Chemins de Compostelle : Arles - Lodève
France, Massif Central
Chemins de Compostelle : Aire sur Adour - St Jean Pied de Port
France, Pyrenees / central Pyrenees
Rando walk
Linear Trek
Price
(from) :
920
Duration :
10 days
Mode :
Liberté
Next departure :
Freedom
Hike feasible in :
janv
fev
mar
avr
mai
juin
juil
aout
sept
oct
nov
dec
For hundreds of years, these tracks have been used by pilgrims and walkers. Following these footpaths which are steeped in history and visit so many different places, you will be captivated by both the variety and interest of the countryside you pass through. This long-distance walk may be the world’s oldest, following as it does the Roman road known as the “Via Agrippa” which linked Lyon and Toulouse.
Travel diary
Day 01 : Aire sur Adour ou Barcelonne du Guers
Arrive at the hotel at the end of the afternoon; have dinner
and pass the night in Aire or in Barcelonne du Gers.
Day 02
AIRE SUR ADOUR - MIRAMONT SENSACQ
From Aire, an ancient roman town (with a cathedral), at the
end of the town, you will walk close to the lac du Brousseau among
cultures for arrive at Pontet which is 12 km away. After that, go
to Pimbo. On the way you will pass the church of Sensacq, which is
built in a Romanesque style and dates from the 11th century.
18 km about 5 hours
You can choose the departure from Barcelone du Gers : +2.5
km
Or AIRE SUR ADOUR - ARZACQ ARRAZIGUET
From Aire, an ancient roman town (with a cathedral), at the
end of the town, you will walk close to the lac du Brousseau among
cultures for arrive at Pontet which is 12 km away. After that, go
to Pimbo. On the way you will pass the church of Sensacq, which is
built in a Romanesque style and dates from the 11th century. The
road will get more rolling when joining Pimbo, on of the oldest
farmhouses in the Landes. Then you will arrive in Arzacq where you
definetely should stop to admire church, Peich Tour and Louis XIII
Tour) - 33 km
Day 03
MIRAMONT SENSACQ - LARREULE
After Pimbo, carry on until you reach ARZACQ. After leaving
ARZACQ, head for the church of St Martin de Louvigny. Then follow
the road along the ridge until you get to Fichous-Riumayou. Keep
going until you reach Larreule. You will pass the night at Casteide
Candau (Morlane). When you reach Larreule, you can call the hotel
keeper so that he can come and find you.
27.5 km about 5 hours 30 minutes
Or ARZACQ ARRAZIGUET - POMPS
From louvigny to Larreule, landscapes and belltowers will lead
you to Pomps. When arrived, you can call the hotelier who will come
and get you to join your accomodation in Hagetaubin. - 21 km about
5 hours
Day 04
CASTEIDE CANDAU - MASLACQ
At the start of the morning’s walk, the hotel keeper will be
able to drive you to to Pomps. (See him about this when you are at
the hotel.) In any event, go to Pomps, passing first through Uzan,
(there is a 17th century château with an octagonal tower at Pomps).
Next, go through Castillon, before arriving at the chapel of
Caubin. Then go to Arthez de Béarn, before continuing to MASLACQ.
(Very little uphill walking).
23 km about 5 hours
OR
Or POMPS - SAUVELADE
From Pomps, you will come accross small towns (Casillon,
Arthez de Béarn, old middle age tracks), you will walk near the
Labarthe farm which is a private property but it is allowed for
walkers only. Once you have crossed the ford, take the direction of
Navarrenx (Biggest uphill climb: 130m)- 27.5 km about 5 hours and
30 minutes
Day 05
MASLACQ - NAVARRENX
Leave MASLACQ take the way leading to Sauvelade which is 8km
further on. (There is a bar and you can get a snack at Sauvelade.)
