Through Central France
Dearest readers, in the text below I take you along on my journey from Vézelay to Le Puy-en-Velay. A section of 17 days in which I experienced new, special or challenging things every day. Get comfortable, grab something to drink and I hope that you will enjoy my adventures on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
We start in the Morvan. Since 1970, this National Park has been a protected area of forests, lakes and traditional farmland in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France.
Vézelay is located in the far north of this area and it has a total size of 285,000 hectares. My route takes me diagonally through it, so I got to enjoy it for a week.
I had only just left the sunny and beautiful town of Vézelay behind me on day 36 and it started to rain. Backpack off, rain cover over it, raincoat on, backpack back on and off we go.
From now on it was no longer the St.James shell as signage, but the red-white marking. In the Netherlands this refers to the long-distance routes such as the Pieterpad, here in France it is the GR routes (grand routes), of which I now follow the GR13. These signages are very well marked and I don't need much help via my phone, which is very pleasant.
On the way I encountered my first Burgundy snail. Which they call escargots once they're on your plate. Pretty to see, and quite big too. It reminded me of the snails underwater.
I had not made a reservation for this evening because the first location was more than 30km away and I probably wouldn't make it because I left a little late because of the pilgrims' blessing in the cathedral. After 27.8km I passed through a town with about 10 houses. At one of them, 2 men were working outside in the garden and I was cheerfully greeted with a Bonjour. At first I kept walking, but I turned around and thought, just as. Is there somewhere I could sleep? After some deliberation the answer was; here. One of the men took me through the house to a kind of attic room where there was a double bed, a shower and a toilet. After my shower I had to come to the living room and I was welcomed to join for dinner.
I was given a tour of the house and got introduced. They were two brothers, Cedric, Julièn and his girlfriend Louisa. Not much older than myself I think. This was their second home, they lived in Dijon and were here now because it was the long weekend in France.
The bbq was fired up. For this exceptionally kind hospitality I had to put aside my no-meat preference for the first time during this trip. I helped Cedric in the kitchen making fries and salad while Julien took care of the meat on the BBQ. We sat outside in the garden with a glass of wine.
I felt like Jack from the Titanic. I toasted with my glass of wine (Jack had Champagne) how special I thought it was that I didn't know where I would spend the night this morning and that I now had a bed, got food and was grateful for their hospitality to a stranger.
After a cup of coffee in the morning I said goodbye and continued my journey. It turned into a sunny day and I could even have lunch in my t-shirt. The route through the woods was beautiful. For today, day 37, I had decided that I wanted to spend the night at Lac des Settons (a lake). There was a campsite here and to be able to pitch my tent by the water in this weather sounded attractive. This meant that I had a decent hike of 37km. But it was worth it.
At 6am my alarm went off on day 38. They had predicted 23mm of rain for today! Most of which would fall in the afternoon, so I wanted to leave early to arrive in the village of Anost early in the afternoon. There was a Gîte (cottage). This is a kind of hostel in the form of a (big) house, rooms with (bunk) beds, shared showers and kitchen area. I arrived here just after noon, hiked 22.6km, got quite wet and cold. I took a nice hot shower and while it was pouring rain outside I took a nap.
At the local supermarket I bought macaroni pasta and canned vegetables for dinner. When I wanted to turn on the gas stove I got a flame that soon weakened and went out ... gasbottle empty, shit!
The lady of the hotel came to have a look and came to the same conclusion. What did you want to cook she asked, and what time do you want to eat? She took my ingredients and a large pot back to the hotel where I could pick up my food at 6 o'clock, neatly prepared for me. What a beautiful camino moment.
I munched on a croissant while leaving Anost behind me. The worst of the rain had passed, but it was still going to be a wet day. Despite that I was allowed to walk through a beautiful forest area. Up hill, down hill. In the morning I walked along the magnificent Gorges de la Canche. Remarkably enough, it stopped raining for this 4.5 km. It was really a boulder trail. Narrow paths and climbing and scrambling over large boulders. Strenuous, but beautiful, a highlight of the Morvan.
In the afternoon I walked to the highest point of the Morvan and the top of the Bougogne, Haut-Folin at 940 meters.
By the end of the afternoon the sky opened up and the sun warmed nicely. As if it invited me for a night in the tent. At a small area in the forest where 5 houses made up a tiny village, I was allowed to put my tent in the large field next to one of them. I had leftover meal in front of my tent in the sun before it rained heavily again later in the evening. This was day 39, I hiked 27.8km to end up in Pré du Massé.
