Starting from Paris, in December

[jeffnd]

So, I have this wild thought in my head of walking the Tours route and starting in Paris, and I need some advice on this. There is very little information on walking from Paris, and virtually nothing about walking in winter. But, with my new job, I'll have winters off and with some careful budgeting, money shouldn't be an issue.

Here's what I've pieced together so far. Let me know if any of this information is inaccurate.
1. The walk out of Paris is a march through boring suburbs. That's fine with me.
2. Winter is the off-season, and many resources like albergues (I guess they call them gites in France) will be closed. Also, I've read that the period from Christmas to New Years (when I'll be starting) a lot of services and shop close down.
3. Compared to Spain and the Camino Frances, France does not have nearly as much infrastructure as far as things like albergues or gites or whatever you want to call them. The ones that are available are typically more costly compared to Spain as well.
4. Odds are there will be hardly any other pilgrims on the route until I get close to Spain. (I checked Johnnie Walker's blog and only 1 pilgrim arrived in Santiago after starting in Paris. and only about 70 for the whole year of 2012.) This doesn't bother me much. In a way, it's sort of exciting.
5. It will be cold. I'm from North Dakota. I live for the cold.

Now my concerns.
I read through the section of Paris to the Pyrenees on the CSJ UK website. (Apparently the book is out of print?) Either way, the author mentioned camping a lot, but they also walked in the summer. How many campsites stay open in the winter? I would prefer not to stealth camp out of respect for land owners, unless this is generally accepted.

How much snow does this area of France get during the winter months? Again, I'm used to snow and cold, but if I'll be trudging through snow for days on end, I want to know if I should bring actual winter boots.

I'm sure I'll have more questions and I look forward to your responses!

 

[mspath]

jeffnd,

You must be very excited as you plan your winter walk!!

Whichever route you follow the best advice is to BE PREPARED for extreme and varied weather. Nights can be bitter cold with freezing rain or snow. Read the sky for possible storms. Gaiters can be very useful!.

Regarding the state of the path and weather forecasts be sure to ask the locals and watch TV reports. In bad weather any steep descents could be treacherous and following smaller parallel roads might be necessary.

Sillydoll who is a Forum member has compiled encyclopedic information on Winter Walking in general at >> http://amawalker.blogspot.fr/2009/10/wa ... inter.html
Another good account by a Forum member of winter walking but along the Camino Frances is the current 2013 blog http://agoodwalkunspoiled.blogspot.com/.

Try this CampingFrance website for campsites along the Tours route open in winter. >> http://www.campingfrance.com/UK. As a post script here is a great Google map link for the Via Turonensis to help you dream and plan. >> http://goo.gl/maps/4EX3E

Good luck with your research,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Kanga]

We caught the train to Orleans to avoid the suburbs and then walked the Tours route as far as Poitiers. To help with your planning
1. We found very few gites. We relied on chambre d'hotes (bed and breakfast). I used the Gites of France app to locate accommodation. The first part of the walk is through the Loire Valley with all the fabulous chateaux, so quite touristy and priced accordingly.
2. We don't like walking on bitumen roads so followed the network of GR and local footpaths that are everywhere. It is very doable but adds kilometres and requires a good set of maps and a GPS - I used an offline smartphone app that allowed me to download all the official IGN walking maps. You basically have to make your own route until you get south of Tours.
3. We seldom met other pilgrims or even walkers. I think it would be lonely for a person walking by themselves.
4. France is green because it rains a lot.
Have a great walk!

 

[JabbaPapa]

It'll be absolutely freezing ...

Here's what I've pieced together so far. Let me know if any of this information is inaccurate.
1. The walk out of Paris is a march through boring suburbs. That's fine with me.

It's possible to avoid the worst of it if you ignore the "official" route, as it's the traditional one and it is extremely suburban.

Exit via Porte de Vanves, head south-west through the outskirts of Issy and you should hit the Bois de Meudon reasonably soon after leaving Paris -- keep same direction through the woods.

Re-enter the suburbs at le Plessis-Robinson, walk through these towards the motorway intersection and take the pedestrian crossings to the other side, then head south skirting the military airfield to your RIGHT, following the Chemin de Gisy first South then veering WEST. This will take you back into the country, and at one point back into woods and a footpath, that you will come across after the CRS barracks IIRC -- continue WEST until Jouy-En-Josas which will be a VERY good place to take your first long break (supermarket, bar, restaurant, and a country atmosphere).

