Perception is an amazing thing. I am a 76 year old Scot and will be walking the Camino from Le Puy to Santiago in June/July. I have walked multiple Caminos. My first being in 2007 when I began from Brux, south of Poitiers (where I lived at the time) to Santiago. On all of my Caminos I have always stayed in gites/albergues. I enjoy meeting my fellow pilgrims from all four corners of the globe. I have never met any form of "galley slave" in Spanish albergues. I have never had a bad meal in Spain, either in an albergue or beyond. I have often wondered how they can give a three course meal with bread and wine for the cost of a Big Mac and Coke. In recent years, there is a growing percentage of through hikers, mostly American, who shun the traditional Camino experience for something that is more akin to a tourist experience.In fact the Spanish refer to them as turigrinos rather than perigrinos. They invariably stay in private accommodation and send their bags on by courier service. In the evenings they can often be seen and heard ( why are Yanks so loud) talking business with fellow Americans whilst having an expensive meal in their hotel. Meanwhile the traditional pilgrims, such as myself, will be enjoying a communal pilgrim meal and having a great time.
Amazing vidéo. I really really loved it as I am going to start my walk on August 15….. I know it will be so hot but I am so exited and your video is just the best and so informative. Thank you so much you both
This video was very influential in our selection of Le Puy to Conques as our first Camino experience. It was the best trip we have ever taken. For all the reasons mentioned in this video and more. Thank you!
oh my goodness, there’s my beautiful friends at Castetnau-Camblong «Villa Mouchoux» … Lydie et Michel … so many wonderful memories of my stays with these lovely folks❣️
Stumbled upon this as well. It has gotten me all excited about the Chemin du Puy, which I'm doing this spring. Having done the Português Coastal and the Francês, it was so interesting to learn about the differences. Such a well-balanced, informative, and entertaining presentation. Thank you, Andy & Kate, and best wishes for your future caminos!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I loved my experience on the camino from St. Jean Pied du Port to Santiago. My plan is now to do Le Puy en Valey to St. Jean and then Irun along the north coast of Spain to Santiago. I tend to trust the locals and the camino and don't bring any technology, but I might this time around in order to reserve a day in advance en route in France as you suggested.
Hi Andy, after doing two Camino Frances, I’ve been looking around for other routes, with an eye on the Via Podiensis. Your video, with its wealth of information, and personal (and fun) point of view really gave me a good perspective on it all. Great overview (and very tempting)! oh and ‘miam miam dodo’ is colloquial French for ‘eat & sleep’, as far as I can tell. one thing I loved on the Frances was the social aspect (check my videos if you’re interested) - I trust this one’s a more solitary experience? cheers
Thanks! There will definitely be fewer people than on the Frances, but you won't be alone. More like on the Primitivo or the Norte. And thanks for the heads-up on Miam Miam Dodo. Always wondered what that meant.
Hu Andy, Kate, many thanks for this video which I stumbled on while looking for more info about the Le Puy route. I am arriving in Barcelona on Sept 27, 2021, and plan to start at Le Puy by Oct 1. The video and your commentaries are very helpful. I now have a good idea of what to expect. Very encouraged except for my late start date,i.e. colder(?).
Love you video! Very informative! Question..which version of the Miam Dodo do I buy? I’m planning on doing from Le Puy to connect up to the Camino Francis March to May in 2023. There are so many of the books 🤷🏼♀️
Thanks, Kris. To get the books, go to the web site of the publisher, Le Vieux Crayon. www.levieuxcrayon.com/collections/miam-miam-dodo-compostelle. The first two books that come up will be the ones you need. The first covers Le Puy to Cahors, and the second covers Cahors to Roncesvalles, which is the first stage in Spain on the Frances. If you're planning to do the Cele and / or Rocamadour variants, the third book listed covers those sections. Note that they're also now offering these books as e-editions, so you can have them on your phone rather than carrying the paper. It looks like the app edition has been discontinued. Before ordering anything,however, I'd email the publisher to find out when the 2023 edition will be available (probably in the fall, if you can wait that long). One more thing: since we walked, Cicerone Press has come out with a new English language guidebook on the route by Dave Whitson, who wrote a book on the Norte. Wise Pilgrim also has a new app. out on the route. I haven't seen either of these, but knowing Whitson's other book and also the Wise PIlgrim apps., I doubt they would be as comprehensive and detailed as is Miam Miam Dodo, especially on logistics, but if you can afford the expenditures, the electronic versions won't weigh you down and they'd provide you with more accessible general information and background than would Miam Miam Dodo (assuming your French isn't fluent).