Next we go past the farm of Labarthe which is private property, but
walkers are allowed to pass through it. After crossing the ford,
follow the way to NAVARRENX. (Biggest uphill climb: 130m) - 22 km
about 5 hours
Or SAUVELADE - NAVARRENX
Walk near the Labarthe farm which is a private property but it
is allowed for walkers only. Once you have crossed the ford, take
the direction of Navarrenx (biggest uphill climb : 130 m) - 14 km
about 4 hours
Day 06
NAVARRENX - AROUE
After leaving the fortified town of NAVARRENX, go to
Castetnau-Camblong. Pass through the old part of the village and
then make your way to the Château de Montgaston which is 12km away.
Next you pass the Château de Joantho (which is private).
Accomodation with bathrooms and restrooms in the corridor (in
Aroue, small accomodation, possible to plan a transfert with extra
fees)
20 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
Day 07
AROUE - ST
PALAIS
Aroué, which is off the GR (main footpath) marks the boundary
between the area called the Béarn and the Basque country. At
way-point 86 on the topo-guide map take the alternative route which
leads you to ST PALAIS. (Little uphill walking).
21 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
Day 08
ST PALAIS - LARCEVEAU
ST PALAIS is off the GR. Follow the directions in the topo
guide to get back on to the GR 65. You can then make for Hiriburia,
go past the chapelle de Soyarza from where there is a wonderful
view; then go to Ostabat- Asme, a meeting point for large numbers
of pilgrims. After this you arrive at LARCEVAU. (Biggest uphill
walk: 210m)
160m 19 km about 4 hours
Day 09
LARCEVEAU - ST JEAN PIED DE PORT
This is the last stage, which takes you to ST JEAN PIED DE
PORT. Before getting there you first pass through Ainhice Mongelos,
Bustince (which has an ancient chapel, well worth seeing); then you
go through St Jean le Vieux and finish up at St Jean Pied de Port.
(Biggest uphill climb: 120m).
19 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
Day 10
The walking holiday ends after breakfast.
WEATHER
Telephone number for weather forecasts (in French): 32 50
WHICH TIME OF YEAR IS BEST?
The normal period for doing this walking tour is from May to October. From mid-October to mid-April, weather conditions can be difficult, with fog or snow, especially when crossing the Margeride and the plateau of the Aubrac. The winter season from November to March and the midsummer period of July and August are best avoided. The best times of all are in late spring or early autumn: May-June and September-October.
LANDSCAPE AND VEGETATION
Much of the route goes through countryside with many small valleys containing farmland, grassland and woods.
Later you enter foothills and medium-sized mountains with summer pastures for sheep, and woods of oak and beech in the Pyrenees.
The areas you pass through are called the Béarn and the Basque country (le Pays Basque).
CLIMATE:
Low altitude and the nearness to the sea means the climate is mild and often wet in spring and sutumn. It is fairly hot in the summer.
For the last two stages the climate changes; since you are entering the mountains it becomes cooler, even in summer.
WHO WAS ST JAMES (St Jacques)?
A bit of history:
The Gospels tell us that St James was one of Christ’s twelve disciples. He was the son of Zebedee and Mary Salome. He was also the brother of Saint John and related to Christ himself through his mother. He was put to the sword – executed - by Herod.
The Church gives this Saint James the name of St James the Greater to distinguish him from another disciple, James the Lesser, who became head of the Jerusalem Church after the death of Christ.
Legend tells us that after Pentecost, Saint James travelled as a missionary to Spain. He disembarked in Andalusia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast and then journeyed to Galicia, in the far north-west corner of the Iberian Peninsula. After several years spreading the Gospel, he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded.
Two of his followers, Theodore and Athenasius, laid his body in a boat and took to sea. Propelled by wind and wave, the boat finally made landfall in a Galician estuary. It was here at this estuary that the ancient town of Iria Flavia was built: a town which now bears the name of El Padron.
James’ two followers buried the apostle’s body some way inland at the spot where, later, the town of Santiago de Compostela (Saint Jacques de Compostelle) was built.