Southwest from there takes you through fields towards the ugly Toussus ; continue Southwest, through foelds and woodlands, towards the far nicer Chateaufort, and I doubt you'll get any further than that -- that's about a 40 KM stage.

YOU *could* try and seek accommodation in Jouy, which would be pleasant but expensive ; in Toussus, not so pleasant but likely cheaper ; or try the Priory in Chateaufort (though I'd REALLY recommend calling in advance, though I myself didn't -- which made the Father unhappy with me , as the parish organises retreats there).

South to South West from Chateaufort will take you towards Chevreuse or Saint-Rémy lès Chevreuse, and from there onto Rambouillet and etc. on the official route towards Chartres, which is perfectly fine from Saint-Rémy onwards.

The Orléans Route is certainly more pleasant than the Chartres route once you're past Orléans, but getting there will be very very suburby until you're past Etampes or wherever.

Plus -- the arrival in Chartres is just ... magic

(I've done the Paris centre - Jouy-en-Josas route about 50+ times back in the 90s, it's basically THE quickest route from Paris to escape from the suburbia)

2. Winter is the off-season, and many resources like albergues (I guess they call them gites in France) will be closed. Also, I've read that the period from Christmas to New Years (when I'll be starting) a lot of services and shop close down.

Shops and stuff will only be closed on the holidays themselves, and often in the first days of January for stock-keeping -- but this will be a relatively minor problem.

More important will be to cleave to the Parishes and occasional monasteries on the way, to get your credencial stamped -- and to seek advice/help for accommodation etc.

3. Compared to Spain and the Camino Frances, France does not have nearly as much infrastructure as far as things like albergues or gites or whatever you want to call them. The ones that are available are typically more costly compared to Spain as well.

The more accurate adjective is liable to be "non-existent" until you're past Tours ... though admittedly, my own knowledge from experience is VERY much past its sell-by date

But I've heard that more pilgrims leave from Tours these days than from Paris, Chartres, or Orléans...

... you're unlikely to have my experience of being the first Compostela pilgrim they'll have seen or heard of in decades.

4. Odds are there will be hardly any other pilgrims on the route until I get close to Spain. (I checked Johnnie Walker's blog and only 1 pilgrim arrived in Santiago after starting in Paris. and only about 70 for the whole year of 2012.) This doesn't bother me much. In a way, it's sort of exciting.

There's a possible chance you may start bumping into some compañeros after Tours ...

5. It will be cold. I'm from North Dakota. I live for the cold.

LOL -- but are you used to the damp at the same time ?

How many campsites stay open in the winter?

Realistically : NONE.

If you could budget for it, in your shoes I'd alternate between trying to get help or assistance from the Parishes, and trying to find Gîtes Ruraux. You may stumble across the odd dirt-cheap hotel (always an "interesting" experience, but very down-to-earth and I'd say pilgrim-ish), but DO avoid the generic chain hotels, they're pretty ghastly and inappropriate for the pilgrim experience generally. Just DON'T eat any hotel menus unless you can tell that they'll be good in advance, or unless it's just plain old unavoidable hehehe.

I would prefer not to stealth camp out of respect for land owners, unless this is generally accepted.

Stealth camping is usually tolerated in Western France, but it's also generally a very good idea to go and knock on people's door and seek their permission to do so You WILL get the occasional "no", but just smile, give a polite "bonne soirée", then move on.

How much snow does this area of France get during the winter months? Again, I'm used to snow and cold, but if I'll be trudging through snow for days on end, I want to know if I should bring actual winter boots.

It is extremely variable, and my crystal ball is on the blink again.

But the snow _can_ pile up reasonably deep (not so much as in Dakota though, I'd guess).

If I were you, I'd save this particular decision for November, when there will be some indications on the European Winter.

As for crossing the Pyrenees and the Meseta in Winter, doubtless some people who have done so will be able to advise you on those.

 

[Kitsambler]

As to weather - you may live for the cold in North Dakota, but that is a mid-continent, dry, cold. France gets the moisture coming off the Atlantic. So it will be a bit warmer than the single-digit Fahrenheit temperatures you are accustomed to, more like high 20's. And much wetter and more humid (which makes it feel colder, in my book).

Have you noticed how many of the posters above mention relying on the locals for information and assistance? All those conversations will be in French; best to start buffing up your language skills now.

 

[jeffnd]

Thank you all for the good information. I'm just sort of considering it right now. I'll be walking the Camino Frances for sure this winter, but since I have the time, I'm considering starting in Paris. We'll have to see I guess!