The next morning everything was dry inside my tent, although I had to pack it up wet. The route lead me through a very dark coniferous forest on day 40. The trees were very high, which made the forest feel very old. At the top it was very densely overgrown so that hardly any light came through. This gave a bit of an 'eerie' feeling. Later I was told that 'Morvan' means 'black' in the old language, black forest. And that there are several ghost stories and legends about this black forest. Luckily I was the only witch there at the time.
In the afternoon I enjoyed a nice lunch with a strange waiter/chef in the only restaurant in Larochemillay. There was no bakery or shop here, so I was glad this was open.
I met many Dutch people on the way today. Turns out 70% of the inhabitants of this village are Dutch. A very popular area here for people moving from the Netherlands to France.
Also today it did not stay dry and I got another huge downpour over me. I was able to hide under some trees, but after a while the rain came through them, so I ran to the house I saw at the end of the road, hoping to find shelter there. There was a man at home and he let me in. I was offered a cup of coffee while I waited for the rain to subside. Had a good conversation about life in this secluded area and with a light rain I continued my way.
Unfortunately it didn't stay with light and after 26km I arrived soaking wet at my destination for this day.
I was allowed to stay this evening at Chateau Magny. The Chateau has been family owned for years and some rooms, including the one I slept in, have been kept in their original style, including wallpaper. They normally offer part of this location for yoga/meditation retreats. Beautiful place and very kind that I could be a guest at Valerie and Bernard's.
After a night of sleeping like a princess in a castle, I started day 41 in good spirits. This morning was my last part through the Morvan National Park. An area full of diversity of trees, flowers, lakes and rivers. I was allowed to walk on beautiful paths, cross rivers via tree trunks, climb over boulders and rocks. A stunning nature reserve that I can wholeheartedly recommend. It was a pity about the rain, but it did cause an explosion of young green leaves on the trees. A real Go Green with Mandy spot.
Around noon I walked between the meadows and a thick dark cloud came closer and closer. I tried to stay ahead of it. Another 300 meters to the next few houses. These houses turned out to be empty. I could find shelter in a barn. Just in time for a generous downpour, the kind where the streets get flooded at home. I had left-over pizza for lunch, so I sat on an upturned bucket, in a shed protected from the rain, enjoying my well timed break.
After an hour it was dry and I continued my way. Suddenly I bump into someone with a backpack, it was a pilgrim! The first one I encountered since Vézelay, and that was already 5 days ago. Hans is also from the Netherlands and will be hiking the stage from Vézelay to Le Puy-en-Velay these weeks. We both stayed that night at the Issy L'eveque Pilgrim's Inn. Here I arrived after 23.9 km, we bought food in the shop and Hans prepared a tasty meal.
Day 42 was animal day.
I walked past many meadows with cows. The Charolais cow is cream colored and has horns. These cows are together in the meadow with the whole family. Mom's, calves and daddy bull. This is because they are not dairy cows, but beef cows. The farmers here have concluded that the meat tastes better when the animals live happily together.
There were also many sheep with lambs and donkeys, but the highlight was that I encountered my first wild boar. He was still tiny and super cute!
I walked this day to Bourbon Lancy in 29.1km, where I stocked up on food supplies and spent the night at a campsite.
From Bourbon Lancy the GR13 changes to the GR3 and I walked to the town of Diou, but everything was closed because it was Sunday. From here it was 5km off the route to get to Abbey Sept du Fons. It had been recommended to me several times, so I decided a yes on this detour.
This was day 43, with an easy 20.6km despite the detour. Fortunately, the monks offered me shelter. I got a nice private room, dinner and breakfast, and was allowed to donate what I could spare. It is a silent abbey so dinner and breakfast were requested to be consumed in silence. There were 4 other people and it was an interesting experience to sit together at the table without having a conversation. The food was delicious here, soup-vegan main-cheese-dessert and a glass of wine.
Speaking of wine, pour yourself a refill, because we walk a bit further.
In the morning before breakfast there was a mass. Despite my not very Christian faith, it is special to experience this. There were at least 60 monks. A beautiful church where the monks had written their prayers in beautiful large books.
After breakfast I walked the extra 5km back glad I made this detour.
Today was day 44 and I walked to Saint Léon. Just outside this village on the Puy Saint-Ambroise (437mtr) was a viewpoint, over the l'Allier area with the mountains of the Morvan in the distance. I had completely covered that distance, a special sensation to see it like this. Free camping was also allowed at this point, so tent it is this evening. Due to this surprise campground I stopped today after a distance of 22.1km.
