Bordeaux to Santiago
Hola Matt,
A friend and I walked from Paris to Roncesvalles last year. We used the Confraternity of St James' Paris to the Pyrenees Guide as well as info from Philip Du Ngoc's site.
As we intended walking ± 28kms each day we pre-booked most of our accommodation. We booked five Youth Hostels that cost ± 9 each and did Google.com searches for hotels. We used the LOGIS and Federal Hotels web sites to book online. The average cost of a double room in France was 40 - 50 and in Spain 30 - 40.
Much of our route was done on tarred roads, some frighteningly busy but we did try to take the petit rues suggested to us by locals.
From DAX we did a side train trip to Lourdes and spent a few hours there before returning to Peyrehorade to continue our walk. We didn't meet another pilgrim until we reached Ostabat. (Only 44 pilgrims walked the Via Turonensis in 2003 - an indication that it isn't the most popular route in France).
Useful websites:
http://www.philippe@doph.net Philippe Du Ngoc
http://www.federal-hotel.com Federal Hotel
http://www.logis-de-france.fr Logis Hotels
France: Société des Amis de Saint Jacques de Compostelle:
http://www.compostelle.asso.fr/
Southern France: Association de Coopération Interrégionale les Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle
http://www.chemins-compostelle.com/
France - Saint Jean: Au coeur du chemin - les Amis de Chemin de St Jacques des Pyrénées Atlantiques
General:
http://www.caminolinks.co.uk (Many diaries posted by pilgrims).
I am sending you a list of refuges in the south of France that was up-to-date in 2004 as well as my diary from Bordeaux to Roncesvalles.
If I can be of any further help, please dont hesitate to mail me.
Abrazos dear peregrino,
Sil