For about eight centuries that was the end of the St James story, because it was not until the beginning of the 9th century that a hermit called Pelagius experienced some visions. These prompted him to contact Theodomir, the bishop of Iria Flavia. Then they discovered three tombs which they identified as those of St James and his two followers. On the ground where this discovery was made the kings of Galicia ordered a rustic church to be built.
Later a second and more magnificent church was built – which attracted the first pilgrims.
This second church, which had become raised to the status of a cathedral, was taken and destroyed by Moorish invaders. In its place was built the Romanesque cathedral which we admire to this day, though it is now embedded in the heart of the present-day cathedral which is built in a flamboyant gothic style. Saint James became the patron saint of Spain and the symbol of that country’s triumph over Islam.
In the 18th century, through fear of English invasions, the tombs of Saint James and his two followers were walled up in the cathedral crypt, and for the time being they were lost to view. It was not until the 19th century that the three tombs saw once more the light of day.
The pilgrimage of St James of Compostela is one of the three great Christian pilgrimages, together with those of Rome and Jerusalem. It owes its origin to the resistance against Muslim invaders. After the 9th century, Saint James became the patron saint of Spain and the symbol of that country’s conquest of Islam. The pilgrimage reaches its highest importance in the 12th and 13th centuries. This was also the time of the Romanesque renaissance. With the vigorous support of the Popes and of the Order of Cluny, the Catholic kingdoms of northern Europe and of various chivalric orders, the pilgrimage became a powerful means of communication. In Medieval Europe it acted as a highway for people, ideas, cultures and technological advancement.
Following this high point, factors including the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, Protestantism, the emergence of absolute monarchies and the French Revolution have all progressively reduced the importance of the pilgrimage.
However, just before the end of the second millennium, and since then, there has been a revival of interest in the St James pilgrimage. The Way of Saint James in Spain was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
In 1998 also gave World Heritage status to 69 monuments marking the St James Way in France, including seven sections of ancient pathway in Le Puy en Velay.
In Spain, the town of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia has itself become a World Heritage Site.
This pilgrimage is one of the most widely followed in western Europe. The scallop shell has become the emblem of those who made the journey: those thousands of people of all conditions who, by road and track, trekked on foot to pay their homage to Saint James of Compostela.
CREDENCIAL etc
Credencial (la Crédentiale)
Following the tradition of pilgrimages to Compostela, this document is made available to those embarking on the journey, to bear witness to their spiritual determination. It acts as a kind of pilgrim’s passport, making it easier for pilgrims to approach other people, show respect to a host, and serves as a recommendation of the pilgrim towards anyone they may meet in the course of their pilgrimage. It doesn’t confer any special rights but it does allow access to Spanish gîtes on the pilgrim route. A stamp is required to show passage through each section of the pilgrim’s way, put there by a priest, a town hall, the tourist office or someone offering accommodation to the pilgrim.
Customarily, this document has to be ordered from an organisation as close as possible to the pilgrim’s home. In practice you can obtain the credencial by filling in an order form on the following website: www.cheminscompostelle.
com and including a cheque for 8€ payable to the ACIR. This must be done at least ten days before your departure date.
TO ORDER
The credencial can also be ordered from the address below:
Association de Coopération Inter-Régionale
"Les chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle"
4, rue Clémence Isaure - FR-31000 TOULOUSE (métro Esquirol)
Tél. : +33(0)5 62 27 00 05 - Fax : +33(0)5 62 27 12 40
@mail : chemins.de.compostelle@wanadoo.fr
The Créantiale
This is a similar document, but available without charge. It can be obtained from a church after an interview, taking the form of a ‘fraternal dialogue’. It is a ‘sign of trusting and reciprocal welcome’. It is not necessary to be a Christian to obtain this document.
Approach a priest or contact the bishopric in your diocese. (They vary in their level of interest and information on this subject.)
