Suggestions for walking in France in December?

[mla1]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone has walked on any of the routes in France in December? I have a little more than two weeks for walking. I am planning to walk the LePuy route in the spring of 2014 or 2015, so I thought I might be able to get in a shorter walk somewhere else in the meantime. I was wondering what people might suggest?

The backup options are some part of the CF (I walked it many years ago) or the Camino Ingles and the Finisterre/Muxia route. I do know that there is a good chance that all of these options are going to be grey/rainy/cold, that there won't be many pilgrims, that I will need to pack accordingly, etc. Nicer weather would be great (somewhere near Arles?) but it's not essential.

Thanks for your help,
Mary Louise

 

[FatmaG]

All depends on the winter to come.
I personally walked already in december in Belgium (towards Vezelay), there was snow and at one place a very difficult part because of fallen trees in a steep descend. Except that, it was great to walk in the snow, waymarkings were perfectly visible (white-red marks of the GR markings, mostly on trees, not on the grounds).
Beginning of April this year I walked from Troyes to Vezelay, not warm, not too cold, few rain, no snow, no pilgrims...
And in the very beginning of april 2012 I walked the Baztan route from Bayonne crossing the pyrenees to Pamplona: beautiful weather and no snow at all... And no other pilgrims. In the albergues, it was very cold, most were not heated.

And as you speak about Arles: a part of the way goes through the "Haut Languedoc", which might be difficult in bad weather conditions.

I don't know the way of the "Mont Saint Michel" but this one might be nice in winter, and perhaps a little milder?

It would be nice to hear others having really experienced France during wintertime...

 

[mla1]

Hi Fatma, Thanks very much for this. I have thought a little bit about routes that go to and from Mont St. Michel, but I still don't know that much about them -- there is not that much posted about them on the forum. It may be time to order the guidebooks!

Did you have a favourite part of the route that goes from Belgium to Vezelay?

 

[mspath]

mla1,

Here is some further information about walking in France that you may find helpful.

Check this earlier Forum thread for the routes from/to Mont St Michel >>
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...tarting-from-le-mont-st-michel-to-sjpp.16895/

I live in champagne near Reims and in autumn 2008 attempted to walk directly south over the hills from our farmhouse to Vezelay with the idea of continuing to SJPdP and then on to Santiago. You can read here about my then unsuccessful and rather cold journey.

An Association of hikers and pilgrims exists for our area, Randonneurs et Pelerins 51. You can read more about their aims and the pilgrimage route from Reims to Vezelay here. One most gracious and generous aspect of this association is their chaîne d'hospitalité. By using this you can stay in family homes offering simple hospitality ie bed and board to pilgrims walking to Vezelay.

I hope that you find some of these suggestions helpful.

Bon chance et bon chemin,

Margaret Meredith

 

[vicrev]

I have walked France in December/January,sometimes the weather has been terrible,other times brilliant,but, usually cold.......the luck of the draw,really..............Vicrev

 

[mla1]

Hi Margaret, Thanks for these links. Your 2008 trip sounds like it was quite challenging! I've started to read the material on the RP51 site and will try to order their guidebook. I have also read most of your other trip-blogs. They are incredibly informative -- thanks for all the time you have put into them!

I'm still trying to make up my mind between the potential for company on the CF (starting in SJPP or Leon or somewhere closer to Santiago so that I could add on Finisterre or Muxia) or the chance to walk somewhere new and beautiful without company in France. I really like the idea of starting somewhere in the north and moving down year by year. I am also assuming that the various routes in the north are less remote and so more suitable for winter???

Mary Louise

 

[FatmaG]

How to resume all this in a few words...
In fact, I started in Aachen (Germany) (or Aix la Chapelle in French) and have been walking so far till Vézelay.
I did all this in plenty of stages and not all at once. As I live in Brussels, Belgium, this was a good possibility to be on a camino without having to wait for another (summer) holiday. In Belgium, I mostly spent two, tree or occasionally four days on the camino. Then, having reached the French border, my stages got longer.
From the border till Reims (mixing up the GR 654-long distance way AND the alternative way described by the RP51 association).
From Reims to Troyes (only following the description of the RP51 association)
From Brienne le Château (this is close to Troyes) till Vézelay (this time only following the GR waymarkings)

In Belgium, from Namur onwards (and perhaps before), the Dutch and Flemish associations speak of the 'pelgrimspad' - following mostly the river Maas (Meuse in French), whereas I followed the GR.
Between Aachen and Namur, I followed the Jacobean waymarkings.

I walked some sunny summer days, some rainy summer days, foggy autumn, sunny winter, snowy winter, sunny early spring and recently rather cold, greyish early spring)

Now, to tell you which one I preferred... hard to say. There is such a great variety in such a short distance.
All this is the way, every different part of it.
Belgian and French 'Ardennes' are rather hilly (well gently hilly, we are not in the Alps, neither in the Pyrenees and the highest points must still be well under 650m) with plenty of woods to cross.
Then you come through French farm lands, very flat, might seem unspectacular, but I liked them as well.
And after Reims some vineyards, then farmlands, some woods, then Burgundy with plenty of vineyards and lovely wine.

(if you have a facebook account, pm me your contact name or mail address, so I could let you see some of my pictures - I still have no blog, and no picasa account)