not the right time to do this, but nonetheless I've been sucked into the planning process...
I've heard good things about the Voie du Piemont and also fancy the hillier proximity to the Pyrenees. So far I've been able to find little useful practical information about crossing over from the Arles to the Piemont - so that's where you come in...
I can see that maps show a branch off the Arles/GR653 at Montpellier, but that seems unnecessarily early (unless you tell me it is the best option - but there's an absence of Piemont guidebooks in print). I have seen threads here that describe branching off at Toulouse. But that seems far too late to me, as by then the Arles route has moved further north and, by the time you hit the Piemont it will almost be finished.
The 'sweet spot' looks to be (on the map at least) the southernmost point of the Arles route at Montferrand/Labastide d'Anjou, just as it switches from going south west to north west. At this point it looks to be about 30km from the Piemont route further south (at Fanjeaux).
I'm particularly interested to hear from anyone who has done the switch-over. I'd also welcome links to guidebooks and maps that people have found useful, particularly for the Piemont, as I have the latest Miam Miam Dodo for Arles and am also now on the Via Tolosana facebook group.
Cheers, tom
Great information Joan, thank you! I've popped this away for future reference as the Piemont is in our future. We almost walked that way a couple of times but ended up elsewhere! Spoilt for choices.Tom,
Lived for years near Fanjeaux and now live between Villefranche- de - Lauragais and Castelnaudary.
The Chemin du Piémont is wonderful - with relatively few walkers.
I agree with your logic - that the place to step off Chemin d’Arles is at or around Montferrand and then walk to Fanjeaux.
Note:
1) The Seuil de Naurouze is close to the step off point and is the engineering feat of Jean Paul Riquet in the 1660s - Canal du Midi - which joins Atlantic to Med. The parting of the waters is there. Worth a look if that sort of thing is of interest to you.
2) One can walk along the canal in any case to join the Piémont - either all the way (going a little backwards!) to Carcassonne -and then turn right onto the Piémont. Thé canal is very well maintained with a walking/cycling path, facilites etc etc.
3) Or one can leave the canal at Castelnaudary (home of cassoulet!) and walk the dead straight Roman road to Fanjeaux, cutting off Carcassonne
4) Thé Roman road is fairly busy for walking on but there are several alternate backroads through little villages on country roads and up through the hills running parallel to the Roman road.
5) Glimpses of the Pyrenees and great views of Black Mountain (Montagne Noir) are to be had on the higher routes from Castel to Fanjeaux.
Sorry - am starting to sound like a travel agent selling a package - love this area along the foot of the Pyrenees - am not French!
Currently am vacillating myself about taking the canal path north to Toulouse or going (yet again) on the south road to Fanjeaux and onwards come mid- September!
Bon Chemin
Joan
PS Church at Vals set into the rock (Église rupestre) worth stopping at. And Mirepoix church - one of the widest unsupported spans etc etc !
On my 2005, I walked from Villefranche-de-Lauragais on the Arles Way to SJPP etc via Lourdes, reaching the Piémont Way somewhere near Barbazan - Saint-Bertrand-de-Commingues.I can see that maps show a branch off the Arles/GR653 at Montpellier, but that seems unnecessarily early (unless you tell me it is the best option - but there's an absence of Piemont guidebooks in print). I have seen threads here that describe branching off at Toulouse. But that seems far too late to me, as by then the Arles route has moved further north and, by the time you hit the Piemont it will almost be finished.
The 'sweet spot' looks to be (on the map at least) the southernmost point of the Arles route at Montferrand/Labastide d'Anjou, just as it switches from going south west to north west. At this point it looks to be about 30km from the Piemont route further south (at Fanjeaux).
I'm particularly interested to hear from anyone who has done the switch-over.
Ha! Well regardless of what I do this year, this thread has been of great value, particularly in drawing out Joan O. with her first ever post to the forum - and what a post!
Joan, there's some great ideas there, particularly 2 and 3. My immediate reaction is that I like the idea of backtracking a bit along the canal to Carcassone. Thank you - and do please keep posting!
mspath - thank you. Since you've hung up your long distance boots, I'm very much enjoying your new role as benign Flight Controller on the forum - checking all is in order before take-off and then monitoring the pilgrim blips on the long-distance radar ;-)
JabbaPapa - I was hoping you'd weigh in on this one (and @caminka too I hope...). Thanks for the suggestions. TBH I'm going to have to get the maps out to over the weekend to fully understand the options you are setting out. But looking forward to that.
Jenny - thanks for your suggestions. I could of course just keep it simple and stick to the Arles route all the way, which would be the more practical option for a first pilgrimage in France... we'll see
Thanks, tom
Ooops - have just been outed as having lurked extensively on the forum for many years! Thanks Tom !! LoLgreat reply Tom. The great news is that whatever your choose you can’t go wrong! And I had a flashback of when we were walking along the Canal du MIDI section of the Arles Way. I seem to recall we saw Castelnaudry in the distance - Joan can probably confirm if that was likely or not?
