Secondary route via Angoulême

[Barbara]

I'm planning a cycle Camino from my home near St. Savin in the Vienne. There is a secondary route runs along the river
Gartempe via Lussac le Château, le Vigeant, and Charroux and on to Angoulême. Where it seems to peter out around St. Aulnaye.
I was thinking to join up with the main Tours route or possibly the Vézelay route, then connect to the Somport route around Pau. Does anyone have any experience of passing through Angoulême, especially wrt reasonably priced accommodation, and pleasant minor roads between there and either Bordeaux or Marmande?

 

[Tuesday Wildchild]

How about cutting across to St Jean d'Angely (two day cycle). Here you can pick up the Tours route.

 

[Barbara]

Well, that's certainly an option. Angoulême to St Jean d'Angély would mean a longish backtrack though, and I was thinking more of cutting across from further south. I have looked at a map and Wikipedia. It seems an early route followed the river to Cognac, and then possibly Saintes. What I was hoping was to find someone who had some first or even second hand information, in particular the possibility of reasonably priced accommodation and anything interesting in the way of cultural/St. James related heritage.

 

[Tuesday Wildchild]

I was thinking La Poste, Gencay, Aulnay then St Jean d'Angely. The GR65 route goes through st-Savin then joins the GR-655 the Tours route.

 

[Barbara]

Ah, I think we have a confusion of places. Not helped by my mis-spelling of St Aulaye (south of Angouleme) as St Aulnaye.
I've actually already done something close to what you suggestt going through Gencay and picking up the Tours route at Melle (can't find La Poste btw)
The St Savin I am thinking of isn't anywhere near the GR 65. It's the world heritage site in the Vienne in Nouvelle Aquitaine and is on the GR48.
Are there two Gencay s as well? That would really confuse me.

However, the route I was planning takes me on the GR48 from 86310 St Savin to Charroux and then Angouleme and St Aulaye. I was thinking of a connection somewhere around Bordeaux if I got onto the Tours route, or alternatively joining the Vezelay or Le Puy routes

 

[Tuesday Wildchild]

It's always fun when a country has two or more places with the same name.

Didn't realize you'd started the journey.

 

[Barbara]

Oh, i haven't started yet. That was last time I was on the Tours route. Leaving in a couple of weeks.

 

[FLEUR]

I walked Aulnay to Saintes in 2017. Prior to that over the years I walked every stage from Saintes to Blaye but only as day stages returning to my (second) home base, nr Saintes.

Do contact me if you've questions about this area.

 

[Barbara]

Thank you, Fleur. I'm really looking for information on the route south of Angoulême, and whether to head west and join the Tours route or more east and connect with the Vézelay route. There is historic precedent for both, but I need to consider the accommodation position, as in "Can I afford it" I'm starting from home, near St. Savin (that's the St. Savin in the Vienne, the world heritage site that no body has heard of)

 

[FLEUR]

World heritage sites in Saintes and Pons and many pilgrim connections. Auberge for pilgrims and Youth hostel in Saintes. Auberge in Pons too.
Air bnb might have a room in a home on offer in some areas.

 

[Barbara]

Thank you Fleur. I hadn't considered air BnB. Good thought.
I'm interested in exploring the secondary routes, and have actually based this plan on an investigation into Saint James associations in south West and central France. I've cycled the Tours route some years ago, and walked the Vézelay route, it's joining them in a coherent manner that's of interest to me. I suppose it's going to come down to looking at pilgrim traffic at different periods and deciding if I want to be a tenth century or fifteenth century pilgrim. Or maybe just finding the pretty way.

 

[Barbara]

Good morning.
Should anyone be interested I've put together some information, including the complete set of Gpx files and the contact details of the appropriate French Camino organisations from Dieppe to Châtellerault via the English route direct to Tours (via Chartres) then onward to Somport via the Tours route Eastern variant through Angoulême . It's a cyclists route, mainly due to the paucity of cheap accommodation, but full of cultural interest. I can either put a link up here if that's acceptable or send by private message. There is a short written description of the route, and spreadsheets showing places to stay and available facilities. There are photographs as well. I have split into Dieppe to Châtellerault and Châtellerault to Somport.