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The closest I can come is having taken the train from Paris to Chartres, which made a nice day trip. And I assume the walking route is a little different from the railway. The scenery was very gently rolling, no differently from the rest of that northern plain, with scattered patches of woods. Chartres itself was a fairly small town; the downtown area had been renovated and the streets were wide. From the rail station, on the edge of town, uphill to the cathedral was maybe a 20-min walk that seemed to traverse most of town. Although it was Sunday when I visited, one or two eateries were open. Everything else was closed up, of course. Pleasant enough, but not in the "charming village" category. The cathedral is the main attraction. This is now a bedroom community for Parisian workers.Chartres and Orleans
Yes -- that's how you do it !!In the 2004 Holy Year we walked to Orleans and stayed in a stunning youth hostel there. We were following a 1998 CSJ Paris to the Pyrenees Guide but the Youth Hostel manager told us that it would be much more scenic and pleasant to follow the river than walking on the road. We took his advice and end up walking the whole day next to the river, without seeing another soul, no villages or shops to buy snacks or drinks - we would've passed 4 villages the other way. In the late afternoon we arrived at a locked gate and had to climb over it and walk through someone's garden to get to the road in front. We had overshot the road to Beaugency so had to double back to get to our reserved accommodation. We stayed in Blois the next night and the B&B owner insisted that a much quicker way to our next overnight stay was along the river. We walked 40km all the way to Amboise! After that we stuck with the Guide book but listened to locals who suggested 'petites' roads that shadowed the main roads between villages.
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Thanks for all the information provided. I think the Chartres route is the one to take. I have looked at a stage list for the GR655 from Paris. When I input the stage ends /way points and just use Google Maps to calculate the direct distance I get quite a difference in the total length. Does the given stage list look reasonable or is there a better one ( I really don't like 40k days ). I suppose the Google directions could be alongside busy roads or it is possible the the GR route itself is not always the best for every stage. Any views would be gratefully receivedLooking at the GR655 map I see it splits after Paris and joins together at Tours. Has anyone done both the Chartres and Orleans variation and recommends one or the other ? More pleasant walking / scenery is my preference. Or if you have done either and loved it, that is good too.
You can see some of the reasons for the discrepancies in GR distances and Google Map routes on this blog:Thanks for all the information provided. I think the Chartres route is the one to take. I have looked at a stage list for the GR655 from Paris. When I input the stage ends /way points and just use Google Maps to calculate the direct distance I get quite a difference in the total length. Does the given stage list look reasonable or is there a better one ( I really don't like 40k days ). I suppose the Google directions could be alongside busy roads or it is possible the the GR route itself is not always the best for every stage. Any views would be gratefully received
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It both is and it isn't -- the waymarked routes into Chartres (the ones from Paris and Rouen especially) do sometimes take what seem like unnecessary detours, for the underlying reason that the French Hiking Federation requires that officially recognised hiking routes must do everything possible to avoid tarmac stretches, or at least avoid main roads in favour of small country ones.For example, for the stage from Hanches to Chartres, GR655 is almost twice the distance of the direct route because it follows the rivers Drouette and Voise. I guess that the locals (or google street view) can give you some indication of how much more scenic that is. And only you can decide whether a more scenic route justifies walking twice as far.
I sometimes felt frustrated by the pointless diversions from the direct route when I was walking the Via Francigena in the north of France. Sometimes I found that the route was indirect for no good reason. I don't know whether that is the case in this case.
@CTreacy, you've already decided to go via Chartres and that's a good decision. I walked from Paris to Orleans and then to Tours several years ago. I loved it. I didn't always follow the GR655 nor the itineraries described in the two major French guidebooks available at the time. I used IGN maps and in particular the Iphigenie app to make my own way.Looking at the GR655 map I see it splits after Paris and joins together at Tours. Has anyone done both the Chartres and Orleans variation and recommends one or the other ? More pleasant walking / scenery is my preference. Or if you have done either and loved it, that is good too.
I see that IGN (French national geographic institute) has now a website called IGNrando. They also offer a mobile app. Rando is short for randonnée - hike or walk. This looks useful. I had used a slightly different IGN website at the time which was called GeoPortail. I found the interactive online IGN maps to be excellent and easy to use. When you pick the appropriate scale, hiking / walking / pilgrimage trails are clearly marked. Superb! Particularly useful for planning beforehand on a large screen.I used IGN maps and in particular the Iphigenie app to make my own way.
Indeed my thoughts exactly. I have seen that on other Caminos where you end up almost back where you started for no good reason. Avoiding major roads is a good reason to increase the distance but sometimes the diversions just seem pointless. I do not like 40km daysYou can see some of the reasons for the discrepancies in GR distances and Google Map routes on this blog:
Via Turonensis: GR655 West
Via Turonensis: GR655 West: Viewranger GPS GPX Routes and Mapsdouglasajohnson.com
For example, for the stage from Hanches to Chartres, GR655 is almost twice the distance of the direct route because it follows the rivers Drouette and Voise. I guess that the locals (or google street view) can give you some indication of how much more scenic that is. And only you can decide whether a more scenic route justifies walking twice as far.
