Voie d'Arles between Castres - Toulouse

[larapeel2890]

Hi everyone!

I am planning on walking part of the Voie d'Arles in October with my mum. We are planning on doing the section of the Gr653 between Castres to Toulouse over the course of a week. We are both new to walking in France and are looking for tips and tricks to make this trip as smooth as possible! We plan to fly/train to Toulouse and then out to Castres and walk back to Toulouse.

We are also unsure of what to do about accommodation on our trip. The website walkinfrance.info suggests we need a 'miam miam dodo' which has info on accommodation and eating spots but these seem to all be sold out! Are there any other guides people would recommend?

Best wishes,
Lara

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi Lara.

I would start by looking at the Gronze website which has lots of information for many caminos including the Arles Way. This link takes you to the Castres page. You can see accommodation options and distances between. You can browse in either direction.

Castres - Dourgne | Camino de Arles | Gronze.com

Con grandes esfuerzos para evitar las carreteras de mayor tránsito, aunque no del todo, la Federación que define el GR ha recuperado, todo un acierto, el paso por Dourgne. El recorrido resulta muy variado: ribereño del Agout al salir de Castres, por una amena campiña salpicada de árboles hasta...

www.gronze.com

Take your time to familiarise yourself with how the site works. There is a lot of useful information here.

Bon chemin.

 

[larapeel2890]

Hi Lara.

I would start by looking at the Gronze website which has lots of information for many caminos including the Arles Way. This link takes you to the Castres page. You can see accommodation options and distances between. You can browse in either direction.

Castres - Dourgne | Camino de Arles | Gronze.com

Con grandes esfuerzos para evitar las carreteras de mayor tránsito, aunque no del todo, la Federación que define el GR ha recuperado, todo un acierto, el paso por Dourgne. El recorrido resulta muy variado: ribereño del Agout al salir de Castres, por una amena campiña salpicada de árboles hasta...

www.gronze.com

Take your time to familiarise yourself with how the site works. There is a lot of useful information here.

Bon chemin.

That's great thank you! Will take a look now

 

[mspath]

larapeel2890,

Welcome to the forum.
Be sure to check out the many other posts and links in the forum section Voie de Arles. Tap the link marked with the French flag at the very top of your post to see these.

Good luck to you and your mother and Bon chemin.

 

[Former member 104756]

That's great thank you! Will take a look now

Lara. You’ll see that Gronze is in Spanish. If, like me, you don’t speak Spanish chrome browser will translate to English. But even without that the key info is easy to understand.

 

[Susan Maria]

Hello Lara, I also recommend Gronze. I used it together with Miam Miam Dodo on this route in May-June. If you would like a very peaceful first night about 22 km from Castres, I recommend the women's abbey at Dourgne called Abbaye Sainte Scholastique. Gronze has their telephone number. It's vegetarian and half board was 30 euros. Attending the mass sung by the nuns was a highlight of my trip.

Are you planning to stay mainly in municipal gîtes and self-cater, or stay in private gîtes with half board? If you need to buy food, be aware that shop opening times and days in small towns and villages in France are unpredictable. A French pilgrim (pèlerin) told me it's because of the French limit on working hours of 35 per week.

As you approach Toulouse (which is beautiful!) you have a choice of the official route or the "variante" by the canals. I would recommend the canal route for shade - but I haven't tried the other route. I was also forced to take the canal route because I had booked into La Goutille (private gîte) and then Écluse du Sanglier, which is an old canal office converted to a gîte run by the Friends of the Chemin. I mention this to feed into your planning, if you want to book in advance.

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi Lara - I was reluctant to mention any accommodations as it was April 2016 when we walked the Arles / Aragones Way so I didn't know how relevant my information would be. But. like @Susan Maria, we stayed at the Abbaye Saint Scholastique and at La Goutille gite. And in between at La Passeur-Elle, with the lovely Mme Christian Lambin. I see from Gronze that La Passeur-Elle is still operating. Very happy at all three

 

[StephenT]

Yes - I walked to Toulouse in June/August 2022 - I highly recommend BOTH the canal route (- the Rigole as well as the Canal du Midi itself - quiet, peaceful and easy going, if perhaps a little boring after a while) AND the gite of Passeur Elle
Bon chemin
Stephen in NZ
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[larapeel2890]

Hi all,

Thank you for the recommendations! I will have a look on the Gronze website and check them out.