Packed my tent wet again this morning. A grey day, thick clouds, a lot of humidity, no scenic view and a lot of asphalt. Then there is little left to do but just walk. Singing dutch carnaval songs on the way out of boredom! Day 45 was all about hiking in zombie modes. 38.6km to get to Arfeuilles.
Exhausted I arrived at the gîte, where I was greeted by pilgrim Hans with the wonderful news that he had already done the shopping and was going to cook. What a pleasant welcome, so happy with it! There was nothing left for me to do but buy a bottle of wine to go with it. A rose from the l'Allier region, because this is where I am at the moment.
Milestone! On the morning of day 46 I had completed the first 1000 km 💪👣
From here the area got a lot rougher and the climbs were higher and the down hills deeper. The paths were completely full of boulders for long stretches, it was tough. Dexterity and concentration are important (especially with a heavy backpack on). Again very happy with my walking poles. After 31.3km I found my bed in the Gîte Foyer de ski. There was room for 35 people here and I got the whole place to myself. On top of the 1200 meter ski mountain, appropriately it got down to 1°C that night.
After my oatmeal breakfast I hiked, with gloves and hat, down the Montoncel mountain. Today I choose the alternative route. The original GR3 route would climb several more mountains to heights of 1600 meters. But the weather forecast prevented me from doing so and opted for the valley route. For this where no accommodations on the app, so when I arrived at the end of day 47 after 24.8km in the town of Viscomtat and the only hotel turned out to be closed, I went looking for the Mairie - the town hall. This one was closed, but the people who lived next door could help me. I was allowed to sleep in the canteen of the town hall. There was a toilet, I was allowed to make tea and I could put my mat on the floor to sleep. Sweet.
The gentleman (neighbor) came to check on me twice that evening. The first time I got an orange, yogurt and a cup-a-soup. The second time he came to see if the heating was hot enough for me and told me to knock on their door in the morning before I left.
After a good sleep I knocked at the neighbors door at a little after 7 am. I was sat at the table, got coffee and breakfast and we tried to have conversations despite the language barrier. For the road I got an apple, an orange and a bag of fruity candy. What lovely people again, grateful for this.
I decided to go back on the GR3 from Viscomtat only to visit the L'Hermitage Notre Dame. A nunnery located on a mountain of 1100 meters in the Livradois-Forez Natural Regional Park with a beautiful view and a great stretch of forest to walk through.
After this I continued my way over the alternative route and unfortunately it was mainly asphalt. Day 48 ended just outside Le Brugeron after 27.9km at camping Le Cube, owned by a Dutch couple who had lived here for 17 years.
Day 49 I hiked to the town of Ambert, this would be all asfalt again so I made it my own Camino and looked for some alternative stretches off the main road where possible. This made the 27.1km journey a little more fun for me. In Ambert I hesitated between a good bed or camping. The cheapest good bed turned out to cost €65. These are not pilgrim prices, so I chose for the campsite, this way I could buy a lot of food from my remaining budget. My appetite was worth more to me than a bed 😋
Ambert has a large Aldi and a large Carrefour so I could spoil myself. Which resulted in a heavy backpack for the next few days! But also in a flavor explosion and enjoyment when eating raspberries, blueberries and a mango!
On day 50 I decided to just follow the asphalt road as the route indicated. The road is not very busy, but still need to pay attention if you hear a car approaching. I found distraction in the beautiful roadside flowers. The forest and meadows are full of them, but I also found so much diversity alongside the road! From a simple buttercup or poppy to various wild orchids.
Walking on the asphalt gives me sore and burning feet. I arrived after a 28.5km in the town of Saint-Jean-d'Aubrigoux. The Mairie was unfortunately closed, but by luck an older man walked by and I asked for help. He spoke quite good English.
You want to sleep somewhere and continue tomorrow? Yes
Are you tired? Yes
Are you also hungry? And thirsty? Yes
But are you still fit enough to walk 3 km? Ummmm yes.
His house turned out to be located in the village of Vernet Chabre, 3 km away, with luck also reasonably in the same direction as my route.
During this 3 km we got acquainted, I got a tour of his house and he cooked spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Cheese, dessert and wine were also included. Warm shower and to bed, tired and grateful again for this warm-hearted hospitality.
