Busy-ness on the GR65 currently?

[Ungawawa]

I was wondering if anyone walking or living near the Le Puy route could give me an indication of how busy it is currently (late June '22)?

If I started the route soon would there be difficulties with finding affordable (ie. < 45 euro inc food) gite places?

I'm just imagining it will be very crowded with it being a holy year and with everyone who wasn't able to walk the last two years - is that correct?

Many thanks in advance

 

[naplesdon]

I walked it in 2019, it is a popular holiday route for the French who walk for extended weekends or week long vacations. It is not inexpensive because of the summer demand, I think that I spent at least twice what I spend on a Spanish Camino for lodging and food and it was well worth the added expense.

 

[jo_nz]

I was wondering if anyone walking or living near the Le Puy route could give me an indication of how busy it is currently (late June '22)?

If I started the route soon would there be difficulties with finding affordable (ie. < 45 euro inc food) gite places?

I'm just imagining it will be very crowded with it being a holy year and with everyone who wasn't able to walk the last two years - is that correct?

Many thanks in advance

We are on gr65 at present. Plenty of people walking but we are booking ahead for 2 days. Seems to be working

 

[good_old_shoes]

I am on the path from Le Puy right now. It is busy, but it seems not to be a problem to find a bed, except in places like "Le Sauvage" where there is only one gite and it is the most popular place to stay for that section. Those places are usually booked out by big groups. I stay at campsites mostly, but talked to another pilgrim who is walking without reservations and told me he found a place to sleep every night so far.

Probably best to at least call the gite the day before or morning of the same day, though, especially if you want dinner also (they need to know for how many people they'll have to cook, in some places you won't get dinner without reservation before).

Most gites with demi pension (dinner and breakfast) seem to cost 40-45€ so add some money for snacks ect. during the day and you get an idea about the budget. Some gites have kitchens to use also - preparing your own meals is less expensive.

It is a beautiful route. If you like to walk alone, start walking very early. Almost nobody seems to start before 8 am, so it is quiet in the mornings.

 

[Ungawawa]

Thank you both for the live reports from the Le Puy camino. That's very encouraging! I was scared it might be a daily bed race like last year's was on the Camino Frances, or that there would be only expensive hotels available every day. It's good to hear that's not the case right now.

 

[MichaelC]

I am on the path from Le Puy right now. It is busy, but it seems not to be a problem to find a bed, except in places like "Le Sauvage" where there is only one gite and it is the most popular place to stay for that section. Those places are usually booked out by big groups. I stay at campsites mostly, but talked to another pilgrim who is walking without reservations and told me he found a place to sleep every night so far.


It is a beautiful route. If you like to walk alone, start walking very early. Almost nobody seems to start before 8 am, so it is quiet in the mornings.

Le Sauvage was the only bottleneck when I walked too.

As for no one starting before 8 am - I though that was very civilized! It was a shock entering Spain & meeting so many people who would start walking before the sun was up.

 

[good_old_shoes]

As for no one starting before 8 am - I though that was very civilized!

Until a few days ago it was an extreme heat wave, and people still started late and walked well into the late afternoon even though it got over 30°C even before noon. That I did not really understand! I guess it has to do with the fact that most people take the demi pension, and breakfast is probably not that early.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Today I'll sleep in a gite for the first time since Le Puy, I just called 1 hour before I got into that town and got a bed at the first gite I called. So it seems it's really no bed race, as I thought. Just a month ago or so I had heard horror stories about the via podiensis, how busy it is 2022, no beds without reservations weeks or months ahead, was told about many people quitting because they couldn't find a place to sleep... at least at the moment that seems not to be true at all.

Thousands of kilometers on different caminos in four different countries, and never did I have to sleep outside unless I wanted to. I'm at a point where I think all this "there are no beds" talk is nothing more than a myth.

Bon chemin, pèlerin

 

[Ungawawa]

Today I'll sleep in a gite for the first time since Le Puy, I just called 1 hour before I got into that town and got a bed at the first gite I called. So it seems it's really no bed race, as I thought. Just a month ago or so I had heard horror stories about the via podiensis, how busy it is 2022, no beds without reservations weeks or months ahead, was told about many people quitting because they couldn't find a place to sleep... at least at the moment that seems not to be true at all.

Thousands of kilometers on different caminos in four different countries, and never did I have to sleep outside unless I wanted to. I'm at a point where I think all this "there are no beds" talk is nothing more than a myth.

Bon chemin, pèlerin

Wonderful, and I'm pleased you've never ended up camino-homeless! thank you!