Thoughts about sending a bag ahead?

[Lalo]

Hi Folks! Great info in this forum! Thank you.
Any thoughts about sending a bag ahead?
I'm flying into Lyon on 2 Apr. of this year. My final goal destination for this trip is Seviac.
Will have my backpack (which I'll walk with) and another medium bag (which I can't walk with). Is it possible to send a medium bag ahead, or do I need to take a bus all the way to Seviac, where I've already found a nice Gite owner who's willing to store my bag or two weeks or thereabouts, then take a bus back to Le Puy? Seems like a time-waster to do all that travel by bus before walking, but I don't have any other ideas.
I have a time limit for this trip. Also, I can't afford 200E or something like that for the bag problem! Something more like 60E.
Thanks, Eduardo

 

[mspath]

Check out the Spanish Post Office/Correos service for sending luggage ahead.

Send luggage along the Camino de Santiago

With Correos you can send your luggage to any point on the Camino de Santiago with the Paq Peregrino.

www.elcaminoconcorreos.com

Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[Glenshiro]

Do you mean Seviac near Montreal du Gers?

 

[Lalo]

Séviac Roman Villa, Midi-Pyrénées, France

Travel guide for Séviac Roman Villa in Midi-Pyrénées, France.

www.sloweurope.com

 

[Lalo]

Looks like this might be my answer. Only 44 euros to send one bag from Lyon to Seviac.

Baggage Shipping to France | Send a Parcel to France - Send My Bag

Shipping to France, door to door. Send a parcel to France, or a bike, golf clubs or skis to France at low cost. Get your instant online quote in seconds.

www.sendmybag.com

 

[Glenshiro]

Looks like good value. An alternative (based in Le Puy) might be La Malle Postale (in French, but view it in Chrome and translate.)

Enjoy the journey - it's a beautiful part of France. The villa in Seviac, little-known elsewhere, is fascinating. As a matter of interest, where will you stay in Seviac?

 

[Lalo]

Thank you, Ivar
La Malle Postale may be better, as it would let me hold on to my bag until I start walking! I'll check their prices. Thank you! I've been learning a little French and will get by on their site. ;-)
I'm staying at Berdale when I finish this year's Camino, for three nights of rest! https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/berdale.html
Eduardo McKay
St Jean pied de port to Santiago - March/April 2011

 

[Glenshiro]

Looks like a great place. I assume you've discovered the lack of public transport in the area - Eauze has one bus in each direction a day.

 

[Lalo]

Good reminder!
If all goes to plan, I have a friend meeting me at the end, and she'll have an auto. (But when do things EVER go to plan?!..)
Out of curiosity, what is the normal course of the French Camino after Cabrerets (for people heading to St. Jean PPP)?? Do they head from Auvillar to Auch? Is it only walking, with no emergency public transport throughout the region? I know it's not hard to get by bus from Auvillar to Toulouse (Toulouse is where my friend flies in). I could always meet her in Toulouse and drive to Montreal/Seviac with her.
I've heard differing stories about the course of the Camino in this area -- it seems to split up and meet up with other routes. Mostly, I'm not wanting to get too far away from the gites after Cabrerets, as they are less expensive than hotels, and usually more social. I guess most people walk solely on roads after Cahors.
Thanks for your help.
Eduardo

 

[Glenshiro]

Good morning, Lalo,

I assume you have consulted Miam Miam Dodo? After Cabrerets, I took the GR651 to Bouziès on the south side of the Lôt where I picked up the GR36 to Cahors to rejoin the GR65/Chemin de Compostelle.

From Cahors (which you can bypass if you want, but why would you?) one proceeds westward via Moissac, Auvillar, Lectoure, Condom and Montréal de Gers (all beautiful small towns) to reach Seviac. Auch is way off-piste to the south (although there is a trail, the GRP Coeur de Gascogne to Auch from Condom.)

If you follow the balises, you won't go far wrong. Bon chemin!

 

[t2andreo]

I recommend holding on to your bag until you arrive at your starting place. Then, access the local post office (La Poste) to send the bag as a parcel. If you are sending from one French place to another French place. This is the most economical method IMHO.

As you have already obtained the agreement of the recipient, this is easy-peasy. Get a tracking number, and have the name address phone and e-mail of the recipient. They will ask for all of that when you send it.

La Poste has an free app available for Android and Apple on the respective websites. Use this to track your bag. Also, ask the recipient to tell you when he / she receives your bag. Knowing that your bag arrived allays a LOT of anxiety.

If sending across a national frontier, using the post office does not work as well, as all cross border shipments are considered international, even between EU states. this interjects more time, complexity, and cost. Some, including me have had problems shipping things from one country to another using the national postal systems.

However, sending wholly from and two a place wholly within one country, use that country's national post system. The Spanish el Correos works great, as does the CTT (Portugal) for in-country point-to-point. I presume France's system, will work as well.

Hope this helps.

 

[Glenshiro]

And now, good evening!

I only answered half your question: first of all, there are no buses that I know from Auvillar to anywhere. To get to Toulouse you would need to walk or get a taxi to the nearest railway station, (Valence, 6 km away) from where a train will take you to Toulouse Matabiau station (the main one, to the north of the city) in about 3 1/2 hours.

As for public transport, there is a daily bus service, once per day in either direction, from Agen to Pau, via Condom, Eauze and Aire sur l'Adour. Details here. Agen is on the same railway line as Valence, but nearer Toulouse.

The Chemin, after Cahors, is still mainly rural tracks, with occasional roads.