A Créantiale is a document to confirm that a pilgrim is indeed a pilgrim. It confers an obligation on those who give out the document as well as on those who show it to their hosts along the Pilgrim’s Way. It signifies that the bearer belongs to the class of people who are pilgrims and it also is a sign of a trusting and reciprocal welcome between the pilgrim, Christian or not, and the Church. This is because the Créantiale must be handed back personally to the bearer, following an interview with a representative of the Catholic Church on the Christian meaning of the pilgrimage.
The associations of the friends of St James (associations des amis de St Jacques) have the right to issue the Créantiale.
The Compostella
The certificate of having completed the pilgrimage (the Compostella) is given out at Compostela itself, on presentation of a Créantiale which has been properly stamped at daily halts for all, or a large part, of St James’ Way.
It can be seen as a sort of diploma issued by the cathedral to those who have covered the last 100km of the Way on foot, or the last 200km by bicycle or on horseback.
Day 01 : Aire sur Adour ou Barcelonne du Guers
Day 02
Day 03
Day 04
Day 07
Day 08
Day 09
Day 10
Arrive at the hotel at the end of the afternoon; have dinner
and pass the night in Aire or in Barcelonne du Gers.
AIRE SUR ADOUR - MIRAMONT SENSACQ
From Aire, an ancient roman town (with a cathedral), at the
end of the town, you will walk close to the lac du Brousseau among
cultures for arrive at Pontet which is 12 km away. After that, go
to Pimbo. On the way you will pass the church of Sensacq, which is
built in a Romanesque style and dates from the 11th century.
18 km about 5 hours
You can choose the departure from Barcelone du Gers : +2.5
km
Or AIRE SUR ADOUR - ARZACQ ARRAZIGUET
From Aire, an ancient roman town (with a cathedral), at the
end of the town, you will walk close to the lac du Brousseau among
cultures for arrive at Pontet which is 12 km away. After that, go
to Pimbo. On the way you will pass the church of Sensacq, which is
built in a Romanesque style and dates from the 11th century. The
road will get more rolling when joining Pimbo, on of the oldest
farmhouses in the Landes. Then you will arrive in Arzacq where you
definetely should stop to admire church, Peich Tour and Louis XIII
Tour) - 33 km
MIRAMONT SENSACQ - LARREULE
After Pimbo, carry on until you reach ARZACQ. After leaving
ARZACQ, head for the church of St Martin de Louvigny. Then follow
the road along the ridge until you get to Fichous-Riumayou. Keep
going until you reach Larreule. You will pass the night at Casteide
Candau (Morlane). When you reach Larreule, you can call the hotel
keeper so that he can come and find you.
27.5 km about 5 hours 30 minutes
Or ARZACQ ARRAZIGUET - POMPS
From louvigny to Larreule, landscapes and belltowers will lead
you to Pomps. When arrived, you can call the hotelier who will come
and get you to join your accomodation in Hagetaubin. - 21 km about
5 hours
CASTEIDE CANDAU - MASLACQ
At the start of the morning’s walk, the hotel keeper will be
able to drive you to to Pomps. (See him about this when you are at
the hotel.) In any event, go to Pomps, passing first through Uzan,
(there is a 17th century château with an octagonal tower at Pomps).
Next, go through Castillon, before arriving at the chapel of
Caubin. Then go to Arthez de Béarn, before continuing to MASLACQ.
(Very little uphill walking).
23 km about 5 hours
OR
Or POMPS - SAUVELADE
From Pomps, you will come accross small towns (Casillon,
Arthez de Béarn, old middle age tracks), you will walk near the
Labarthe farm which is a private property but it is allowed for
walkers only. Once you have crossed the ford, take the direction of
Navarrenx (Biggest uphill climb: 130m)- 27.5 km about 5 hours and
30 minutes
Day 05
MASLACQ - NAVARRENX
Leave MASLACQ take the way leading to Sauvelade which is 8km
further on. (There is a bar and you can get a snack at Sauvelade.)
