Is March too early to walk from Le Puy?

[borealprojects]

Hi All,

My wife and I are considering starting from Le Puy at the start of March 2009. Is this too early? I read in another thread that starting in Chartres around this time isn't too bad, however most people seem to start in April.

Any help greatly appreciated.
Richard.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Hi Richard,
People do walk the Le Puy route in March, but there are some difficulties you might face. One is that many of the gites to stay in are seasonal, and don't re-open until mid-March or April. The section of the route from Le Puy to Conques is also at an altitude that varies between about 900m to about 1300m, crossing the Aubrac Plateau. I struck snow mid-April in this area, and some very wet cold weather crossing the Aubrac Plateau.
The route from Le Puy is very beautiful and interesting, but the first couple of weeks are at altitude and weather is a factor.
Margaret

 

[Dale]

For anyone looking for accommodation on the Le Puy route and wanting to know which Gites d'etape are open and which are closed etc. I suggest the guide written by Annick and Serge Mouraret which can be bought at their website and downloaded on line.http://www.gites-refuges.com/
for a cost of 5€, it is written in French but I don't think too hard to understand and it is up to date information. You only need to buy zone four and all listings for the GR 65 the Le Puy route are listed there.