 

[giorgio]

here you have a full report of a pilgrimage from Paris to tours and on thru Camino del Norte.
It's in italian...but i guess you can read maps and names of places to stop
http://www.camminfacendo.altervista.org ... nensis.php
Let me know if i can be of help
Giorgio

 

[jeffnd]

here you have a full report of a pilgrimage from Paris to tours and on thru Camino del Norte.
It's in italian...but i guess you can read maps and names of places to stop
http://www.camminfacendo.altervista.org ... nensis.php
Let me know if i can be of help
Giorgio

Wow! Thanks for the site! Google Chrome browser seems to be translating fine!

 

[robertt]

Walking into a wintry Chartres...so exciting!

 

[jeffnd]

As to weather - you may live for the cold in North Dakota, but that is a mid-continent, dry, cold. France gets the moisture coming off the Atlantic. So it will be a bit warmer than the single-digit Fahrenheit temperatures you are accustomed to, more like high 20's. And much wetter and more humid (which makes it feel colder, in my book).

Have you noticed how many of the posters above mention relying on the locals for information and assistance? All those conversations will be in French; best to start buffing up your language skills now.

I guess my point about the weather is that I'm not afraid of it and I have a healthy respect for it. But I am interested to know what kind of weather I'd be dealing with an what I need to prepare for it.

I did take a year of French in high school and a tiny bit has stuck with me. I've been watching a few language videos on youtube and some of it is starting to make sense. :lol:

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Giorgio, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your blog. Grazie!

 

[giorgio]

Thanks Pudgypilgrim, will pass your appreciation onto my friend Mauro who's the walker who did it...on my side i was wondering about Jeffs idea of starting in Paris ...as you can see Tours route lacks almost completely pilgrim type accomodation and it looks like also waymarking is possibly not too friendly.
Unless you have specific reasons yo walk the Tours way IMHO you could explore the following alternative
The Vezelay route where waymarking is really good and pilgrim accomodations are normally available, (don't know in winter ) inclusive of some hospitality at home of the Friends of the Vezelay way...which accounted for some of the most pleasant evenings we ever had ....A guide is available at CSJ for the itinerary and would suspect getting from paris to Vezelay would be very much the same than going to Tours....
Would suggest to contact FFRP
http://www.ffrandonnee.fr/
( translates to French Federation of Hiking ) to have indications on the Paris/Tours or Paris /Vezelay and possibly get their fantastic guides that have very detailed description of itinerary as well as detailed maps .

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks, Giorgio. Yes, I know that the Tours route isn't waymarked very well and tends to be expensive. I agree that the Voie de Vezelay is probably a more sensible choice, but I first became interested in the pilgrimage long ago when I was about 8 years old and read a book written in the mid-60s by a high school girl who did it way back then, so for me the Paris-Chartres-Tours route has always been what I've wanted to do. Once you get to Eure-et-Loir it seems that the local Amis have pretty good information, although I don't know how up to date it is:

http://www.compostelle28.org

 

[Lynda t]

I've always fancied the Veselay route. Been to some parts by motorhome. Some lovely countryside.

 

[sanyke]

I plan to walk Paris Poitiers in February.
I use the French guide Rando Editions ISBN: 2-84182-222-2

First go in Paris to www.Compostelle 2000.com , Rue de Sevigny 26
They have the Guide Pratique de Compostelle 2000 Via Turonensis. It is perfect for lodging places.
Also use the local Tourist Info desk
Sufficient places to sleep.
Normally it will be good walking weather and hardly snow.

 

[Olivares]

I agree that the local tourism offices are little gems of great local knowledge. Buen Camino!!

 

[TMcA]

This may be only marginally helpful, but you could try searching in Google for the "Chemin de Tours". I just did so and there are numerous links to French sites. Scanning a few I saw a note that many places to stay are only open from mid-April to mid-October. You'd have to use Google translate to help read what you find or just try to follow as best you can using your high school French.

Many years ago I spent a winter in Paris and during my stay the weather there was balmy compared to my university days in Madison, WI. By "balmy" I mean temps rarely much below freezing and mostly rain with occasional light snowfall. Obviously the weather will worsen as you gain elevation near the Pyrenees.

One more long shot at getting help. I just Googled "club des randonneurs de Paris" (hiking clubs of Paris). Numerous hits. You could send an email in English, French, or Franglais to the contact person at one or two of these sites and ask for their comments. Might help. Can't hurt. Here's one I located : http://www.clubalpin-idf.com/randonnee/

Bonne chance et bon chemin.

Tom