Le Puy...first week?

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm walking Le Puy to Moissac this coming June. Hearing about the difficulty of the elevation changes the first week out, I hope to walk somewhat slower for this section.

I am looking for advise from those of you who have walked this route. If you were happy with the distance you walked each day, would you list the towns you chose to end your stages in that first week? Or, if you felt you didn't choose well, I'd like comments on what you'd do differently if you were to walk it again.
Thanks!

 

[jsalt]

would you list the towns you chose to end your stages in that first week

Hi Chris, this was the route my sister and I did in May 2014, which we were quite happy with.
We never booked ahead.

Place, Km, Stayed at, Euro
Le Puy-en-Velay, 0.0, Gite d'Etape des Capucins, 23.70 B&B
Montbonnet, 16.0, Gite d'Etape Prive l'Escole, 31.00, DBB
Saugues, 26.5, Centre d'Accueil la Margeride, 14.00
St-Alban-sur-Limagnole, 32.0, Hotel du Centre (gite), 14.00
Aumont-Aubrac, 14.5, Hotel Aubrac (family room), 45.00, Room
Nasbinals, 26.5, Hotel la Route d'Argent, 36.00, Room
St-Chely-d'Aubrac, 17.0, Hotel des Voyageurs, 54.00, Room
St-Come-d'Olt, 16.0, Gite d'Etape del Romiou, 11.00
Estaing, 15.5, Albergue St Fleurat, 48.00, Room
Espeyrac, 21.5, Gite d'Etape Communal, 13.00
Conques, 16.5, Gite d'Etape Communal, 12.00
Livinhac-le-Haut, 24.0, La Vita e Bella (donativo), 27.50 DBB
Figeac, 24.5, Hotel la Pyramide, 55.00, Room
Grealou, 20.5, Gite l'Atelier des Volets Bleu, 20.00
Limogne-en-Quercy, 28.0, Gite d'Etape Communal, 12.50
Mas de Vers, 21.0, Gite du Poudally, 14.50
Cahors, 18.0, Auberge de Jeunesse, 19.00 B&B
Labastide-Marnhac, 10.0, Les Halles de Labastide (on the patio), 0.00
Montcuq, 27.0, Hotel du Parc (expensive & cold!), 50.00 DBB
Lauzerte, 14.0, L'Echoppe (apartment sleeps 4), 45.00 Apt
Moissac, 24.0, Gite d'Etape Ancien Carmel, 19.30 B&B

Bon chemin!
Jill

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thank you, Jill!
This is just the kind of information I am looking for. I will write all this down in my guidebook and will get serious with more research after the holidays.

 

[Kitsambler]

would you list the towns you chose to end your stages in that first week?

All details in my blog, linked below. I assumed (wrongly) that my stamina/strength would improved over the first week, but I learned that my sweet spot is 15-18 km/day. Quite a lot depends on the heat. I always called ahead or had emailed some months in advance for reservations.

 

[sharon w]

The Le Puy route is stunning. I am sure you will love it. I'm not so good on hills, but this route is really not a problem. I have walked it twice before and will be walking from Le Puy next year, heading south on the Chemin de Robert Louis Stevenson, then from Arles to Santiago. Enjoy your planning.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

All details in my blog, linked below. I assumed (wrongly) that my stamina/strength would improved over the first week, but I learned that my sweet spot is 15-18 km/day. Quite a lot depends on the heat. I always called ahead or had emailed some months in advance for reservations.

I'm not seeing your blog posted here, I'd love to read it though.

 

[Kitsambler]

I'm not seeing your blog posted here, I'd love to read it though.

See this signature block, under ever post?

http://kitsambler.wordpress.com

 

[Camino Chrissy]

See this signature block, under ever post?

http://kitsambler.wordpress.com

I have it now...thank you!

 

[gittiharre]

I'm walking Le Puy to Moissac this coming June. Hearing about the difficulty of the elevation changes the first week out, I hope to walk somewhat slower for this section.

I am looking for advise from those of you who have walked this route. If you were happy with the distance you walked each day, would you list the towns you chose to end your stages in that first week? Or, if you felt you didn't choose well, I'd like comments on what you'd do differently if you were to walk it again.
Thanks!