@@andycohn8046 I couldn’t wait & bought the 2022 editions (book 1 & 2). The were very expensive but I am happy to have them! I looked through them last night, and although I don’t know French, seems like I will be able to get a lot of good i information out of them!
Thank you! - Very interesting and informative! Plz could you let me know - are there areas on the route where you find you have to walk through herds of free ranging cows - as that would worry me a bit. Also worried about unchained ferocious farm dogs. Are there many of those? Is it safe for a female to do this walk alone ?
Hi Josephine,. There's no shortage of cows, but I never saw one that was ranging free. All safely fenced and not at all threatening. The same with dogs. In France, dogs are largely kept as pets, and they're very friendly. I never saw an unchained ferocious farm dog, and never heard of anyone who had problems with dogs. Also, we saw many women walking alone, and never heard of any of them having problems. Rural France is just not a threatening place on any level. I hope this addresses your concerns.
Just found your videos. Great information. The very informative and helpful video I ever saw. You did a great job on making this video. We are going to be starting on the same date you did. We will arrive in Paris on 09/16/21, spending few days in Paris, take the train to Le Puy en Velay on 09/20, START THE LEY PUY CAMINO ON 09/21!!!! Planning to walk to SJPP and then to Irun. Return to the US on 11/02. Don't need a sleeping bag at all? Did you get some rain during your walk? Do we need to take a rain poncho, or rain jacket should be enough? How about a padding jacket? Can I pay with a credit card at the gite? I greatly appreciate your advice.
Hi Stephanie, Thanks for the kind words. In answer to your questions: 1) All the gites provide blankets and bottom sheets, although they were warm enough that I rarely used a blanket. A sleep sheet (aka sleeping bag liner) is essential, however. The situation may be a little different now with covid, as I read several posts on the Via Podiensis facebook page sating that some gites had discontinued supplying blankets. For contemporary information, I would join the Via Podiensis Facebook group, and post a question. Brownen Perry, who posted below, is one of its organizers and he is super knowledgeable and helpful. You could also post a query on the Camino Forum, which has a sub-forum devoted to the Le Puy / Via Podiensis route. 2) We certainly got rain on our walk, on multiple occasions, and you almost certainly will, too. The best source for weather information that I know is Weatherspark. weatherspark.com/ Plug in a few cities along the route, and you'll get month to month (even day to day) averages for temperature, rainfall, and a whole bunch of things you never knew you wanted, like cloud cover, humidity, winds, etc., etc. 3) Personally, I prefer a rain jacket and rain pants to a poncho -- both because they keep me drier overall and because they serve double duty. The rain jacket, for example, functioned as the only jacket I took. As to a padding jacket, I don't know what you mean. Beyond the T-shirt I always wore, my only overgarments were a merino wool sweater and the rain jacket. My wife took a super-light down vest instead of the sweater. 4) Some gites allow you to pay by credit card, but my recollection is that half or more took cash only. So make sure you stay stocked up with cash. Note that you're mostly going through very small villages, many of which will not have a bank or ATM. For example, from Navarrenx to St. Jean (3 days walk for most people) you won't find a cash machine. Miam Miam Dodo lists all the towns with ATM's, so pay attention to that. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.
Thank you for this video. I am preparing my Camino from Le Puy for late August, I found a lot of useful information. You mentioned you managed to avoid the industrial area in Burgos. How did you find the alternative route? Thank you again!
Hi Julie, When I mentioned Burgos in my presentation, and the alternative river route which avoids the industrial sprawl leading into that city, I was referring to the city on the Camino Frances in Spain, and not to any place on the Le Puy route (which has no such ugly stretches). I'm assuming you understood that. The alternative approach to Burgos is described in detail in John Brierley's guide to the Frances, as well as in the Wise Pilgrim guidebook. The Wisely Wise Pilgrim app. also describes it, and has a gps map which makes it easy to follow. Windy Maps, which is an excellent and free general mapping app also shows the river route, labelled as "Rutas Alternativas." The Camino Forum also contains several threads discussing the river route, and in the Forum's Resources section you can download "GPS tracks of all Spanish caminos in one file" for use with either maps.me or google earth. That, too, shows the alternative river route into Burgos. Of course you may have better things to do with your life. Andy
Perception is an amazing thing.
I am a 76 year old Scot and will be walking the Camino from Le Puy to Santiago in June/July.
I have walked multiple Caminos.
My first being in 2007 when I began from Brux, south of Poitiers (where I lived at the time) to Santiago.
On all of my Caminos I have always stayed in gites/albergues.
I enjoy meeting my fellow pilgrims from all four corners of the globe.
I have never met any form of "galley slave" in Spanish albergues.
I have never had a bad meal in Spain, either in an albergue or beyond.
