Chartes

[scruffy1]

I am helping my son to plan his first Camino, wants to start in Paris but skip the suburbs, he has never been in France and wants to visit cathedrals so Via Turonensis it is! He wants to visit Paris and start from Chartes and then to join the Chemin at Orleans. Is their a GR or other path connecting the two? We would appreciate any help thanks
S

 

[lettinggo]

Hola

I looked a little on the web and found this:
GR 655 (east/ouest) goes from Paris/Chartres to Orleanes.
http://pilgrim.peterrobins.co.uk/routes/details/paris.html
http://viaturonensis.pagesperso-orange.fr/ficheparischartres.htm

Best of luck with your planning.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

Edit:
Oh well. Looked a little closer and seems the western and eastern leg doesn't connect.
http://www.traildino.com/trace/continents-Europe/countries-France/trails-GR655_-_Via_Turonensis

 

[pudgypilgrim]

I think this is going to be very difficult to do. There's not a lot of accommodation even on the regular Chartres branch of the Via Turonensis, and I'm told by those who've looked for a way between Chartres and Orleans that there is just absolutely nothing in between. People just don't go that way, even randonneurs, so there's just nothing there that you might need.

Why not just do the Chartres-Vendome-Bordeaux route and save the Loire valley for another time?

EDIT I was thinking that Carolus Peregrinator went that way, but actually he dropped down to Orleans from some other village.

 

[mspath]

Why not 'wing it' by walking on back roads from Chartres to Orleans? For example the D29 to Voves, then Orgeres en Beauce and on to Orleans. Total distance is roughly 70 k. No pilgrim albergues, of course, but search Google to find chambre d'hôtes along the route.

MM

 

[scruffy1]

Thanks Margaret, been looking at Google Maps and had about the same idea, time to get a second generation of pilgrims on their feet!

 

[mspath]

Thanks Margaret, been looking at Google Maps and had about the same idea, time to get a second generation of pilgrims on their feet!

Great idea! Another good source of lodging for you is via IGN's CartesFrance.FR.
Bon chance!

 

[Helen1]

I would choose a trip to Amiens over the walk from Chatres to Orleans. Most of the Cathedrals I visited on my trip (Beauvais, Notre Dame, Chartes, Tours, Saintes, Poitiers, Dax to name a few and then all the Spanish ones) have merged into one in my memory. The ones that stand out for me are:

Amiens - because it was so light and airy and if you go early you have the place to yourself to walk to the labyrinth

Santiago - because there was so much activity going on

Oviedo – because of the relics and the never ending audio tour

I am not sure I would choose to walk the Via Turonensis to Spain, crossing Les Landes on a bike was bad enough, walking would certainly be mental challenge.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

If he's able to figure it out, I hope you'll post the details here.

 

[Kanga]

We found the Gites de France website very helpful - it includes campsites and Chambre d'hôtes as well as gites. The same organisation has an app with a GPS locator so you can see what is around you on a map.

 

[Felipe]

I don’t know about established walking ways for connecting Chartres to Orléans on foot, other that Googlemapping your route. What I can tell you is that it is 70 km + or -, so maybe three days; and as far as I remember, it is a flat (think Meseta) farm landscape. Some villages with modest pretty churches, and nice houses with manicured gardens, but that’s all. No services (a bakery, sometimes), no street life, you don't see people. Pleasant, but a bit lonely.

 

[Rachael]

I plan to stay in Paris for a week (hooray to AirBnB) before heading to Auxerre, and will take a day trip via the TGV to Chartres.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

I am helping my son to plan his first Camino, wants to start in Paris but skip the suburbs, he has never been in France and wants to visit cathedrals so Via Turonensis it is! He wants to visit Paris and start from Chartes and then to join the Chemin at Orleans. Is their a GR or other path connecting the two? We would appreciate any help thanks
S

Scruffy1, did you ever get this figured out?

I just wanted to add that I recently read the blog of a woman who did the regular Voie de Tours, but found most of her accommodation via couchsurfing.com, which might be another source for the smaller towns.