And an added bonus your thread brought for me. Joan recognised me as a fellow Aussie and has been in touch with me separately. They don’t see too many aussies on the Arles or Piemonte routes. I’m sure we will look her up when we finally get back to France
I hope you will let us know what you decide. You’ll have to get used to Bon Chemin rather than Buen Camino
great reply Tom. The great news is that whatever your choose you can’t go wrong! And I had a flashback of when we were walking along the Canal du MIDI section of the Arles Way. I seem to recall we saw Castelnaudry in the distance - Joan can probably confirm if that was likely or not?
And an added bonus your thread brought for me. Joan recognised me as a fellow Aussie and has been in touch with me separately. They don’t see too many aussies on the Arles or Piemonte routes. I’m sure we will look her up when we finally get back to France
I hope you will let us know what you decide. You’ll have to get used to Bon Chemin rather t
Merci Joan. Maybe it was just the church!Don’t know what happened there! Too late at night.
Enjoyed the opportunity to share.
Thanks for your kind appreciation.
Jenny - Castelnaudary seems too far to glimpse from that hook on the Arles, but the church stands proud on a colline and there is not much else of significance looking south south- east.
That's one of the more important variants of the Arles Way, as following that canal eventually leads you to Toulouse. It's a good option for cyclists.Hello Tom
In September 2018 I left Arles and headed west. In Monpellier I met a fellow who suggested a "walk on the beach" and because of that remark the next morning I headed south to Sete (which is a very lovely city, by the way) and the next day set off for Agde following the beach. It was hot and almost surreal as there was rarely a soul walking. This was September 10 and as one of the municipal workers said to me "you're lucky because 2 weeks ago there were a million people here".
From Agde I followed the Canal du Midi to Carcassonne
JP, mapy.cz is a revelation! I'd always gone to OpenStreetMap when I've needed a map reference. It looks v similar but mapy has the caminos and other walking routes in the 'outdoors' overlay (that I hadn't been able to find in OSM). I've just 'walked' the cross-over options from Tolosana to Piemont. I can see good possibilities for going onto the Canal du Midi at Labastide d'Anjou, then SE 10k to Castelnaudary, further 10k to Villepint, then leave the canal going south on a path called 'Tour du Lauragais' for 12km right into Fanjeaux.As for maps, I always recommend mapy.cz -- both the website version and the app with its free downloadable offline maps, for desktop, tablet, smartphone. The outdoor activities tab shows most hiking routes (worldwide), with special emphasis give to the Camino ones.
Hi there, @peregrino_tomWell, wow, what can I say?
Actually, I'm blowing cold on this now, as, along with some doubts about COVID, and related reduced accommodation options and confusion about QR passports (as I am an infrequent smartphone user) I find now I can't get the ToPo guidebook. The shop here advertising it says you can buy it, but then further down says it is expected to arrive in December...
Some French sellers have copies of the previous edition, but that was published 2017, so will have info updated no later than 2016. I'm inclined to wait, even though cassoulet, vin and good conversation is out there, beckoning...But we'll see.
Either way, you/we have created a great resource here. And I think I can make the time to get to it next year.... that said:
Joan, thank you. Actually I'm about two posts behind you... since using mapy.cz I discovered the Collines du Vent path - and it does indeed look an excellent pastoral option - better than what I came up with, if it is decently waymarked.
LK - thank you! - great that you've just walked this. That hilly Noire region looks interesting. And I've never been to Carcassone, so cutting over earlier creates that opportunity. I've just had a skim of your input on the Vois Catalane thread.
Awesome.
While I obsess about the difficulties of walking at this time, you just pack a bedroll and get on with it! But I know my mental constitution at least, isn't tough enough to walk almost into the unknown each day, like you do. In my own very modest way I'd be Newby to your Thesiger (if you know A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush?)
Cheers, tom
mapy.cz is good, but it is still far from being an exhaustive catalogue of all waymarked and non-waymarked trails.This is the first time I've heard that there might be two paths running alongside each other. I can only see one path on mapy.cz - and that tallies with the Voie du Piemont Pyrenean.
Hi Joan, thank you - that's very kind of you and good news too. I hoped you enjoyed the investigation!Had popped over yesterday to check the piece of the GR7 you mentioned earlier as being of interest to you
Yeah well maybe not - re gîte!Hi Joan, thank you - that's very kind of you and good news too. I hoped you enjoyed the investigation!
You know, you are on a slippery slope now towards opening your own pilgrim Gîte...
PS re finding the Peaceable Kingdom - although Moratinos is only a hamlet I don't recall any actual signage when I visited in 2015. By that point in the journey our brains have reprogrammed themselves to respond primarily to signs and arrows rather than instructions - so completely understandable!
My camino friend actually started out from Arles yesterday. He (I think) has the right guide books now and also Mapy.cz on his phone - though some technical teething problems with that at the moment.Recently an excellent pilgrim I met a few years ago has said he'll walk the Arles route later this year. I've been invited to join him. I have plenty of good reasons why it's not the right time to do this, but nonetheless I've been sucked into the planning process...
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