Hi Chris. I have walked Le Puy Route twice entirely and this year just the first week. My blogs are www.gittiharre.blogspot.com
I have also got a schedule for the route with accommodation and prices where I stayed. Could email to you if you send me a private message with your email address.
Definitely my favourite route aside from Geneva to Le Puy which I did twice.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Chris. I have walked Le Puy Route twice entirely and this year just the first week. My blogs are www.gittiharre.blogspot.com
I have also got a schedule for the route with accommodation and prices where I stayed. Could email to you if you send me a private message with your email address.
Definitely my favourite route aside from Geneva to Le Puy which I did twice.

Thank you. I will definately read your blog and PM you with my email for your additional info. Thanks!

 

[Ray J]

I'm walking Le Puy to Moissac this coming June. Hearing about the difficulty of the elevation changes the first week out, I hope to walk somewhat slower for this section.

I am looking for advise from those of you who have walked this route. If you were happy with the distance you walked each day, would you list the towns you chose to end your stages in that first week? Or, if you felt you didn't choose well, I'd like comments on what you'd do differently if you were to walk it again.
Thanks!

Here's what we did this year:
06/27/17 - Le Puy to Montisrol: Long first day. Most people stop earlier in Saint Privat d'Allier. By going on to Montisrol, we didn't have to deal with very steep downhills out of Saint Privat the next morning (after heavy rain), just the steep uphills into Saugues. Sort of a trade-off of whether you want a long first day or a long second day.

06/28/17 - Montisrol to Saugues: Short day with a steep uphill to start, but we liked starting from Montisrol instead of Saint Privat, which allowed us plenty of time to relax and recuperate.

06/29/17 - Saugues to Auberge Du Sauvage: Easy day. If you're staying at the Auberge, recommend making a reservation - it was completely booked the night we stayed.

06/30/17 - Auberge Du Sauvage to Aumont-Aubrac: A long day, our book had it listed as somewhat difficult, with many hills, but it wasn't too bad. Took us around seven hours to complete.

06/01/17 - Aumont-Aubrac to Nasbinals: No problems except for temperatures in the low 40's, a steady drizzle, and icy cold winds (but doing the uphills kept us warm).

07/02/17 - Nasbinals to Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac: Great trails this day; long stretches where there were no sounds but nature (no planes, trains, cars, high power lines, etc. - almost eerie!). Really enjoyed this one.

07/03/17 - Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac to Espalion: There's an alternate route that's longer, but flatter. We took the shorter, but much hillier, route. We like the hills, but I admit the people who took the flatter route looked better than us at the end of the day. Pick your poison, I guess.

07/04/17 - Espalion to Golinhac: More than one week, but I wanted to include this because many people stay at Estraing instead of Golinhac. Estraing looked lovely, but we needed to pick up a day in order to be able to hit our target date at the end. In hindsight, we wish we'd made arrangements to have our gear transported to Estraing, then kayak from Espalion (found out we could do that afterwards). Just a suggestion.

I didn't include mileages since we found significant differences between the guide books we had. Best bet is to always assume it's going to take longer than it would ordinary due to the hills (Duh - plus, you'll want to be gawking at the great scenery!)

One piece of advice: I used trail runners on the CF and Portuguese and they worked great, but the Le Puy really pushed them to the limit. I can't say I wouldn't use them again if I had it to do over, but I'd definitely have to give it some serious thought.

 

[Glenshiro]

" the difficulty of the elevation changes the first week out" - there are only two really steep climbs - the one out of Monistrol, just before Saugues, and the one between Estaing and Nasbinals (or, rather, from the river Lot at Montegut for the next mile or so.) I did these in my 60th year without great difficulty, but with frequent pauses for breath! As is often said on the Chemin de Compostelle "il faut aller doucement." (Go gently.)

And, for the downhill bits, nothing beats a pair of well-fitting boots and a trekking pole (or two, if you prefer.)

