Hi everyone, newbies on the route du Puy (with a dog)...

[vespafreaka]

Hi,
My girlfriend Catherine and I (and our dog Sid) are doing the "route du Puy" at the end of July/early August. We'll be driving down to Fleurance to visit friends and will start our walk from Lectoure to hopefully finish in St Jean Pied de Port. We will be on the Camino from the 22nd of July to approximately the 9th of August. Should we start in Moissac instead? Is the section Moissac Lectoure worth the detour?
We are keen walkers and have done several sections of the South Downs way in Sussex where we live, but this one is a bigy!! We're planning on taking a light tent with us as it might be difficult to find lodging that accept the dog. We can always try and sneak him in (he's a tiny but moody jack russel) but we know it will restrict us. Any advice more than welcome. We're not sure how fast this section is normally done but we're not racing, the aim is to enjoy it. I'm french and I got the Topoguides Moissac-Rocevaux in french. Any other guide/map to recommend? How easy is it to wild camp? Fairly easy we hope but if you have any info, don't hesitate. How cold does it get at night on this section? and how hot? We're planning on starting early finishing late with a big break in the middle to avoid the high temp...
So many questions and many more to come!!
We're slowly gathering all we need and will try to stick to the minimum, we'll probably loose some stuff on the way... but any advise on what to take more than welcome.
Many thanks
Vincent & Catherine

 

[Green Tortuga]

We will be on the Camino from the 22nd of July to approximately the 9th of August. Should we start in Moissac instead? Is the section Moissac Lectoure worth the detour?

If you have time, by all means--stretch out your walk and start from Moissac. There are plenty of nice areas between it and Lectoure. =) From Moissac to Saint Jean in 18 days seems perfectly reasonable.

Any other guide/map to recommend?

The Miam Miam Dodo guide is absolutely invaluable.

How easy is it to wild camp?

Generally, it's pretty easy as long as you plan to camp away from the larger cities. I never had trouble finding places to camp--except once while approaching Moissac. I ended up just walking into town and finding lodging. But that was just bad planning on my part--I was hoping to find a place close to town to camp and would have been just fine if I planned to camp well away from the city.

How cold does it get at night on this section? and how hot?

I hiked through in August of last year, and it never got particularly cold at night. For about a week, though, the daytime highs soared to 100 F (about 40 C) and it was utterly miserable to walk in the middle of the day. Even early in the morning and late afternoon weren't always pleasant--but it still beats a desk job in an air-conditioned building. =)

On those hot days, it's definitely a good idea to do as much walking in the early mornings and late afternoons and take very long breaks in the middle of the day. I'd often take three or four hours off in the hottest part of the day and read a book in the shade somewhere.

Happy trails!

-- Ryan

 

[Kanga]

I second Miam Miam Dodo. From it you can ring ahead and see if your dog is welcome. Just a warning though, some dogs do get very stressed with the continual changes of walking and sleeping in a different place every night. They tend to be always "on guard" and can't rest or sleep. I know some dogs cope but just be aware it can happen. My Belgium friend expected her dog to love the Camino (she does long walks and car trips with him at home) but he was a mess after two weeks on the Camino and stopped eating; her mother had to drive down and collect him.

 

[scruffy1]

I love dogs and I enjoy being with people who love dogs - however I have witnessed several heartbreaking scenes with dogs, people wandering off into the twilight looking for some place that will take them or their pet injured and receiving very clumsy first aid,and now this past Spring, two wonderful guys and their German Shepard walking easy with a lot of rest time-they both shared a passion for 1664 or Pelforth all in order to take a rest in the bar of course. The dog suddenly stopped eating and after a two days walk to the closest vet they discovered he had lost more then four kilos. Needless to say they returned. Finding food can be a problem there are days on the Le Puy with virtually no shops anywhere and the dreaded Monday shutdown of everything commercial of course. Be prepared for surprises and yes the early conclusion of your Chemin is a real possibility. No don't sneak the dog in - the French gite system and their owners are very open generous and forthright it would not be kind to answer kindness and friendship with underhanded connivery.

 

[newfydog]

if your dog likes trips, take him. I've had backpacking dogs who not only carried their own loads, they carried some of mine, and howled with joy whenever the packs came out. They loved their jobs, and wouldn't look at me and would sulk if I ever left them out---- I had to avoid routes with technical climbing just because I couldn't stand the disappointment of the dogs when they couldn't go.

 

[hecate105]

I haven't done this route - but have never had a problem finding places to wildcamp in France (or rest of Europe) Your dog might enjoy it more too - its like your own home (only smaller and smellier!) We took our dog on pilgrimage - only on the UK section (900 miles) and he loved it. Just remember to check his pads every day, look out for harvest mites and/or ticks. It is important to watch their weight too - people get concerned they might fade away with all the exercise - our dog just put on weight from all the treats he got given (pet shops, butchers, tourists, pubs...)
He is now a firm believer in the art of pilgrimage, walking or cycling and has enjoyed the experiences so much he has started writing a book about it....

 

[vespafreaka]

That's great, thank you for the info!! We'll start from Moissac then. Catherine is very glad it won't get too cold! We'll definitely get the miam miam dodo guide. We're planning on sleeping in a real bed now and again so we'll phone ahead to see if the dog can be accomodated, good idea. Just kidding, we won't sneak him in, we shall restrain from "underhanded connivery" :wink:
I never thought a dog could get stressed and ill on a long walk like that but I can now see how it can be a shock to their system, thanks for the warning and we shall look out for the signs of stress.
Sid's pretty used to move around, he has been with us on a few trips in the campervan and has moved house about dozen of times so he's been out and about. He's my girlfriend Catherine's dog. As long as she's around he's happy. He's 9 and we were more worried about the long distances and the heat but the vet gave us the OK. Small dogs cope a lot better in the heat and as long as he starts training with us, keeps hydrated and we look after his paws, he should be fine.
Can't wait to hit the Camino now! Very excited about this trip!
Many thanks to you all
Merci
Vincent & Catherine

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There are a lot more unrestrained dogs in France than in Spain, some very angry farm dogs. Beware of unpleasant encounters with them.

 

[Green Tortuga]

There are a lot more unrestrained dogs in France than in Spain, some very angry farm dogs. Beware of unpleasant encounters with them.

They do certainly exist, but I didn't find them any worse than the occasional one I'd see in Spain. I saw two my first day out of Le Puy, then had no other problems with unrestrained dogs until after crossing into Spain! (There were other unrestrained dogs, but none were as mean as those two I saw on the first day. But I also wasn't hiking with a dog either.)

-- Ryan

 

[newfydog]

nd has enjoyed the experiences so much he has started writing a book about it....

Let us know when the book comes out. Peter Mayles dog wrote and excellent book, "A dogs Life", on dog life in the south of France.

 

[scruffy1]

Just for fun and another view on taking animals along the Camino try |Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago" by Tim Moore. Hilarious and thought provoking.

 

[RENSHAW]

A couple did the frances in winter - Try searching the thread ' Walking the camino in December with a dog ' which includes link to a blog.