Lodging Information for Chemin du Piemont Pyrenees: Our Experience in Sept 2022

[tarredon]

I received a lot of good info for my camino planning from this forum when I was preparing for our journey on the Chemin du Piemont Pyrenees, so I thought I'd post our experience on lodgings here for others to use. Because unlike many other caminos, this one must be thoroughly prepared for! There are many days when you do not pass through villages that have open bars or restaurants or even grocery stores, so you must know where you're going to sleep that night and know that you'll be able to get food there. Also, most of the lodgings require to know that you're coming in advance so they can prepare for you.

Also, we walked in a group of 6 (two of my sisters, another couple, and my husband and me), so we had to double-prepare!

I'm not taking the time right now to post an exhaustive "lessons learned" on this chemin, but I do want to say that we enjoyed this camino very much - but I would not ever consider doing it on my own! (we went days without seeing another pilgrim, and if you're a senior & feel a bit physically vulnerable, you might not want to worry about getting injured and not seeing another person for hours or even days on some of the more remote trails). I'd be happy, however, to attempt to answer any particular questions that a prospective pilgrim might have.

I hope these lodging lists are helpful! One (the spreadsheet) is the info on the lodgings where our group actually stayed, including the prices we paid in Sept 2022. I didn't include all of the homestays on the spreadsheet. The other attachment is a photo copy of a booklet published by WebCompostela that was given to me by one of the hostesses along the way. It includes more homestays, and contact info for some parishes and town halls that refer pilgrims to lodging.

Enjoy, and I hope it's useful! (I also sent these to Gronze in case they can use it to update their website on this chemin.)

 

[Vacajoe]

Thank you! Too few pilgrims post follow-ups with this kind of critical information.

 

[tarredon]

Thank you! Too few pilgrims post follow-ups with this kind of critical information.

Yes, I found it difficult to find all this information when I was doing my planning. You’re welcome

 

[BombayBill]

Thanks so much for your feedback. I’ve long thought about this trail but the sparse resources and fewer pilgrims was not attractive to me. I’m glad you enjoyed it and should I gather a group I’ll reconsider it.

 

[tarredon]

Thanks so much for your feedback. I’ve long thought about this trail but the sparse resources and fewer pilgrims was not attractive to me. I’m glad you enjoyed it and should I gather a group I’ll reconsider it.

Initially the sparse resources were offputting to our group as well, but we got used to it and eventually enjoyed the solitude of it, as well as the rich variety of lodgings - we enjoyed the eclectic collection and our wonderful hosts. We ran into some super friendly & helpful French folks (and a few great non-French folks also) - overall, I loved our French experience on the Piemont in some ways more than the Camino Frances. But part of what I loved was our group dynamic, which the remoteness of this chemin is well-suited for. So yes, I wholeheartedly recommend this camino - but walking it with one or more compatible persons is key (I think).

 

[kiwi-couple]

This is excellent information to have, thank you so much for sharing.

 

[jouffroy47]

I just discovered this 2023 booklet from Webcompostella [Livret des Haltes St. Jacques] which has some other options for this route with a particularly Catholic orientation. https://www.patrimoinereligieux34.c...oie_Piémont_2023_montpellier_carcassonnne.pdf

 

[jouffroy47]

I was also pleasantly surprised to find this route listed on Godesalco, which also includes accommodations, which I hope to test out this fall https://godesalco.com/plan/piemont