donalomahony
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- "Camino from 2013 to 2019" paused for now...
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I have done this route in 2010 and enjoyed it saw 2 people on it and going opposite way. Leaving Lourdes a bit tricky but you will enjoy iy Hostel in Oleron is great, I went to Tourist office to get access numbers to enter.I am flying to Toulouse and by train onto Lourdes on Monday 20th July to walk to SJPP where I will meet my wife on July 27th and continue on the Camino Frances...
My plan is to walk from Lourdes starting on Tuesday 21st.
The route I will take is
Lourdes-Asson 29.5
Asson-Ste Colome 17.42
Ste Colome-Oloron 25.37
Oloron-Hôpital St Blaise 21.85
Hôpital St Blaise-Mauléon 14.54
Mauléon-St Just Ibarre 23.24
St Just Ibarre-St Jean Pied de Port 20.41
I understand this is part of Chemin du Piémont - these stages are ones I have gleaned from previous forum contributors....
I have a few questions
How clearly marked is the route generally?
Is the route clearly marked at Oloron where there is the option for the Somport route?
Have any forum members walked this without reserving accommodation?
Any other advice
Kind regards
Donal
Hi there
I'm planning exactly the same thing in 2016 but am having problems finding places to stay along the route, notably in Asson. Please let me know if you find anything. Meanwhile, I did discover this site on the internet, which might be of use to you:
http://www.xacobeo.fr/ZE1.11.Aqu.Pie.htm
Hi Donal,I am curious if you did this route? as I am thinking of doing the same in late october this yearI am flying to Toulouse and by train onto Lourdes on Monday 20th July to walk to SJPP where I will meet my wife on July 27th and continue on the Camino Frances...
My plan is to walk from Lourdes starting on Tuesday 21st.
The route I will take is
Lourdes-Asson 29.5
Asson-Ste Colome 17.42
Ste Colome-Oloron 25.37
Oloron-Hôpital St Blaise 21.85
Hôpital St Blaise-Mauléon 14.54
Mauléon-St Just Ibarre 23.24
St Just Ibarre-St Jean Pied de Port 20.41
I understand this is part of Chemin du Piémont - these stages are ones I have gleaned from previous forum contributors....
I have a few questions
How clearly marked is the route generally?
Is the route clearly marked at Oloron where there is the option for the Somport route?
Have any forum members walked this without reserving accommodation?
Any other advice
Kind regards
Donal
Hi roamingpaddy, I did this route in early September 2016, except that I stayed in Arudy instead of Ste Colome and in Ordiarp instead of Mauleon. The route is generally well marked with red and white markers. The only tricky sections were leaving L'Opital St Blaise (where I decided to follow the main road) and between Ordiarp and St Just Ibarre over the Col of Napale, where the trail almost disappeared and I had to use a bit of intuition/guesswork to find my way between cows, shrubs and grass on the higher parts of the hill...Hi Donal,I am curious if you did this route? as I am thinking of doing the same in late october this year
Oh much thanks to you for your very helpful reply NicManHi roamingpaddy, I did this route in early September 2016, except that I stayed in Arudy instead of Ste Colome and in Ordiarp instead of Mauleon. The route is generally well marked with red and white markers. The only tricky sections were leaving L'Opital St Blaise (where I decided to follow the main road) and between Ordiarp and St Just Ibarre over the Col of Napale, where the trail almost disappeared and I had to use a bit of intuition/guesswork to find my way between cows, shrubs and grass on the higher parts of the hill...
Also, outside Arudy there was a part where I could not find my way through the trail and I decided to continue following the main road to the next town.
Someone at work mentioned an app, Gaia GPS, which was an invaluable help to find out where I was and where I should turn. I did not need an internet connection as it worked off line too (you just need to download the relevant maps before you go).
Buen Camino!
No food in Asson??!! Nice to know!
Hi Donal,I am curious if you did this route? as I am thinking of doing the same in late october this year
Have you taken a look at meeting up with the Camino Aragonés instead of the Camino Frances in SJPdP? Met two pilgrims who hiked this way and raved about it. I did the Aragones from Jaca, then met up with the CF in Puente la Reina - absolutely fabulous!
