From Paris by Bicycle

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

I fly into Paris with my bicycle. I'm looking for a route that will take me at least to Bordeaux. I know there is a Pilgrim's route or at least I think there is. Anybody know this route?

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Google Voie de Tours and Via Turonensis. Basically there are two main branches, one that goes via Chartres, and the main one that goes via Orleans and along the Loire. They meet up at Tours, then to Bordeaux and on south.

Less pilgrim infrastructure than on most of the other routes in France, by all accounts.

Link to the forum here for this route:

http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/the-tours-route.47/

 

[newfydog]

The very best traditional starting place is to leave from the Tour St Jacques in Paris, via the rue St Jacques. There route is indeed marked by the familiar shells and is designated GR655.

http://idf.ffrandonnee.fr/708/html/le-gr-655.aspx

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Thanks everybody for the replies. Now I have a starting point to research.

 

[hecate105]

Check out the Confraternity of St. James in London, their website (everyclick - CSJ) gives details of all the routes. I would recommend Aulnay with its exquisite stone carvings on the church and excellent little albergue (or Halte in French!) Also the albergue at Saintes - which is actually under the church of St. Eutrope with its awesome crypt (try singing in there...) The Voie Litoral from Bordeaux down the atlantic cost is stunningly beautiful - and mostly flat! but I didn't find many albergues there. Good journey..

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Thanks Hecate, I actually pedaled that route on my trip 2 years ago. I was camping but the weather was horrendous. Gale force winds (in my face of course) the first day and by the second day it was like a hurricane. It mellowed by the time I reached Bayonne. The part I missed my last trip was from Chartres to Bordeaux. Very heavy rains so I hopped a train. That's the section I want to pedal this time.
Can you be more specific about Aulnay and albergue at Saintes? Is Aulnay the one I found on google maps outside Paris and where is St. Eutrope?

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

The very best traditional starting place is to leave from the Tour St Jacques in Paris, via the rue St Jacques. There route is indeed marked by the familiar shells and is designated GR655.

http://idf.ffrandonnee.fr/708/html/le-gr-655.aspx

Thanks Newfydog. I looked at that website and there is so much info I was overwhelmed. It showed the two routes though and that's pretty exciting. Did I understand that there's a printed guide or is it all tech based? I'm not much of a techy. I prefer a map and an idea.

 

[mspath]

....
Can you be more specific about Aulnay and albergue at Saintes? Is Aulnay the one I found on google maps outside Paris and where is St. Eutrope?

Here are addresses and info for the pilgrim refuges in Aulnay and Saintes which Hecate mentioned above. See compostelle17 for further info for both locations

Aulnay is usually referred to as Aulnay de Saint Onges and is in Charente Maritime near Saintes. It is famous for the church of St Pierre in the Romanesque style.

There is a municipal gite for pilgrims :

Gîte municipal jacquaire
via Office du Tourisme
290 Avenue de l'Église
05 46 33 14 44
05 46 33 10 10
6 places 7 € la nuitée, cuisine, crédential obligatoire.


Saint Eutrope was the first Bishop and martyred in the area of Saintes, France. Beginning in the 11th century a splendid priory and two level basilica was built in his honor and to hold his tomb. The complex has been a French Monument historique since 1840 and was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1998. Don't miss it!!

Refuge des Pèlerins de Saint Jacques 11 rue St Eutrope
(derrière l'église St-Eutrope)
06 73 56 94 04
8 € la nuitée, cuisine, credencial obligatoire, ouvert toute
l'année, accueil hospitalier de 16 h à 19 h d'avril à novembre.

