The Via Turonensis is one of four routes through France to Santiago described by Aimery Picaud in the 12th Century Latin manuscript known as the Codex Calixtinus or Liber Sancti Jacobi. In the middle ages it was the busiest pilgrim route in France but, compared to the other three routes in France today, is one of the least travelled. Statistics issued by the Santiago pilgrim office show that only 44 pilgrims out of over 150 000 who received the Compostela in 2003, started their pilgrimage in Paris.
The CSJ-UK offers a 1998 Paris Pilgrim City Guide and Pilgrim Guide from Paris to the Pyrenees. I bought the book ‘Walking to Santiago’ by Dr. Mary E Wilkie who walked from Paris to Santiago in 1998. I also downloaded the walking schedule of Philippe Du N’goc from his website on the Internet. (Beware - he is a fast walker who walked marathon distances!)
As we intended walking ± 28kms each day I pre-booked most of our accommodation. We booked five Youth Hostels that cost ± €9 each. I did ‘Google.com’ searches for hotels and used the LOGIS and Federal Hotels web sites to book online. The average cost of a double room in France was €40 - €50 and in Spain €30 - €40. We only managed to stay in one refuge in France, a charming little gité in St Martin Lacaussade outside Blaye which we had all to ourselves. There is an up-date on the CSJ website with recommendations for accommodation and campsites.
The route from Paris to Spain is nothing like the
Camino Frances. Until we reached Aulnay – about 300km from Orleans – there were no pilgrim signs and no places of refuge. We did not see another backpacking pilgrim until we reached Ostabat on our 26th day.
Much of our route was done on tarred roads, some frighteningly busy but we did try to take the petit rues suggested to us by locals. St James is evident in churches and cathedrals all along the route, especially in the church of St Jacques in Chatellerault which displays one of the most familiar, brightly coloured effigies of the saint with his hat and cape encrusted with scallop shells.
Between Aulnay and Mirambeau we followed the ‘Les Chemins de St Jacques’ path with scallop shell steles for about 115km. We found it overgrown, indistinct in places and often difficult to follow. From DAX we did a side trip to Lourdes and spent a few hours there before returning to Peyrehorade to continue our walk. Four days later we reached Roncesvalles.
We used:
1. The Pilgrim’s Guide. Translated from the Latin by James Hogarth. ©
2. Paris City Guide and Paris to the Pyrenees. Available from the CSJ-UK.
http://www.csj.org.uk
3.
cranleigh@northnet.com.au Mary Wilkie’s Book
4.
http://www.philippe@doph.net Philippe Du Ngoc
5.
http://www.federal-hotel.com Federal Hotels
6.
http://www.logis-de-france.fr Logis hotels
A later blog:
http://parispilgrim.squarespace.com/paris/
The "starting point" is the Tour St Jacques. From the XIth century pilgrims coming from Britain and countries from the north of France met here and started walking from the church Saint Jacques de la Boucherie (St James near the butcher. Once they had heard the mass and received the blessings for their packs and staffs they would walk past the old abbey of Port Royal, founded in 1204 by Matthieu de Montmorency. They then walked along Rue St Jacques towards the St Jacques gate before heading in the direction of Etampes:
Philppe du Ngoc's directions:
CROSS THE SEINE BY THE PONT NOTRE DAME.
CARRY ON SOUTH BY THE RUE DE LA CITÉ.
CROSS AGAIN THE SEINE BY THE PETIT PONT
CARRY ON SOUTH BY THE RUE SAINT JACQUES, WHICH CONTINUES BY THE RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT JACQUES, THEN BY THE RUE DE LA TOMBE ISSOIRE
AT THE JUNCTION WITH THE RUE D'ALÉSIA, TAKE THE RUE SARRETTE
CARRY ON ON THE AVENUE DU GÉNÉRAL LECLERC
PLACE DU 25 AOUT 1944 TAKE THE AVENUE DE LA PORTE D'ORLÉANS TO JOIN
A fun way to see Paris is to book a Segway bike evening tour.