I stay in 2-star hotels or chambres d'hote (done my share of dorms, thanks very much) so my list of accommodation won't be much use if you're planning on staying in communal gites.

Have a good chemin - this is one of the most scenic I know and a great way to see la France profonde.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@Camino Chris , hi

In April 2016 (then aged 74) I walked Le Puy to Estella.

In my training I had included quite a bit of hill work and long distances before stopping. The purpose was to train the head as well as get stamina and lose weight (combined with an intake reduction)

So my stages reflect my training and are:
day 01 24 Le Puy - S Privat Allier - steep pull up intially then easy
day 02 30 S Privat Allier - Le Falzet - steep down to Monistrol and then up
day 03 37 Le Falzet - Aumont Aubrac
day 04 27 Aumont Aubrac - Nasbinals
day 05 33 Nasbinals - Saint-Come-d'Olt - steep down from Aubrac
day 06 32 Saint-Come-d'Olt - Golinhac - difficult ascent over soft rocks
day 07 24 Golinhac - Conques
day 08 24 Conques - Livinhac - steep pull up from Rive Dourdou
day 09 38 Livinhac - Beduer
day 10 38 Beduer - Limongne-en-Quercy
day 11 15 Limonge - Vaylats
day 12 27 Vaylats - Cahors
day 13 46 Cahors - Lauzerte - included 14 km by car
day 14 24 Lauzerte - Moissac - 2 nights at La Petite Lumiere

I had elected April as I hoped temps would not be too high.
Apart from heavy rain the day before I started (which affected the going - much water about) I encountered short bursts of rain on two occassions, both after Moissac.

My blog (below) has more details

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

A big thank you to all of you who responded with such helpful advise! I look forward to sorting through all this great information and learning more about this exciting route!

 

[marbuck]

The Le Puy route is stunning. I am sure you will love it. I'm not so good on hills, but this route is really not a problem. I have walked it twice before and will be walking from Le Puy next year, heading south on the Chemin de Robert Louis Stevenson, then from Arles to Santiago. Enjoy your planning.

Hi Sharon, looking forward to hearing how your RLS route goes. We never got around to walking that trail. Enjoy!

 

[Nancy Drew]

Hi Chris, this was the route my sister and I did in May 2014, which we were quite happy with.
We never booked ahead.

Place, Km, Stayed at, Euro
Le Puy-en-Velay, 0.0, Gite d'Etape des Capucins, 23.70 B&B
Montbonnet, 16.0, Gite d'Etape Prive l'Escole, 31.00, DBB
Saugues, 26.5, Centre d'Accueil la Margeride, 14.00
St-Alban-sur-Limagnole, 32.0, Hotel du Centre (gite), 14.00
Aumont-Aubrac, 14.5, Hotel Aubrac (family room), 45.00, Room
Nasbinals, 26.5, Hotel la Route d'Argent, 36.00, Room
St-Chely-d'Aubrac, 17.0, Hotel des Voyageurs, 54.00, Room
St-Come-d'Olt, 16.0, Gite d'Etape del Romiou, 11.00
Estaing, 15.5, Albergue St Fleurat, 48.00, Room
Espeyrac, 21.5, Gite d'Etape Communal, 13.00
Conques, 16.5, Gite d'Etape Communal, 12.00
Livinhac-le-Haut, 24.0, La Vita e Bella (donativo), 27.50 DBB
Figeac, 24.5, Hotel la Pyramide, 55.00, Room
Grealou, 20.5, Gite l'Atelier des Volets Bleu, 20.00
Limogne-en-Quercy, 28.0, Gite d'Etape Communal, 12.50
Mas de Vers, 21.0, Gite du Poudally, 14.50
Cahors, 18.0, Auberge de Jeunesse, 19.00 B&B
Labastide-Marnhac, 10.0, Les Halles de Labastide (on the patio), 0.00
Montcuq, 27.0, Hotel du Parc (expensive & cold!), 50.00 DBB
Lauzerte, 14.0, L'Echoppe (apartment sleeps 4), 45.00 Apt
Moissac, 24.0, Gite d'Etape Ancien Carmel, 19.30 B&B

Bon chemin!
Jill

Thank you, Jill. I'm thinking of a Paris to St. Jean camino, the next time I walk the Camino. This information will be filed away and added to the 'store' of knowledge.