MM

 

[pudgypilgrim]

The GR655 is one way, but it's not the only one, although it may be the best for a cyclist. But there's also a Guide LePere that follows a slightly different route:

http://www.chemin-compostelle.fr/boutique/france/paris-chartres-chateaudun-tours/

and I believe that Compostelle2000 advocates yet another slightly different way. Basically once you get to around Rambouillet they all more or less agree, but from the Port de Vanves to Rambouillet there are several different options. From Eure-et-Loire on there are very useful local groups that maintain their own sites, with maps and lists of hébergements. Even if you plan to do a map, it's worth looking at those before you go, particularly for the area down around Bordeaux and the Charente-Maritime, because there's some major rail construction going on that affects the usual route.

 

[hecate105]

Aulnay is NE of St Jean de Angely and below Niort. Saintes is above the Gironde Estuary, SW of Aulnay. Mspath gives the pertinent info above. The Aulnay albergue is in the centre of town in a small cottage, the key is available from a man's house in the main square. There is an interesting tower and a pigeonnaire (spelt wrongly!?) and the church with its superlative carvings is on the western edge of town. In Saintes, there are several churches/abbeys to visit and an interesting museum. The church of St. Eutrope is again on the western side of town, further west is the Roman amphitheatre. For anyone running out of books or marmite - there is an English shop near the museum with a book swap service! The albergue is tiny - one room, 6 bunks, kitchen area and a shower, but as it is situated in the carved undercroft of the church it makes up with atmosphere what it lacks in size! We were returning from Santiago so approached from the south. Our route took in Cognac (only because we had relatives there! really!) so it was a bit of a 'dog-leg to Aulnay... Melle was interesting (NE of Aulnay) mostly for its silver mines but also for its churches which were unfortunately closed. Parthenay is a jewel of a town (N of Melle, W of Poitiers) where the supposed author of the Codex Calixtinus hailed from. Ruined church and gate of St. Jacques, town walls and castle. medieval timbered buildings, narrow streets - beautiful! Campsite (expensive but has a pool!) on the NE of town.
I'm sorry you had horrendous weather - why is the wind always against one??! But at least it means you get to go back to the missed bits. Chartres is probably one of the best places to start a journey from....

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Here are addresses and info for the pilgrim refuges in Aulnay and Saintes which Hecate mentioned above. See compostelle17 for further info for both locations

Aulnay is usually referred to as Aulnay de Saint Onges and is in Charente Maritime near Saintes. It is famous for the church of St Pierre in the Romanesque style.

There is a municipal gite for pilgrims :

Gîte municipal jacquaire
via Office du Tourisme
290 Avenue de l'Église
05 46 33 14 44
05 46 33 10 10
6 places 7 € la nuitée, cuisine, crédential obligatoire.


Saint Eutrope was the first Bishop and martyred in the area of Saintes, France. Beginning in the 11th century a splendid priory and two level basilica was built in his honor and to hold his tomb. The complex has been a French Monument historique since 1840 and was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1998. Don't miss it!!

Refuge des Pèlerins de Saint Jacques 11 rue St Eutrope
(derrière l'église St-Eutrope)
06 73 56 94 04
8 € la nuitée, cuisine, credencial obligatoire, ouvert toute
l'année, accueil hospitalier de 16 h à 19 h d'avril à novembre.

MM

Thanks for the information on Saint Eutrope. I was able to find the general location on googlemaps but it did not seem to understand the French for the alberge part. I don't speak much French but I am assuming that derrière l'église St-Eutrope means "behind the church of St-Eutrope.
This is really helpful. Any more info you would like to pass along would be useful as well. Aulney seems a little out of my way if it's where I think it is.

 

[newfydog]

Thanks Newfydog. I looked at that website and there is so much info I was overwhelmed. It showed the two routes though and that's pretty exciting. Did I understand that there's a printed guide or is it all tech based? I'm not much of a techy. I prefer a map and an idea.

Click on the picture of the guidebook to buy it:

http://www.ffrandonnee.fr/boutique/topo-guide.aspx?ref=6551

The FFRP guides are very good even if your French is not------they have excellent genuine topo maps

 

[hecate105]

The albergue, or Halte, in French, is indeed around the back of the church, and also underneath - but easy to find!