I have often wondered how they can give a three course meal with bread and wine for the cost of a Big Mac and Coke.
In recent years, there is a growing percentage of through hikers, mostly American, who shun the traditional Camino experience for something that is more akin to a tourist experience.In fact the Spanish refer to them as turigrinos rather than perigrinos.
They invariably stay in private accommodation and send their bags on by courier service.
In the evenings they can often be seen and heard ( why are Yanks so loud) talking business with fellow Americans whilst having an expensive meal in their hotel.
Meanwhile the traditional pilgrims, such as myself, will be enjoying a communal pilgrim meal and having a great time.
Amazing vidéo. I really really loved it as I am going to start my walk on August 15….. I know it will be so hot but I am so exited and your video is just the best and so informative. Thank you so much you both
Enjoy!
I’m sold! I’m looking for solitude and this sounds magical. My plan is a solo trip summer of 2026 to celebrate 30 years of teaching!
This video was very influential in our selection of Le Puy to Conques as our first Camino experience. It was the best trip we have ever taken. For all the reasons mentioned in this video and more. Thank you!
Thanks! And I'm especially happy that your trip was so good.
Thank you for this delightful and very helpful presentation! I am wanting to walk the Le Puy trail, and this has reinforced that (tentative) plan.
Good to hear! Thanks.
I am downloading this for future reference. Thank you.
oh my goodness, there’s my beautiful friends at Castetnau-Camblong «Villa Mouchoux» … Lydie et Michel … so many wonderful memories of my stays with these lovely folks❣️
Stumbled upon this as well. It has gotten me all excited about the Chemin du Puy, which I'm doing this spring. Having done the Português Coastal and the Francês, it was so interesting to learn about the differences. Such a well-balanced, informative, and entertaining presentation. Thank you, Andy & Kate, and best wishes for your future caminos!
Thank you, Judy. Bone up on your French, and Bon Chemin!
Interesting and useful information. We hope to walk Le Puy to Cahors in May as we are in our 70s our pace will be much slower than yours
The best route! i did it in 26 days in 2018.
Thank you! So much useful information
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I loved my experience on the camino from St. Jean Pied du Port to Santiago. My plan is now to do Le Puy en Valey to St. Jean and then Irun along the north coast of Spain to Santiago. I tend to trust the locals and the camino and don't bring any technology, but I might this time around in order to reserve a day in advance en route in France as you suggested.
Hi Andy, after doing two Camino Frances, I’ve been looking around for other routes, with an eye on the Via Podiensis. Your video, with its wealth of information, and personal (and fun) point of view really gave me a good perspective on it all. Great overview (and very tempting)! oh and ‘miam miam dodo’ is colloquial French for ‘eat & sleep’, as far as I can tell.
one thing I loved on the Frances was the social aspect (check my videos if you’re interested) - I trust this one’s a more solitary experience? cheers
Thanks! There will definitely be fewer people than on the Frances, but you won't be alone. More like on the Primitivo or the Norte. And thanks for the heads-up on Miam Miam Dodo. Always wondered what that meant.
cool! ok, now it's in my head...@@andycohn8046
Hu Andy, Kate, many thanks for this video which I stumbled on while looking for more info about the Le Puy route. I am arriving in Barcelona on Sept 27, 2021, and plan to start at Le Puy by Oct 1. The video and your commentaries are very helpful. I now have a good idea of what to expect. Very encouraged except for my late start date,i.e. colder(?).
Glad it was helpful. Who knows about the weather anyway? Bon chemin!
Love you video! Very informative! Question..which version of the Miam Dodo do I buy? I’m planning on doing from Le Puy to connect up to the Camino Francis March to May in 2023. There are so many of the books 🤷🏼♀️
Thanks, Kris. To get the books, go to the web site of the publisher, Le Vieux Crayon. www.levieuxcrayon.com/collections/miam-miam-dodo-compostelle. The first two books that come up will be the ones you need. The first covers Le Puy to Cahors, and the second covers Cahors to Roncesvalles, which is the first stage in Spain on the Frances. If you're planning to do the Cele and / or Rocamadour variants, the third book listed covers those sections. Note that they're also now offering these books as e-editions, so you can have them on your phone rather than carrying the paper. It looks like the app edition has been discontinued. Before ordering anything,however, I'd email the publisher to find out when the 2023 edition will be available (probably in the fall, if you can wait that long). One more thing: since we walked, Cicerone Press has come out with a new English language guidebook on the route by Dave Whitson, who wrote a book on the Norte. Wise Pilgrim also has a new app. out on the route. I haven't seen either of these, but knowing Whitson's other book and also the Wise PIlgrim apps., I doubt they would be as comprehensive and detailed as is Miam Miam Dodo, especially on logistics, but if you can afford the expenditures, the electronic versions won't weigh you down and they'd provide you with more accessible general information and background than would Miam Miam Dodo (assuming your French isn't fluent).