Next we go past the farm of Labarthe which is private property, but
walkers are allowed to pass through it. After crossing the ford,
follow the way to NAVARRENX. (Biggest uphill climb: 130m) - 22 km
about 5 hours
Or SAUVELADE - NAVARRENX
Walk near the Labarthe farm which is a private property but it
is allowed for walkers only. Once you have crossed the ford, take
the direction of Navarrenx (biggest uphill climb : 130 m) - 14 km
about 4 hours
Day 06
NAVARRENX - AROUE
After leaving the fortified town of NAVARRENX, go to
Castetnau-Camblong. Pass through the old part of the village and
then make your way to the Château de Montgaston which is 12km away.
Next you pass the Château de Joantho (which is private).
Accomodation with bathrooms and restrooms in the corridor (in
Aroue, small accomodation, possible to plan a transfert with extra
fees)
20 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
AROUE - ST
PALAIS
Aroué, which is off the GR (main footpath) marks the boundary
between the area called the Béarn and the Basque country. At
way-point 86 on the topo-guide map take the alternative route which
leads you to ST PALAIS. (Little uphill walking).
21 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
ST PALAIS - LARCEVEAU
ST PALAIS is off the GR. Follow the directions in the topo
guide to get back on to the GR 65. You can then make for Hiriburia,
go past the chapelle de Soyarza from where there is a wonderful
view; then go to Ostabat- Asme, a meeting point for large numbers
of pilgrims. After this you arrive at LARCEVAU. (Biggest uphill
walk: 210m)
160m 19 km about 4 hours
LARCEVEAU - ST JEAN PIED DE PORT
This is the last stage, which takes you to ST JEAN PIED DE
PORT. Before getting there you first pass through Ainhice Mongelos,
Bustince (which has an ancient chapel, well worth seeing); then you
go through St Jean le Vieux and finish up at St Jean Pied de Port.
(Biggest uphill climb: 120m).
19 km about 4 hours 30 minutes
The walking holiday ends after breakfast.
WEATHER
Telephone number for weather forecasts (in French): 32 50
WHICH TIME OF YEAR IS BEST?
The normal period for doing this walking tour is from May to October. From mid-October to mid-April, weather conditions can be difficult, with fog or snow, especially when crossing the Margeride and the plateau of the Aubrac. The winter season from November to March and the midsummer period of July and August are best avoided. The best times of all are in late spring or early autumn: May-June and September-October.
LANDSCAPE AND VEGETATION
Much of the route goes through countryside with many small valleys containing farmland, grassland and woods.
Later you enter foothills and medium-sized mountains with summer pastures for sheep, and woods of oak and beech in the Pyrenees.
The areas you pass through are called the Béarn and the Basque country (le Pays Basque).
CLIMATE:
Low altitude and the nearness to the sea means the climate is mild and often wet in spring and sutumn. It is fairly hot in the summer.
For the last two stages the climate changes; since you are entering the mountains it becomes cooler, even in summer.
WHO WAS ST JAMES (St Jacques)?
A bit of history:
The Gospels tell us that St James was one of Christ’s twelve disciples. He was the son of Zebedee and Mary Salome. He was also the brother of Saint John and related to Christ himself through his mother. He was put to the sword – executed - by Herod.
The Church gives this Saint James the name of St James the Greater to distinguish him from another disciple, James the Lesser, who became head of the Jerusalem Church after the death of Christ.
Legend tells us that after Pentecost, Saint James travelled as a missionary to Spain. He disembarked in Andalusia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast and then journeyed to Galicia, in the far north-west corner of the Iberian Peninsula. After several years spreading the Gospel, he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded.
Two of his followers, Theodore and Athenasius, laid his body in a boat and took to sea. Propelled by wind and wave, the boat finally made landfall in a Galician estuary. It was here at this estuary that the ancient town of Iria Flavia was built: a town which now bears the name of El Padron.
