Toilet facilities on the Le Puy Route?

[annehoff]

Are there toilets on route or at least the possibility of stepping off the trail and hiding behind a bush without offending locals? I was on a training walk in the city on Sunday -drank lots of water, but could find no facilities on the way. Yikes! Made me wonder.............

 

[jl]

Hi Anne, as this post is in the Le Puy section I will assume that is what you are refferring to. On that path there is usually plenty of step off places (and as yet unspoiled like the Camino Frances!). The early part of the path needs special attention with prevention of litter though, as much of this is in higher altitudes and toilet paper should be carried out or be well and truly buried as it would not decompose at the altitude. Public toilets are not too much in evidence though. I used to stop at a Bar for a coffee and somehting to eat and make use of their facilities. Another thing I discovered further down the track was that many of the Maries provided toilets (some only during office hours!) Indeed when walking on the Vezelay path I stopped at the Marie a number of times to used the facilities, and the women in the office filled my water bottle a number of times too. Cheers, Janet

 

[Thornley]

We have just returned from walking from Le Puy to St.J P De P and except for the last 50km we found that anywhere on the way you have privacy.
[ We completed St. J to Finasterre three years ago ]
We commenced this year on the 6th June and finished in the 20th July and would have seen no more than "5 people " a day whilst walking. We left early, took our time, had rests whenever, walked no more than 25km a day and that was our situation.
They grew in the late afternoon when accommodation was sought so Anne unless you take the newspaper to read you will have no worries.
Janet has given the correct advice. Women are always welcome in the Mayors office.They take an interest in the walkers , especially from overseas and always respect . Order an expresso , add the sugar, feel revitalised and then visit the loo in the cafe.
To the humerous I recommend a movie " The Bucket List" to all walkers/ pilgrims , and whilst smiling and being politically correct find at least 2 out of the 3 principles mentioned by Jack Nicholson to Morgan Freeman are paramount to a successful Camino. To the young ones maybe the three.
Have a great journey as the french way is beautiful and should be really enjoyed.
David

 

[Anniesantiago]

Please do not attempt to bury toilet paper along the Camino.

Carry a hankerchief and wash it each evening or carry a ziplock bag and carry your paper out.

There is an entire thread on this if you're interested, complete with horrible photos of what it looks like when people leave behind their mess!

 

[Thornley]

Hi Anne,

I am sorry for my previous wording however i find that you might be missing the Australian sense of humour or our terminology.

Janet said to consider the use the Mayors office in the towns.
She also mentioned about having a coffee and the cafe's bars loo and Janet also said that there were many places to step off the path.

I concured with all the above as we have just completed the 750km walk , only last week.

The use of my term " unless you take a newspaper " in Australia means one really takes their time [ reading the daily paper] and normally avoiding work or chores. The emphasis to your original question was on the time and privacy.
And as i said we only meet around 5 pilgrims/walkers per day so you would find no problem in stepping off the path as Janet said.
Unless Annie you took the newspaper to read.

In case you never saw "The Bucket List" which was a wonderful movie , one of Jack Nicholsons rules as he got older was;

NEVER PASS UP A BATHROOM.

The other two rules are in the movie.
Keep well,
David

 

[jl]

David, I think Annie was referring (correctly) to the dreadful mess left by people on the edge of the Camino frances with toilet paper. Sometimes there may be ocasions when it is necessary to use tp and that is when I was referring to burying - and I would burn too, as we do in bushwalking here. However, it is always best to use the toilet facilities if possible because that reduces the stress on the environment - especially in high altitude areas. I must say though, that when I was on the Le Puy path - which has pretty heavy traffic - it is evident that the path is treated with more respect than the Camino Frances. So too was the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. I suspect that the Camino Frances is in the state it is in because people walk it who may be ill prepared and have no training / experience on how to deal with toilet stops and because of this inexperience they are unaware of the damage that they can cause to the environment (apart from the unsanitariness of it).

Hope you enjoyed your walk David - it is a beautiful way isn't it? Cheers, Janet

 

[ostend]

Re: what toilet facilities?