Start in Lourdes and head for Somport; plenty of gites in France and alburgues in Aragón.
Have you taken a look at meeting up with the Camino Aragonés instead of the Camino Frances in SJPdP? Met two pilgrims who hiked this way and raved about it. I did the Aragones from Jaca, then met up with the CF in Puente la Reina - absolutely fabulous!
Start in Lourdes and head for Somport; plenty of gites in France and alburgues in Aragón.
I've done both, and from Lourdes would certainly recommend the SJPP route.
The Aragonès is lovely, and 2 or 3 of the refugios up in the valley to the Somport are fantastic, but the walk through the enclosed valley up to the Somport Pass is an imposing grind, plus from Lourdes it simply adds many extra K to the trek and they are generally foreign to the nature and quality of the Piémont Way.
The Oloron to SJPP is very solitary and guessworky, but it's also the more natural and less frantic.
I think I'd probably only ever advise starting the Somport route either at the Somport itself, or at one of the villages maybe about halfway from Oloron.
Physically? Yes, there are plenty of areas where a tent or sleeping bag would not be noticed. Legally? I do not know the laws of France.does anyone know if its possible to wild camp along the way between lourdes and SJPP? Thank you!
Yes -- the law is that basically you can do it, except on a road or other freeway, unless an owner or other forbids it. Basically, there are a few Municipalities where you can't, but out in the countryside it should be fine.does anyone know if its possible to wild camp along the way between lourdes and SJPP? Thank you!
Thank you so much for the information, I really appreciate it! One more question - any idea what elevation profile is like? I'd imagine it's much more like the 1st and 2nd days of the Camino Frances rather than the rest of the Frances (relatively flat).Yes -- the law is that basically you can do it, except on a road or other freeway, unless an owner or other forbids it. Basically, there are a few Municipalities where you can't, but out in the countryside it should be fine.
It's a bit more restricted in Spain, with a basic rule that you can't stay at a location more than a night or so, and you cannot light a fire.
We walked the Chemin du Piemont from Carcassonne to SJPP in April. From Lourdes the largest climbs of the Piemont are behind you, though in the last stages into SJPP there are two significant climbs and descents.Thank you so much for the information, I really appreciate it! One more question - any idea what elevation profile is like? I'd imagine it's much more like the 1st and 2nd days of the Camino Frances rather than the rest of the Frances (relatively flat).
amazing thank you!We walked the Chemin du Piemont from Carcassonne to SJPP in April. From Lourdes the largest climbs of the Piemont are behind you, though in the last stages into SJPP there are two significant climbs and descents.
Have a look at gronze.com under the Piemont. The stages from Lourdes are shown. Under each stage, there is a + button to click ‘Ver perfil de la étape’ which shows the elevation profiles for that stage.
That seems very rushed to me. It’s about 160 kms from my count so I guess it depends on how far and fast you like to walk. Gronze can show you the towns and villages in between. More often than not, there were few or no facilities - ie open cafes, shops etc.Also, one more question for the group - does anyone know if it's possible to do this in 4 or 5 days? or too mountainous to try and deviate from the prescribed stages? I'm struggling to find good maps that show me what's in between the cities in the stops listed in links above
It's much easier than that !! Though to be fair, at that point on my 2005 I was mostly in DIY rather than following the waymarked trail.Thank you so much for the information, I really appreciate it! One more question - any idea what elevation profile is like? I'd imagine it's much more like the 1st and 2nd days of the Camino Frances rather than the rest of the Frances (relatively flat).
Actually, it’s nothing like the Napoleon Way summit crossing on the CF! It generally stays in the foothills of the Pyrenees, so some ups and downs with a bit of a climb one day out from Lourdes. Overall, it has enough variation to be interesting but never really difficult.Thank you so much for the information, I really appreciate it! One more question - any idea what elevation profile is like? I'd imagine it's much more like the 1st and 2nd days of the Camino Frances rather than the rest of the Frances (relatively flat).
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