- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
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Looks good to me. Weekends do get busy during summer so that would be a reason to book the Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well. And finding food can be a real problem - small villages no longer have shops or services and those that do exist are usually closed on Sunday and Monday. So if you have a choice, let your hosts know in advance that you would like demi-pension (i.e. dinner, bed and breakfast). They need to have advance warning so they can get in the provisions themselves.
Your reasonably short starting days should accommodate the fairly exhausting terrain. While you will want to book ahead, I suggest that you not book too far ahead. It is possible that you will "hit the wall" five days to a week into the trek, and will want to adjust to your weakened condition! Bon chemin.
Our of Le Puy, you will be full of energy, so Monbonnet will be a breeze!I love that these are "short" days! I did a 15 km hike a few days ago, with a 500-meter ascent and descent, and my legs are still jelly.
Looks like you will be past Conques by Sept 1, when the kids go back to their parents and the grandparents set out walking. September is a very popular walking month among the French. If you consult Miam Miam Dodo, it will indicate which lodgings (where someone, perhaps the resident teen-ager) speak English.Here's what I have:
Other Americans love to tell me that "everyone speaks English" in France. Ha! And Double Ha! Of the four phone calls I made, not a single person switched to English. Luckily, everyone was very patient with my French.
Any word on how busy the Le Puy route has been this summer? I've started to make reservations for the first couple days, and am wondering how far out to make them. Given how small some of the towns are, and how few beds there are, and that I want to force myself to keep to a slower pace at the beginning, I'm definitely locking down the first four days.
Here's what I have:
Sun Aug 20: Le Puy en Velay. Gîte d'Etape des Capucins. Confirmed.
Mon: Montbonnet. 17.3 km. Gîte d'étape l'Escole. Confirmed.
Tue: Monistrol-d’Allier. 14.4 km. Gîte La Tsabone. Confirmed.
Wed: Saugues. 12.6 km. Bienvenue à la ferme. I'll call tonight.
Thurs: Le Sauvage. 19.8 km. Le Sauvage en Gévaudan. I'll call tonight.
I'm pretty confident about these. I'm debating going ahead and finalizing things through the weekend:
Fri: Les Estrets. 21.2 km. Le Gévaudan
Sat: Pratviala. 24.5 km. La Borieta del Prat
Sun: Aubrac. 19.2 km. La Tour des Anglais
La Tour looks so cool; it's one of the few specific stops that I really want to aim for - so I know already the rough distances that I'll need to do each day. There also seem to be fewer stops in this region, and I'd like to avoid long days the first week. Is there any good reason to lock these down, or not? (I'll still have 65 days left to be spontaneous - I'm aiming to arrive in Santiago on or before November 1)
imho very few people in France speak English ... and who would blame them? French is their first language ... that said, they might be encouraged/persuaded to do so when you are actually there, staying with them, but otherwise it is more likely that they will stick with what comes naturally That said, I do know a few folk along the path who like to practise their english and others who are very comfortable communicating in English because of their work [as expats in English-speaking countries or in multinational companies], but otherwise it’s slim pickings ... but it is also one of the great joys of walking this path : a near-total french immersion experience ...
congratulations too Miichael on ur itinerary ... it looks eminently do-able and sensible to me ... you will be pacing yourself nicely and no dramas if you strike a heatwave out there ...
I reckon you are wrong on "very few" people speak English.
As you get near the border nobody speaks French only Basque.
Most French people below 50 have learnt English at school. As a rule, they don't use it and forget it, unless they work in an international environment. So they will be reluctant to make the first step. Use your French, how terrible it may be, and they will be prone to help you with what they can gather in English.
Every french national speaks French (military service, school, employment etc.). He may prefer to use Basque or other regional language with his relatives/friends/cattle... but it's another story.
Yes indeed, the host will speak to you in English as a rule. My problem was that other pilgrims were reluctant to converse in English, over dinner say, and this left me feeling out of it on many occasion. The French Way in May is essentially a French dominated experience! This is just something to think about when comparing the route with the Spanish Caminos.
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