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I can't help with camping info but as no-one else has replied yet, I'll weigh-in regarding food supplies.
Thanks for your reply, that’s interesting that the route is not fixed which is helpful. I guess I’ll do some research into camp sites and their open times ect
Thx for the reply some great info . Yea I want to camp as much as possible. I walked Le Puy to sjpp in November and it can get very expensive
As far as I know there is an officially recognised and signposted route. But many of us who have walked from Canterbury to Rome have thought that we would prefer something a bit more direct or intuitive. Personally my aim was to walk to Rome rather than follow a particular route. I decided to make my own way through France mostly following canal towpaths. Feel free to make things up as you go!
Great information roving.rufus.
Plenty of people walk the VF even in France without camping. There is a useful booklet produced by French association FFVF which provides info on accomodation including pilgrim hosts. But camping will reduce costs compared to some of the available accommodation. As for the sleeping bag, some pilgrim accommodation provide bedding but others do not (my experiences were pre Covid), so something to sleep in I feel might be needed, and in April a sleeping bag liner might be too little in Northern France.
Thanks I’ll check it out
There's a really excellent little booklet "Livret Hébergements et Services sur la Via Francigena en France", published by the Fédération Française del la Via Francigena (FFVF) and sold in their online shop. Even if you don't speak good French the info is mainly by way of symbols. It lists all pilgrim accommodation, campsites, shops, cafés etc.
Yes, I want to camp this time to save money and the experience. I walked Le Puy to sjpp and didn’t have any issues with bedding ect
ah brilliant, I’ve used maim maim do do for Le Puy to sjpp sounds similar
Thank you . I may put my progress on here some photos ect
Please do! 🤗
Do you know of a place where you can order this book to be shipped to the US? I just tried on the website and it only gives me European countries in the shipping address section. Any chance there is something comparable available in English and/or downloadable? I did find the Confraternity of Pilgrims website with their downloadable list of accommodations. Would like to find something more up to date since COVID if possible.
Have you found the lists also of the EAVF?
I did, just after I posted my question, thank you! It does list albergues - but it is missing services information. It is frustrating because I downloaded a couple apps - they are less user friendly for research purposes while still in the US and not on the trail. Not formated like most of the Camino apps where you can scroll through each stage and see a lot of the albergues, and other services along the way.Have you found the lists also of the EAVF?
Here is France.
Others here
Accommodations & Facilities - Via Francigena
ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES Download the Visit Vie Francigene lists in PDF format: England France Switzerland Italy – from the Great St. Bernard Pass to Pavia Italy – from Pavia to […]www.viefrancigene.org
I would just suggest that especially in France it is essential to contact your proposed stay in advance - 48 hours will be enough. The number of pilgrims passing through France is very low and accommodation is not going to be in use by pilgrims every night, so your host will need to know your plans.
And, inevitably, all lists by their nature have a tendency to become inaccurate and out of date, so checking is important.
My personal observation is that there is a bit more response to email in France than there is in Italy. Phone numbers are useful, even if it is daunting to try and speak in a foreign language! Always worth checking if they use Whatsapp as cheap and easy to use then for texting and you can use Google translate if you must.
Because of the small numbers in France word of mouth is very important but also very useful. Your pilgrim host will often be able to tell you of accommodation further ahead and will often be willing to ring ahead on your behalf.
Hello again Jeanine. I can see you have walked the Camino before. Great!
. I loved it and all things being equal would go back again tomorrow.. I never failed to find accommodatio of some sort.
This is such a shame, since a large part of the charm of walking through France is those selfsame small villages. However, I have noticed that there is a significant rise in "pilgrim traffic" from those who have walked the CF in Spain and are now looking for more walks. The count on Le Puy route seems to be up, for instance. I can imagine (what's an imagination for, anyhow?) that there will be more pilgrims "further upstream" as well as on other routes such as the VF. Pilgrim spending seems to have resurrected many small towns in northern Spain - maybe France will experience a similar phenomenon.
The Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome will be translating and selling the booklet from their website from spring 2023. Unfortunately it's not downloadable as the French authors/publishers are keen not to have unauthorised our outdated versions circulating (which would reduce their takings, naturally). The version the CPR will publish will be updated during this winter. The CPR list of accommodation is not very current.
Thanks! Hoping it is out in early enough spring for me to buy it!
