Le Puy to Conques, mid-October?

[longwei]

Hello fellow travellers,

I was about to commence a trip to France to walk from Le Puy to Conques starting in late August but had to cancel due to illness.

I have rebooked flights for October and was wondering what experience people had with this route around that time of year. Will most gites still be open in mid October? I think it will be lovely walking in ~15C weather on mild days but have no experience hiking in the rain, hoping I can hack it! What level of weatherproof clothing would I need?

 

[Davey Boyd]

Ive not walked that route in October, but I have walked other routes in winter. I used a waterproof pack cover, Ferrino poncho, small gaiters for mud, lightwight waterproof trousers and a hands free brolly. Ended up not using the gaitors or trousers, just stuck with shorts and hiking boots, but it can get VERY muddy on the Le Puy route in wet weather so maybe they would be useful there. the brolly was a godsend though!

Hope this helps
Davey

 

[Kitsambler]

The issue is going to be lodging: about half the gites will close for the year after Nov 1 (All Saints' Day - Toussaint). Many will close for the two-week school vacation in mid-October (specific dates vary by locale). And even those with announced open dates may take off for a few days if they have no bookings (they won't hang around waiting for you). So, make your plan, and get lodgings booked in advance (email works well). Then be sure to confirm by phone the day ahead.

 

[Glenshiro]

Walking in the rain is just like walking in dry weather, but with waterproof clothing. I favour a lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood, which I can stuff into my rucksack, and waterproof trousers (Rohan in my case) which I will wear every day when rain is possible - not overtrousers, which I find to be a pain.

Never saw anyone with an umbrella! - sounds a bit impractical, the more so if it's windy (which it will be.)

You will certainly encounter rain in the Auvergne in October, and mud - lots of it, (especially on the Aubrac plateau) so good footwear (gaiters optional) is essential. By way of compensation, the scenery is wonderful.

Bon chemin.

 

[Lleslie]

We walked Le Puy to SJPP late May thru June this year. Apparantly they had had 7 months of rain a local said, with major flooding in the north and south. We had a lot of muddy and at times flooded track. Used waterproof trousers when it was actually raining otherwise we both used our umbrellas which could be rigged to be handsfree. We found they withstood mild to moderate winds on the Aubrac Plateau very well. We used our umbrellas almost everyday, if not for rain then invaluable for shade when the sun did shine Quite a few people had umbrellas, certainly easier to put up and down for passing showers. We wore waterproof boots, which were great in the wet muddy conditions and for the dewy/wet grass that would have soaked our feet in minutes. Oh, and pack covers of course Bon chemin

 

[TMcA]

I initally hesitated to comment because my experience on this route in early October was in 2013. But I would have said what @Kitsambler said. Places to stay were closed or about to close, that included one hotel (in Estaing as I recall). So please heed the advice in the post by Kitsambler.

I should also add that if you start in mid-October you will be traversing the Plateau d'Abrac about a week into your walk. There you'll be above 1000m for nearly two days and you could run into snow. Just a possibility. If you run into snow of any depth be cautious and try to walk with others.

Bon chemin. It's a beautiful hike.

Tom