I just returned from walking the first half of the French Route. It was generally a pleasant and rewarding experience, but I was surprised by the almost complete lack of toilet facilities along the route. A route that's a thousand years old with thousands of walkers each year, and no facilities? Every town and city derives significant revenue from hospitality services, and yet no facilities? It was obvious that most private property owners resent the untidy deposits left by walkers. The barbed wire fences and gates keep walkers out rather than keep sheep in. Any unguarded bush or hedge turns into a public latrine. There's the obvious sanitary concern, but also a personal safety issue. I'm sure many people, especially women, avoid drinking water to avoid the inevitable search for cover.

A bit of a rant, but Spain...what's up with that!?

 

[Icacos]

I'm sure many people, especially women, avoid drinking water to avoid the inevitable search for cover.

We women don't have to curtail our water intake. I think it was a gal from Australia who mentioned this earlier - you can check it out on http://www.go-girl.com/. We could even write our names in the snow.

 

[k-fun]

There are various FUDs (Female Urinary Devices) available. I suggest you try them in the shower before deciding if you want to use them on the trail. I personally preferred wearing a skirt without undies. The skirt provided privacy, which was important especially on the Meseta where there are few trees and open expanses. It also had the advantage of not having to remove the backpack, though many women can urinate without doing so.

When you do need to squat, please bury the results. When the soil is too dry and hard to dig, use stones to bury the "landmines." Carry out the toilet paper or use biodegradable wipes. Many people do neither and the lone true or bush is littered with soiled TP and poop, making it difficult to find a place to squat.

Restricting water intake is not a wise thing to do. Cramping, heat stroke, and discomfort can result. This does not mean you need to carry copious amounts of water. When towns are not far apart, a one-liter plastic bottle of water will do. You can either use the town's water fountain to refill the bottle or buy a new one. When towns are father apart, I recommend two bottles.

The only time I recommend having more water is when crossing the Pyrenees. There are only two fountains. When I climbed last year there, was only the Fontaine de Roland.

Buen Camino

 

[ericdouglas]

Please do not attempt to bury toilet paper along the Camino.

Carry a hankerchief and wash it each evening or carry a ziplock bag and carry your paper out.

There is an entire thread on this if you're interested, complete with horrible photos of what it looks like when people leave behind their mess!

I am a male walking the CF next April. It is fact that people have been taking dumps in nature for centuries. If I need to do so I'll be finding a private spot (if possible) and using a small trowel to bury what I leave behind. It is completely unreasonable and filthy to carry human waste around with you. There is a reason why it is called waste.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I am a male walking the CF next April. It is fact that people have been taking dumps in nature for centuries. If I need to do so I'll be finding a private spot (if possible) and using a small trowel to bury what I leave behind. It is completely unreasonable and filthy to carry human waste around with you. There is a reason why it is called waste.

Hi Eric,

First of all, if you read the entire thread, you will see I was mainly addressing women, who PEE and leave their nasty paper on the path.
Carrying a hankerchief to use is an excellent, tried and true option.

Second of all, it is a fact that people have been taking dumps in nature for centuries.
But until you have walked the Camino and have seen the white trail of urine smelling paper along the route, you really don't know what you're talking about. A few people using a tree is a much different matter than thousands of people leaving a trail of dirty toilet paper for 1000 kilometers. It's not only impolite, it's not neighborly, and it's pig-like.

It is not unreasonable to ask you to carry your toilet paper out of the area at all. It is, after all, yours.
Animals dig up your "buried waste" unless it's buried quite deep. "Deep enough" is 6 to 8 inches, which may sound easy but is not on much of the terrain along the Camino - as it is hard as a rock.

Please do not burn toilet paper on the Camino.
You could start a wildfire!

If you're incontinent and cannot schedule your dumps in the toilet before you leave, then bury your poop and carry your paper out!
It's part of the "Leave No Trace" principles used by responsible packers everywhere:

Dispose of Waste Properly

• Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter.
• Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
• Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.

http://lnt.org/learn/7-principles

 

[Sixwheeler]

Walking on the Arles Way in September I was in occasional company of four delightful French ladies over several days. We didn't walk 'together' but kept bumping into each other. One thing was certain however, that every time I emerged from the undergrowth they would be there; however carefully I had checked beforehand that I was alone.