James’ two followers buried the apostle’s body some way inland at the spot where, later, the town of Santiago de Compostela (Saint Jacques de Compostelle) was built.
For about eight centuries that was the end of the St James story, because it was not until the beginning of the 9th century that a hermit called Pelagius experienced some visions. These prompted him to contact Theodomir, the bishop of Iria Flavia. Then they discovered three tombs which they identified as those of St James and his two followers. On the ground where this discovery was made the kings of Galicia ordered a rustic church to be built.
Later a second and more magnificent church was built – which attracted the first pilgrims.
This second church, which had become raised to the status of a cathedral, was taken and destroyed by Moorish invaders. In its place was built the Romanesque cathedral which we admire to this day, though it is now embedded in the heart of the present-day cathedral which is built in a flamboyant gothic style. Saint James became the patron saint of Spain and the symbol of that country’s triumph over Islam.
In the 18th century, through fear of English invasions, the tombs of Saint James and his two followers were walled up in the cathedral crypt, and for the time being they were lost to view. It was not until the 19th century that the three tombs saw once more the light of day.
The pilgrimage of St James of Compostela is one of the three great Christian pilgrimages, together with those of Rome and Jerusalem. It owes its origin to the resistance against Muslim invaders. After the 9th century, Saint James became the patron saint of Spain and the symbol of that country’s conquest of Islam. The pilgrimage reaches its highest importance in the 12th and 13th centuries. This was also the time of the Romanesque renaissance. With the vigorous support of the Popes and of the Order of Cluny, the Catholic kingdoms of northern Europe and of various chivalric orders, the pilgrimage became a powerful means of communication. In Medieval Europe it acted as a highway for people, ideas, cultures and technological advancement.
Following this high point, factors including the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, Protestantism, the emergence of absolute monarchies and the French Revolution have all progressively reduced the importance of the pilgrimage.
However, just before the end of the second millennium, and since then, there has been a revival of interest in the St James pilgrimage. The Way of Saint James in Spain was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
In 1998 also gave World Heritage status to 69 monuments marking the St James Way in France, including seven sections of ancient pathway in Le Puy en Velay.
In Spain, the town of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia has itself become a World Heritage Site.
This pilgrimage is one of the most widely followed in western Europe. The scallop shell has become the emblem of those who made the journey: those thousands of people of all conditions who, by road and track, trekked on foot to pay their homage to Saint James of Compostela.
CREDENCIAL etc
Credencial (la Crédentiale)
Following the tradition of pilgrimages to Compostela, this document is made available to those embarking on the journey, to bear witness to their spiritual determination. It acts as a kind of pilgrim’s passport, making it easier for pilgrims to approach other people, show respect to a host, and serves as a recommendation of the pilgrim towards anyone they may meet in the course of their pilgrimage. It doesn’t confer any special rights but it does allow access to Spanish gîtes on the pilgrim route. A stamp is required to show passage through each section of the pilgrim’s way, put there by a priest, a town hall, the tourist office or someone offering accommodation to the pilgrim.
Customarily, this document has to be ordered from an organisation as close as possible to the pilgrim’s home. In practice you can obtain the credencial by filling in an order form on the following website: www.cheminscompostelle.
com and including a cheque for 8€ payable to the ACIR. This must be done at least ten days before your departure date.
TO ORDER
The credencial can also be ordered from the address below:
Association de Coopération Inter-Régionale
"Les chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle"
4, rue Clémence Isaure - FR-31000 TOULOUSE (métro Esquirol)
Tél. : +33(0)5 62 27 00 05 - Fax : +33(0)5 62 27 12 40
@mail : chemins.de.compostelle@wanadoo.fr
The Créantiale
This is a similar document, but available without charge. It can be obtained from a church after an interview, taking the form of a ‘fraternal dialogue’. It is a ‘sign of trusting and reciprocal welcome’. It is not necessary to be a Christian to obtain this document.