I sometimes felt frustrated by the pointless diversions from the direct route when I was walking the Via Francigena in the north of France. Sometimes I found that the route was indirect for no good reason. I don't know whether that is the case in this case.
If you wanted to stick to the GR but avoid walking a 40km day, I expect you could break it up.
Thanks, this is a great resource, though I'd be unlikely to pay the subscription needed to use it on mobile.I see that IGN (French national geographic institute) has now a website called IGNrando. They also offer a mobile app. Rando is short for randonnée - hike or walk. This looks useful.
I'm stepping out on the 30th March. Paris to Orléans as I've done Dieppe to Tours another time...If you have to choose, Chartres wins hands down -- but it is quite possible to walk to Orléans, including on a stretch of the Loire, from Paris via Chartres.
Soooo .... both, maybe ?
Buen Camino !!I'm stepping out on the 30th March. Paris to Orléans as I've done Dieppe to Tours another time...
Thanks for the adviceBuen Camino !!
Though I would honestly and seriously suggest Paris > Chartres > Orléans.
Tour Saint Jacques > Notre Dame > Sorbonne > Rue de Vaugirard > Porte de Versailles > then bear leftwards in Issy-les-Moulineaux >>> fastest way into some nature from central Paris ; aiming to between Fleury and Clamart.
South through Meudon-la-Forêt and round the airbase > through woodlands to Jouy-en-Josas.
Still suburbs, but you're by now basically in countryside.
South through there through the tamed marshes, and you're into farmland, the last remaining farms inside the Paris suburbs proper.
Carry on through there on a GR, maybe via Villiers-le-Bâcle if you want to or not (that place is pure suburbia, but you might want the R&R), then > Courcelles (on the Tours Way) > Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse > etc. > Chartres. (I'd personally DIY much of that after Saint-Rémy for a less circuitous path.)
Out from Chartres, full DIY South-Easterly towards Les Villages Vovéens or Boisville-la-Saint-Père or whatever > Orléans ; there are multiple potential routes.
Then from Orléans, that glorious walk down the Loire to Tours and then etc. to SJPP and Compostela.
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Thing is, the walk into Chartres from Paris is among the best walks that there are on this Camino ; and Orléans to Tours on the Loire also, but for different reasons.
I just think, why choose ? Do both !!
I see that there is a place to stay up near Sacre Coeur is it open during the current COVID times? I had problems in Alsace finding places to stay a couple of years ago and ran out of funds too fast...Buen Camino !!
Though I would honestly and seriously suggest Paris > Chartres > Orléans.
Tour Saint Jacques > Notre Dame > Sorbonne > Rue de Vaugirard > Porte de Versailles > then bear leftwards in Issy-les-Moulineaux >>> fastest way into some nature from central Paris ; aiming to between Fleury and Clamart.
South through Meudon-la-Forêt and round the airbase > through woodlands to Jouy-en-Josas.
Still suburbs, but you're by now basically in countryside.
South through there through the tamed marshes, and you're into farmland, the last remaining farms inside the Paris suburbs proper.
Carry on through there on a GR, maybe via Villiers-le-Bâcle if you want to or not (that place is pure suburbia, but you might want the R&R), then > Courcelles (on the Tours Way) > Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse > etc. > Chartres. (I'd personally DIY much of that after Saint-Rémy for a less circuitous path.)
Out from Chartres, full DIY South-Easterly towards Les Villages Vovéens or Boisville-la-Saint-Père or whatever > Orléans ; there are multiple potential routes.
Then from Orléans, that glorious walk down the Loire to Tours and then etc. to SJPP and Compostela.
---
Thing is, the walk into Chartres from Paris is among the best walks that there are on this Camino ; and Orléans to Tours on the Loire also, but for different reasons.
I just think, why choose ? Do both !!
I just bookmarked this, for future reference.I just think, why choose ? Do both
Cheers -- I'm wondering actually, since this question seems to come up with some frequency, if it's not worth pinning/stickying the thread ?I just bookmarked this, for future reference.
Thanks @JabbaPapa !
You might email them and ask. Here is their web.I see that there is a place to stay up near Sacre Coeur is it open during the current COVID times? I had problems in Alsace finding places to stay a couple of years ago and ran out of funds too fast...
Hi, yes I have contacted the Ephrem community and I can stay on the 29th. It was tempting to stay in a Youth Hostel or Backpackers, but there is the possibility some other pilgrims would be at the Ephrem guest house too?You might email them and ask. Here is their web.
Happy planning. Whenever/wherever you do go Buen camino.
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