Bilbao- Spain to Pornic- France

[hooksy]

Hi everyone. I'm training and planning to do my first walk. From Spain to France.

As it's not the path most triden I would like to connect with any one who experience with travelling the coast france.

Paths that have accomadation water and food supplies.

Any tip or experience would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[mspath]

hooksy,

That is quite a journey you are planning. Perhaps this map of GR Long Distance Footpaths and Lodging in France will be useful for your plans.

Good luck whenever/wherever you go!

 

[hooksy]

Thanks for you help. It's not a certainty but if I can find a way I'll do it.
If not the more tradition path will be trodden.

 

[roving_rufus]

There is the Voie Littoral that goes Soulac to Bayonne ( or in reverse) lots of the local associations mark the route and have online info on route and accommodation.

Société Landaise des Amis de Saint Jacques et d'Études Compostellanes

Les Landes sont traversées par les 4 chemins de St Jacques de Compostelle : voie de Tours, voie du Puy, voie de Vézelay et voie du Littoral.

www.compostelle-landes.org

Voie du Littoral en Gironde

Itinéraires officiels, hébergements, infos pratiques et culturelles de la voie Littorale

www.saint-jacques-aquitaine.com

Then there is a more recent project of the pilgrims in Loire Atlantique to make a coastal route

Haltes pélerines

Bienvenue sur le site de l’association Les haltes pèlerines en Loire-Atlantique & Via Ligeria. Vous trouverez sur ces pages, des informations pratiques sur les chemins pèlerins traversant notre département, vers le Mont-Saint-Michel depuis Clisson, vers Rome depuis Nantes mais aussi vers...

www.haltespelerines44.fr

I am heading back in June to continue my walk (2021 home to Dublin, 2022 Dublin via Cherbourg to Nantes) but I am taking the route from Nantes via Clisson and Saint Savinien before swinging over to Royan to the Voie Littoral- hoping to make it to Bayonne but we'll see how far down the coast I will get. But in a few places I have already decided to follow the Velodysee bike route.

Home | La Vélodyssée

www.cycling-lavelodyssee.com

 

[Bradypus]

A few years ago I walked the opposite direction: started in Wales, ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo, river and canal paths through Rennes and on towards St Nazaire. Then south to Pornic on minor roads before passing through La Roche-sur-Yon, La Rochelle, Rochefort and Royan. I took a ferry across the Gironde to Soulac and then walked the Voie Littoral to Biarritz and finally on to SJPDP (or very near - an accident forced me to stop 20km short!). Most of the time I was wild camping and this was very easy to do in the long forest stretch between Soulac and Biarritz.

I especially wanted to pass through Pornic because my grandfather is buried in the Commonwealth military cemetery there - one of thousands of the British Expeditionary Force killed in the evacuation of troops in 1940.

If the Rochefort transporter bridge is open when you pass that way I recommend you try it - a remarkable piece of engineering. I crossed the River Usk in Newport on a very similar bridge in the first week of my walk from home to Pornic. When I told the bridge operator in Rochefort about that he pointed out that they were both designed by the same man. And that he was French.

Site officiel du Pont Transbordeur

Le Pont Transbordeur est le dernier ouvrage de ce type en France. D'avril à octobre, sa nacelle traverse le fleuve Charente entre Rochefort et Échillais.

www.pont-transbordeur.fr

 

[pelerine]

In 2010 I walked from my home on the north coast of Brittany to Cap Finisterre following the coast as much as I could - round Brittany, down the Atlantic coast, into Spain at Hendaye to Irun, along the Norte to Santiago and on to Finisterre. For details you can have a look at my blog of that walk:
inasantiago,blogspot.com

Bon camino!

PS Hi, bradypus! The pont transpordeur at Rochefort was no longer operational when I passed
and the pedestrian brdige was closed for some reason. However, Hooksy, if you want to have a pont transbordeur experience, since you are starting from Bilbao there is a functioning transbordeur bridge which crosses over to Portugalete. As a pedestrian you could at the time go up and cross on the maintenance passage - I was stopped because of my big pack.

PS again. Have just looked at the link you posted, Bradypus. So the pont is operational again. However it looks to me for pedestrians only. The one in Spain is for cars as well.

No more PS from me! I apologise….

 

[hooksy]

Thank you every, that will keep my research going for a bit.
my main issues would be the law on wild camping and the distance between budget accomadtion.
Being my first theres no point making it more difficult than need be.
Its Still 5 month away but suspect that not a huge amount of time.

Thanks again everyone. Im very appreciate of your time and passing on your experiences