Approach a priest or contact the bishopric in your diocese. (They vary in their level of interest and information on this subject.)
A Créantiale is a document to confirm that a pilgrim is indeed a pilgrim. It confers an obligation on those who give out the document as well as on those who show it to their hosts along the Pilgrim’s Way. It signifies that the bearer belongs to the class of people who are pilgrims and it also is a sign of a trusting and reciprocal welcome between the pilgrim, Christian or not, and the Church. This is because the Créantiale must be handed back personally to the bearer, following an interview with a representative of the Catholic Church on the Christian meaning of the pilgrimage.
The associations of the friends of St James (associations des amis de St Jacques) have the right to issue the Créantiale.
The Compostella
The certificate of having completed the pilgrimage (the Compostella) is given out at Compostela itself, on presentation of a Créantiale which has been properly stamped at daily halts for all, or a large part, of St James’ Way.
It can be seen as a sort of diploma issued by the cathedral to those who have covered the last 100km of the Way on foot, or the last 200km by bicycle or on horseback.
Reception for the walking tour takes place at the first hotel, the evening before your first day’s walking. For those arriving by car, you can leave your cars at the hotel; on paid car parks.
By train : Aire railway station: Gare SNCF at Aire sur l’Adour (tel: 05 58 71 64 65).
Pau railway station: Gare SNCF at Pau then take the bus to Aire with the coach company SITRAM (tel: 05 59 27 22 22).
Auch railway station: Gare SNCF at Auch then the bus to Aire with the transport company RIVIERES (tel: 05 62 05 46 24).
By car : Aire sur l’Adour is in the department of les Landes, on the main road: RN 134.
Michelin map N° 82. You can leave your car at Aire sur l’Adour, close to the hotel.
Your walking tour ends the morning after your last day’s walking, after breakfast.
By train : St Jean Pied de Port railway station: Gare SNCF at St Jean Pied de Port (tel: 05 59 37 02 00).
Railway timetables, fares etc: Informations SNCF : tel: 36 35 or at website: www.sncf.com
By Car : Transport from St Jean Pied de Port to Aire sur l’Adour : we can reserved this journey for you.
Taxi ETCHEMENDY à St Jean Pied de Port : 05 59 37 02 92
ABC Flo Taxi : 06 29 72 27 57
Medium
Maximum daily uphill climb: from 50-150 metres (roughly 150-500 feet).
Hotel * /** and guesthouse. Showers and WCs may be on landings or on the next floor in certain establishments.
NB: Bedrooms will only be available after 4pm.
When two hotels are full, we will have to arrange for you to pass two nights at the same establishment and organise transport for the walk. (This will not change the route of your day’s walk.) Details of this kind will be noted on your booking confirmation, should they be necessary. You may be asked to pay a supplement.
Gone for a long time, some stink bugs have come back in varied types of accomodations (mountains or close to the sea as well). They are brought by walkers themselves or travelers who carried them on their bag or clothes... (it has nohing to do with hygiene). Some accomodations far from mountain trails face the very same issue. These bugs sting like mosquitoes when sleeping and sometimes cause allergies. To prevent bites, an association picked an envrionnement and health respectful insecticide 100% natural and Eco certified. We advise you to protect your luggage and equipment before leaving on your trip with a proper spray. You will be able to find this lightweight product while hiking or when arriving to your accomodations (not everyone). Use it essentially in and on your stuff.
Find it here as well: http://chemindecompostelle.com/punaisedelit/index.html
FOOD
Breakfasts will be traditional (often taking the form of buffets) and are served at around 8am.
If you want an earlier breakfast than this, talk about it to the hotel-keeper the evening before to find out if it is possible.
Dinner is usually served from 7.30pm onwards. It usually consists of the meal of the day. Most hotels do not offer a choice of menu unless you pay a supplement.
MIDDAY MEAL
Packed lunches are not included in our prices.