 

[Ray J]

Thank you, Jill. I'm thinking of a Paris to St. Jean camino, the next time I walk the Camino. This information will be filed away and added to the 'store' of knowledge.

FWIW, before we did the Le Puy route this year, we biked from Paris to Moulins. For as much as possible, we stayed along various canals (e.g., Briare), which makes for a longer trip but is very pretty and highly recommended. (Side note: France is really missing the ticket by not improving their canal paths. Many appear not to have been improved since the last oxen pulled a barge! I think people would flock to them if they were better maintained (as in, at all)). Still, good for hiking if a bit rough for biking at times.

As you can see, some of the canal paths are less "pathier" than others:


If you're up for it, Sancerre is a wonderful place to stay for a couple of nights. I say "couple" because there are two very steep sections going in, and after biking those on a long day in 98 degree heat, we decided it would be foolish to turn right around the next day and leave. Take a winery tour, relax, and have some of the delicious Sancerre wines - it's worth it!

One more recommendation: We decided to treat ourselves one night by staying at the Chateau de Prye. Google it...it's awesome! We had an excellent meal, and the night we were there we were the only guests so we had the run of the place. Maybe a slightly faded grand dame, but easy to gain an appreciation of its grand past!
Not the Chateau - just(!) the stables
The Chateau
The Chateau's Best Good Boy

 

[sharon w]

Hi Sharon, looking forward to hearing how your RLS route goes. We never got around to walking that trail. Enjoy!

Hopefully, will be as wonderful as other routes in France. I have read that it is a very popular route with many French people walking it. Will keep you posted. We start walking on 17th August.

 

[NavyBlue]

We start walking on 17th August.

Hi,

If you can be there, the 15th August in Le Puy is something really special.

 

[sharon w]

Hi,

If you can be there, the 15th August in Le Puy is something really special.

Unfortunately, will be in Lyon, but could try to change accommodation. Thanks NavyBlue.

 

[kayagee66]

The Le Puy route is stunning. I am sure you will love it. I'm not so good on hills, but this route is really not a problem. I have walked it twice before and will be walking from Le Puy next year, heading south on the Chemin de Robert Louis Stevenson, then from Arles to Santiago. Enjoy your planning.

Hi I'm planning on walking the Stevenson route next September, if you are on facebook can I recommend to you the group
Robert Louis Stevenson Trail - GR 70
It is a friendly group and the more members the better. A couple of tips I recently picked up are staying in an old converted railway station, and staying in a yurt on a goat farm with award winning cheeses.
Just send a join request if you would like to.

 

[Ray J]

If you're planning to stay in Lauzerte before getting to Moissac, I highly recommend the Guest House Horizon Lauzerte. Really comfortable old house, well located, (the restaurant across the street is great!), and the host is a very friendly Dutch woman who did our laundry, which is always bonus!

Also, she provided us with an actual breakfast! Up to that point, breakfasts in the places we'd stayed consisted of bread, butter, jam, and tea/coffee (totally different from our other caminos). As much as we loved the French breads, finally getting meat, cheese, juice, yogurt, and fruit to start the day (and pack for lunch) was a real treat.

 

[dandagenais]

Hi Chris. I have walked Le Puy Route twice entirely and this year just the first week. My blogs are www.gittiharre.blogspot.com
I have also got a schedule for the route with accommodation and prices where I stayed. Could email to you if you send me a private message with your email address.
Definitely my favourite route aside from Geneva to Le Puy which I did twice.

Hi! I would love to have that list as well will pm you

 

[LakeMcD]

Hi Chris. I have walked Le Puy Route twice entirely and this year just the first week. My blogs are www.gittiharre.blogspot.com
I have also got a schedule for the route with accommodation and prices where I stayed. Could email to you if you send me a private message with your email address.
Definitely my favourite route aside from Geneva to Le Puy which I did twice.

If you would like to share again, I too am interested as well. Will PM