@@andycohn8046 I couldn’t wait & bought the 2022 editions (book 1 & 2). The were very expensive but I am happy to have them! I looked through them last night, and although I don’t know French, seems like I will be able to get a lot of good i information out of them!
Thank you! - Very interesting and informative! Plz could you let me know - are there areas on the route where you find you have to walk through herds of free ranging cows - as that would worry me a bit. Also worried about unchained ferocious farm dogs. Are there many of those? Is it safe for a female to do this walk alone ?
Hi Josephine,. There's no shortage of cows, but I never saw one that was ranging free. All safely fenced and not at all threatening. The same with dogs. In France, dogs are largely kept as pets, and they're very friendly. I never saw an unchained ferocious farm dog, and never heard of anyone who had problems with dogs. Also, we saw many women walking alone, and never heard of any of them having problems. Rural France is just not a threatening place on any level. I hope this addresses your concerns.
Just found your videos. Great information.
The very informative and helpful video I ever saw. You did a great job on making this video.
We are going to be starting on the same date you did.
We will arrive in Paris on 09/16/21, spending few days in Paris, take the train to Le Puy en Velay on 09/20, START THE LEY PUY CAMINO ON 09/21!!!!
Planning to walk to SJPP and then to Irun. Return to the US on 11/02.
Don't need a sleeping bag at all? Did you get some rain during your walk? Do we need to take a rain poncho, or rain jacket should be enough?
How about a padding jacket? Can I pay with a credit card at the gite?
I greatly appreciate your advice.
Hi Stephanie, Thanks for the kind words. In answer to your questions: 1) All the gites provide blankets and bottom sheets, although they were warm enough that I rarely used a blanket. A sleep sheet (aka sleeping bag liner) is essential, however. The situation may be a little different now with covid, as I read several posts on the Via Podiensis facebook page sating that some gites had discontinued supplying blankets. For contemporary information, I would join the Via Podiensis Facebook group, and post a question. Brownen Perry, who posted below, is one of its organizers and he is super knowledgeable and helpful. You could also post a query on the Camino Forum, which has a sub-forum devoted to the Le Puy / Via Podiensis route. 2) We certainly got rain on our walk, on multiple occasions, and you almost certainly will, too. The best source for weather information that I know is Weatherspark. weatherspark.com/ Plug in a few cities along the route, and you'll get month to month (even day to day) averages for temperature, rainfall, and a whole bunch of things you never knew you wanted, like cloud cover, humidity, winds, etc., etc. 3) Personally, I prefer a rain jacket and rain pants to a poncho -- both because they keep me drier overall and because they serve double duty. The rain jacket, for example, functioned as the only jacket I took. As to a padding jacket, I don't know what you mean. Beyond the T-shirt I always wore, my only overgarments were a merino wool sweater and the rain jacket. My wife took a super-light down vest instead of the sweater. 4) Some gites allow you to pay by credit card, but my recollection is that half or more took cash only. So make sure you stay stocked up with cash. Note that you're mostly going through very small villages, many of which will not have a bank or ATM. For example, from Navarrenx to St. Jean (3 days walk for most people) you won't find a cash machine. Miam Miam Dodo lists all the towns with ATM's, so pay attention to that. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions.
@@andycohn930 Thank you so much for all this great information! Your advice is very much appreciated!!
Thank you for this video. I am preparing my Camino from Le Puy for late August, I found a lot of useful information. You mentioned you managed to avoid the industrial area in Burgos. How did you find the alternative route? Thank you again!
Hi Julie, When I mentioned Burgos in my presentation, and the alternative river route which avoids the industrial sprawl leading into that city, I was referring to the city on the Camino Frances in Spain, and not to any place on the Le Puy route (which has no such ugly stretches). I'm assuming you understood that. The alternative approach to Burgos is described in detail in John Brierley's guide to the Frances, as well as in the Wise Pilgrim guidebook. The Wisely Wise Pilgrim app. also describes it, and has a gps map which makes it easy to follow. Windy Maps, which is an excellent and free general mapping app also shows the river route, labelled as "Rutas Alternativas." The Camino Forum also contains several threads discussing the river route, and in the Forum's Resources section you can download "GPS tracks of all Spanish caminos in one file" for use with either maps.me or google earth. That, too, shows the alternative river route into Burgos.
Of course you may have better things to do with your life.
Andy
Oh no, a tooth sucker…
It’s so annoying, every 5 seconds 😂😂