You can order them directly from the hotel the night before (by paying around 10€ for each person depending on the establishment). Alternatively you can buy food in the villages, where there are shops.
Your baggage will be transported between each of the places where you spend the night, during the course of the afternoon (around 4pm).
A supplement may be payable for the transportation of baggage after October.
NB: We ask you to put your bags in the hallway/lounge of each hotel every morning at 8am. We also insist that each person has only one bag of belongings for transportation, and that no bag must weigh more than 15 kilos. If you have more than one bag, or if your bag weighs more than 15kg, the transporter can either demand a supplement at the end of the walking tour, or simply refuse altogether to carry your baggage if it is too cumbersome. You are advised not to take ordinary suitcases, but to use a strong, solidly-made travelling bag.
You are advised to take a small day-sack or rucksack to carry your personal belongings during the day’s walk.
If you are part of a group, we require you to show clearly on your luggage labels the name of your group leader (i.e. the person who booked your walking tour).
1 and more.
To enable you to follow the route successfully we will send you, on receipt of payment for the holiday, the official guidebook: le topo guide Sentiers de St Jacques, GR 65, Réf: 653. (An English translation of the route directions is also available on request.)
USEFUL ADRESSES :
- Association for Inter-Regional Cooperation « Les Chemins de St Jacques », 4 rue Clémence Isaure 31000 Toulouse, Tel : 05 62 27 00 05,
- Site www.chemins-compostelle.com , E-Mail : chemins.de.compostelle@wanadoo.fr
- Société des Amis de St Jacques, BP 368, 75768 Paris Cedex 16, Tel : 01 47 07 45 02
- Compostelle 2000, 11 Rue Hermel, 75014 Paris, Tél : 01 43 20 71 66
- a small rucksack for your packed lunch and anything else needed for the day’s walk
- basic first aid : plasters, antiseptic fluid, alcohol for feet etc
- a good pair of walking boots or shoes, suitable for hill walking. Beware of new boots – test them or break them in first.
- sun-glasses, sun-cream and sun-hat
- waterproof garments
- light shoes for the evening
- water bottle; it is important to drink 1.5 to 2 litres per day
- a knife
- torch (optional)
- binoculars (if desired)
- paper handkerchiefs
- needle, thread, safety pins
Mobile phones : Mobile phones do not work everywhere along the route. You may wish to have a phone card with you as well.
Dates and prices
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Dates
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Price/person WITH transportation baggages
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Du 1er avril à la Toussaint 2021*
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880 €/ person
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Extra charge for Single room : 240 €
Price/person WITHOUT transportation baggages : 810 €/person
These walking holidays can be arranged between the 1st May and the beginning of November, at any time convenient to you and subject to the availability of hotels.
Please indicate on the booking sheet any other dates which would suit you (for example if you were able to change the dates of your walking holiday by one or two days either before or after your preferred date …): this is in case one or several hotels etc are not available on your preferred date.
We would also ask you to make your booking as early as possible. We don’t keep permanent reservations and certain places of accommodation can be filled up several months in advance.
BE CAREFUL : Administrative fees (50e) will be retained for any change to the reservation already made (type of room, date of departure, number of people, etc...).
The price includes
- Half board
- Bag trasnfer between accomodations
- The transportation on Day 3 for Casteide Candau or Hagetaubin depending on the option chosen.
- A guidebook (one guidebook for 1-4 people)
- The tourist tax (‘taxe de séjour’)
The price does not include
- The picnic lunch
- Insurances
-Drinks and personal spending
- The cost of getting from your home to the starting point, or getting home again after the holiday
- Any taxis or shuttles taking you back to your car; any extra transport for shortening sections of the walk
- Parking fees.
Suggested Trips
Rando à pied
Itinérant en linéaireFrom : 800 €Duration : 8 days
Rando à pied
Itinérant en linéaireFrom : 1150 €Duration : 16 days
Availabilities
From 20/05/2024 to 02/11/2024
920,00 €
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