 

[Kathy F.]

Eric, I understand your cringe factor reference carrying human waste with you. But it has become a fact of life on well used trails around the world. Leave no trace means exactly that. The Camino Frances moves from village to village so it will be possible to not need to use the great outdoors. However, it will probably be a necessity at least once. You must clean up after yourself. Sorry.

My "toilet kit" consisted of a small roll of toilet paper, some hand sanitizer, some small zip-loc sandwich bags, all in a larger zip loc bag. The locations where people do not clean up after themselves are noteworthy in the worst way. Please do not add to the misery.

I'm a camper and have found that people rarely have the time nor inclination to dig catholes properly, at the proper distance. Two hundred feet from the trail? Get your shovel out of your pack and dig a hole 8 inches deep?? Also, much of the Camino Frances goes through open fields, vineyards, parks and virtual backyards. I found that people traveled the minimum distance off the trail for privacy, nothing more.

Hey, it's just human nature! So clean up after yourself and head for the nearest trash can. No one will think the less for you. People clean up after their dogs, right? It's for everyone's benefit.

This day on my Camino, I found one town's solution. You're welcome to read. http://kathyfootenotes.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/caminodecampostella/

 

[GreatDane]

I carry poop in a bag 0nce or twice a day when I clean up after my XL dog when we are out for our walks. I plan on bringing a half roll of the biodegradable type of dog poo bags along with my emergency roll of TP and dispose of them in garbage receptacles.

 

[billmclaughlin]

Everybody's different and every body is different, but I hiked this chemin in sept/oct and never had to use anything but standard plumbing for waste. Just wasn't an issue. And if course I wasn't camping.

Bill

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Wow, great discussion on human waste! It is a huge problem on the Camino and other popular destinations. I started a photographic journal of what I have seen. But besides that. One thing people CAN do to mitigate the unsightliness is to at least pack out your toilet paper. This is NOT rocket science. A double zip lock will work just fine and you can dump it in the trash at the end of the day. For the ladies, I use a half or even an intact bandanna and tie it on my pack and it dries quickly. In the evenings I wash it with my socks or whatever. We need to get over this idea that our own pee and poo is evil. Eventually, there will be some cholera or typhoid on the Camino Frances and people will wise up.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A double zip lock will work just fine and you can dump it in the trash at the end of the day.

There are laws against human waste in basura. It should be disposed of in a septic system or municipal treatment system. It makes sense from a public health standpoint.

 

[Anniesantiago]

View attachment 7287

This day on my Camino, I found one town's solution. You're welcome to read. http://kathyfootenotes.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/caminodecampostella/

I LOVE the photo! ::laughing:: Maybe I'll make copies and post them all along the Way!

 

[Anniesantiago]

There are laws against human waste in basura. It should be disposed of in a septic system or municipal treatment system. It makes sense from a public health standpoint.

There are?

 

[Tincatinker]

There are laws against most things... Disposal of human (or dog) waste is supposed to be done in designated receptacles. Dog poop is usually collected for incineration, so if you are prepared to bag it out there is the perfect receptacle for your baggie. Otherwise try and ensure your "package" is dumped - pun intended - where it will will go to land-fill or incineration, that is not one the bins marked for recycling.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

There are laws against human waste in basura. It should be disposed of in a septic system or municipal treatment system. It makes sense from a public health standpoint.

Not the poo just the paper...

 

[Thornley]

Everybody's different and every body is different, but I hiked this chemin in sept/oct and never had to use anything but standard plumbing for waste. Just wasn't an issue. And if course I wasn't camping.

Bill

Correct William
Toilet before you start , if you enter a town spend a quid and buy a drink , use toilet
The distance of the towns along the Gr65 allows the above to occur.
This is a wasted topic as the Le Puy route is 10000% different than Camino Francis.

I'm sure Anne Hoff who commenced this topic in 2010 has either realised;
1/ What a silly question , or
2/ She is still walking around on the Aubrac looking for a spot.

Anne asked a simple question and requested answers from those who have walked Le Puy
Only 4 people who answered have done this GR.
All other comments were irrelevant and got away from the subject/matter

Keep well all and safe and happy Christmas,