Reserve your rooms in advance!

[eamann]

This link to the CH "La Flore" in Saugues shows the extent to which prospective walkers/pilgrims are already booking rooms in advance. There are very few dates free in May and there are bookings already even in far-away September! As they say in French, "A bon entendeur, salut !" - A word to the wise is enough.

Réservation chambre d'hôtes à Saugues - Chemin de Compostelle - GR65

Réservation hébergement en chambres d'hôtes à Saugues. Chemin de Compostelle GR65 - 70€ / nuit pour 2 pers. - 100€ / nuit pour 3 pers.

laflore-saugues.com

 

[Caomhin O Fearghaill]

This link to the CH "La Flore" in Saugues shows the extent to which prospective walkers/pilgrims are already booking rooms in advance. There are very few dates free in May and there are bookings already even in far-away September! As they say in French, "A bon entendeur, salut !" - A word to the wise is enough.

Réservation chambre d'hôtes à Saugues - Chemin de Compostelle - GR65

Réservation hébergement en chambres d'hôtes à Saugues. Chemin de Compostelle GR65 - 70€ / nuit pour 2 pers. - 100€ / nuit pour 3 pers.

laflore-saugues.com

I walked le Puy to Condom 5 years ago...booking in advance was a must...get a copy of Miam Miam Dodo.....

 

[good_old_shoes]

May is busy on the podiensis, that's true. As is september.

So during that "high season" it makes sense to book, especially if you want the classic demi pension (hosts need to know for how many to cook) and if you can not walk longer distances in case of a place being booked out.

But if you walk the podiensis out of the main season, or if you can add 10kms to your daily distances if needed, it is still possible with making reservations one day ahead max, in my experience.

Bring a tent too and you don't need to make reservations at all, even when it's very busy (countless official campsites with all you need, and many many gites allow camping in their gardens for a small fee).

I walked april/may 2017 and june 2022.

I don't like making reservations, so I called the gites same day max., if I did at all. Rarely did so. Also had a tent I used.

In april/may, sometimes places were full and I camped. Others simply walked a bit further or the host found an old mattress to sleep on the floor for them. Once the Tourist office found me a private place when all the gites were full and a massive storm rolled in (camping wasn't an option that day).

In june '22 it was very different . Often the gites I stayed at were almost empty. I chose to camp most of the time that year, but whenever I wanted to stay in a gite, I just walked in and found it almost deserted. The path was very quiet. Some gites even closed down for a short vacation because they had no reservations for several days... some had signs that advertised "walk ins welcome" or "Last minute reservations possible".

So, it highly depends on the time of year!

 

[jouffroy47]

This link to the CH "La Flore" in Saugues shows the extent to which prospective walkers/pilgrims are already booking rooms in advance. There are very few dates free in May and there are bookings already even in far-away September! As they say in French, "A bon entendeur, salut !" - A word to the wise is enough.

Réservation chambre d'hôtes à Saugues - Chemin de Compostelle - GR65

Réservation hébergement en chambres d'hôtes à Saugues. Chemin de Compostelle GR65 - 70€ / nuit pour 2 pers. - 100€ / nuit pour 3 pers.

laflore-saugues.com

 

[jouffroy47]

I concur with good_old_shoes above--it all depends on the season. May is the busiest because of the French holidays, and September the second busiest month.

 

[AlwynWellington]

I walked le Puy to Condom 5 years ago...booking in advance was a must...get a copy of Miam Miam Dodo...

I started from Le Puy-en-Velay early April 2016, paused at Estella / Lizarra early May 2016. I returned there early in October 2017 and arrived at Compostela later the same month.

I booked ahead only twice.

I made my first booking on arrival at Lauzerte. This was for two nights at Moissac (for La Petite Lumiere) - my first rest day after about 10 days.

At Larressingle, after hearing chatter overnight, I was a bit anxious and asked my hostess in the morning to ring and book a bed at Manciet for that night.

As it happened, I had a minor medical misadventure and stopped at Eauze for two night - Marie-France of La Petite Grange is mine hostess.

After two nights, Marie-France drives me to Manciet to provide a second day of relief for my right anterior ankle joint and to meet my host, two days late. And of course there was room for me.


The method I chose (except when booking ahead) was to enquire at the first gite-d'etape on entering the town and, if complet, to continue through the town until I had a bed for the night.

In April 2016 I always found a bed at the first gite-d'etape, although once it was a close run thing.

And no worries from Roncevalles across to Compostela.

...

In July 2010 I had walked from Sarria and noticed one albergue at Ponte medieval de Ribadiso, just before Arzua.

In October 2017 I noticed not only the original albergue but two pensión that had sprung up alongside.

Of course that was 2016. Some eight years later ...

Kia kaha (take care, be strong)