The other thing coming out in the spring is the final volume of the Cicerone Guide to the VF. It is Vol 1 from Canterbury to Lausanne by Sandy Brown. Due out in February I believe. It will then be the most up to date guide in English.
www.cicerone.co.uk
Thanks, this helps a lot! Yes - I was seeing somewhere that said you can go a couple days without finding a store and food/water can be more sparse. I am OK with carrying a couple days food as long as I know when I need to do it! I am planning on walking starting May 28 from Canterbury. And yes - I have done the Frances (to Muxia/Finisterre) and the Norte/Primitivo - both starting on the French side of the border. Tell me, did you find the need to collect and filter water? Is that even a possibility in the sections you are referring to?Hello again Jeanine. I can see you have walked the Camino before. Great!
I am not sure if you have been to France to walk before. If so I don't want to put you off in any way
But just be aware, and I hope others might agree I am not exaggerating. The northernmost part of the VF through France goes through areas of very sparse population. It makes the small villages of the CF look quite cosmopolitan. And of course there are wonderful cities along the way too. But the reality is you may sometimes walk for two or even three days without seeing a shop. You can work around this and you can get used to it! When you do see a shop, stock up on foodstuffs. You will never walk past one without going in!
Old villages are dying. The church is closed and ALL the shops - butcher, baker, grocer and bar - are closed. This is reality. I talk a lot with local people as I walk as I nearly always walk alone. Many people rely on a mobile shop coming once a week. You will bump into it occasionally. You will pass through enormous fields, wheat and potatoes I would say mostly. Two or three young men can farm many many hundreds of acres with a modern GPX tractor. You don't see smallholdings any more.
Sometimes in a village you will see a vending machine with a few baguettes, a little cheese and a few eggs. I never bought them as I always imagined I would be depriving a local inhabitant of what they were relying on. Occasionally you may see someone selling eggs or cheese or vegetables at a farm gate but this is rare.
This is part of the reason you must let your host know that you are coming. They cannot hop down to the corner shop to get stuff for your supper.
Having said this there are great networks of home stays and people who are very sympathetic to pilgrims. Especially the pilgrim office in Chalons-en-Champagne (in Notre Dame church, not the cathedral) and the volunteers in the Cathedral in Reims will help you. Both of these are crossover points with Camino routes.
It is perfectly manageable. You will need a bit of ingenuity at times!
Perfect, thank you! Yeah - I know I have some guides on kindle - but they are a few years old now. No clue which ones.The other thing coming out in the spring is the final volume of the Cicerone Guide to the VF. It is Vol 1 from Canterbury to Lausanne by Sandy Brown. Due out in February I believe. It will then be the most up to date guide in English.
Via Francigena guidebook - walking from Canterbury to Lausanne
Guidebook to the first 1090km of the Via Francigena, from Canterbury Cathedral to Lausanne and Lake Geneva, via France and the Jura mountains.
Hi Jeanine,
Once you find a town or a city, as opposed to a village, I don't think there is any difficulty finding a shop. They only shop I would look for online is a Decathlon!
PS yes I think a charging block/extra battery is useful for phone if you are going to be relying on it for GPX guidance. I always bring one. Immensely annoying if it runs out when you still have a few miles to go!
Haha... it isn't about my "industry" but rather my dietary needs! It is easier for me to just buy food at grocery stores and always carry in my pack to make sure I get the right nutrients/snacks. But I would rather not have to carry more than a days worth when I can avoid it. I tried eating a lot of the Pilgrim's meals on the Frances and it wasn't really working for me. On the Norte/Primitivo I hardly ever ate at a bar/restaurant. Much better except when I couldn't find a place to resupply. Norte was great because I passed a lot of BIG grocery stores instead of the tiny ones in villages that were always closed when I passed on the other routes. The bigger ones had a lot of ready to eat options for me.I admire your industry in identifying shops in advance!
Do enjoy the planning! And do enjoy your trip when it comes. Tim
I didn't have that need from Le Puy onwards or on UK trips.
Yeah - sounds like I might need it more on the VF if there are longer stretches without services and I may end up sleeping outdoors occasionally. My phone's battery is pretty good - but I think I will be using GPS more heavily through the UK, France, and Switzerland. Hopefully Italy is better marked - but won't be doing Italy this year.
I do have a tent that is 900 grams even with it's poles. Not including pad though... I think we do own one lighter tent - but I don't like it as much. The one I mentioned above is semi-freestanding so I can skip staking it out if I want to. On the fence with whether or not to bring it (or a new bivy as stated above). Much prefer to find a real bed every night - but I also want to keep the cost down. Might look for a lightweight foam pad since I won't use it nightly instead of my inflatable.
My inflatable weighs 220 grams and covers shoulder to knees - purchased in 2015
Yeah - miy pad is 330 Grams - but rated for winter temps. I just don't want to pay $$$ for a decent ultralight inflatable. I do have an ultralight pillow - but if just needed for "some nights" when I can't find a bed - I would just stuff clothes into something for the pillow.