In the morning I got breakfast and the man was very happy to put his own doctor's stamp in my pilgrim pass. My walk continued on day 51 to Vorey sur Arzon, from here I walk through the Haute-Loire area located in south-central France. Just like the Allier area, it’s also part of the Massif Central. I arrived in this village at 3 o'clock, after a 23.8 km walk. I would have liked to walke a bit further, but the next spot was an extra 10km and they predicted rain and thunder for the afternoon. So I decided to give my feet a rest, which they where happy with. I slept in a gite d'etape with a French couple who are walking a GR route for 10 days.
At a little before 7 am I left the gite on day 52. From here I was back on the GR3 and as soon as I left the village I left the asphalt behind me and got back to unpaved paths. Climbing again, but also walking through knee-high grass in the morning and getting soaking wet feet. It was a nice stage and I was happy to be back on the GR trail.
Despite the fact that the alternative part of the route ran a lot on asphalt, I was happy with my choice. I thus avoided having to walk at 1600 meters through the clouds, cold and humidity. And although a valley often makes you think that it has little altitude, here I also walked on average at an altitude between 800 and 1000 meters.
On the way I walked through the town of Polignac, which is built on a volcanic plateau and is named after a very important family in this area. From here it was another 5 km to Le Puy-en-Velay and I enjoyed the silence and tranquility while walking alone.
The very first recorded pilgrimage across the Pyrenees to the Shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela is that of the Bishop Godescalc of Le Puy-en-Velay. This happened in the winter of the year 951. To this day, Le Puy-en-Velay is therefore, especially among the French, a very special starting point for the pilgrimage. The route from Le Puy-en-Velay is called 'Via Podiensis' and described as one of the most beautiful routes towards Santiago de Compostela. On average, about 200-300 pilgrims leave from Le Puy-en-Velay every day.
Upon entering the city, it took some getting used to the crowds, it felt quite touristy at first.
The route took me through the old town to the cathedral. It is one of the oldest in France and some parts of the church have been there since the fifth century. However, most of the current parts dates from the twelfth century and was built in the Romanesque style. It is built on a beautiful spot on the Rocher Corneille rock. Upon entering, you will be led to the Gothic-styled altar to admire a black Madonna.
Through the beautiful streets of the old town I found my way to the 'Refuge Jacqueaire organise les pelerins'. Unfortunately they were fully booked for the evening, but she managed to arrange a bed for me with Madame Isabella. Here I stayed with 3 male pilgrims including Hans and I was allowed to sleep as a "princess" in the double bed while the men took the single beds. We slept under a beautiful old stone ceiling and were spoiled with a delicious evening meal and a good breakfast.
Day 53 I promised myself a rest day. From Vézelay I walked non-stop to Le Puy-en-Velay in 17 days. In America they also call a rest day a 'zero-day', but it certainly wasn't zero (0) kilometers for me this day. I has a busy schedule, had to go to the Decathlon, to the launderette, to the post office, to the drugstore, and of course also wanted to play a bit of tourist in the city. Unfortunately, getting this blog done was a bit of a miss.
The cathedral of Le Puy-en-Valey is built on the Rocher Corneille rock, but with 134 steps it is not the highest icon of the city. That is the huge statue of Mary and child that dates from the nineteenth century. It was built just after the Crimean War in which France fought against Russia together with the Turkish Empire and England. During that war, France captured a good amount of Russian guns during the battle of Sevastopol and melted them down to make the statue. The 16 meter high statue was unveiled in 1860 and no fewer than 120,000 pilgrims were present, it was a true happening in those days.
The third volcano of Le Puy-en-Velay is Rocher Saint-Michel. Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (St. Michael of the Needle). This chapel is reached by 268 steps carved into the rock. It was built in 969 on a volcanic rock 85 meters high.
Bishop Godescalc of Le Puy-en-Velay had the chapel built to celebrate his return from the pilgrimage to Saint James in 951.
Yes, in those days the pilgrims also had to walk back home!
With all those stairs up and down, there was little rest on my rest day. Although walking without a backpack really makes a big difference.
With great pleasure I ran through the city to see these attractions. A very beautiful place that is definitely worth to visit.
Together with Hans I ended this day at a local restaurant. A delicious lentil burger, made from the local green Le Puy lentils.
Hans has completed his stage and I continue my journey towards Lourdes.
This night in Le Puy-en-Velay I slept in the refugio where there was no room the day before. A specially arranged rooms within a room.
Day 53 was on May 25, 2023. I have now hiked 1200 km. From my departure April 2, I have walked 49 days and had 4 rest days. Collected a heap of stamps and not had a single blister.
I've had a lot more rain than I'd like, but even that can't spoil the fun. I am very curious about the next stage, the Via Podiensis, will you join me again for the next story?
Thank you very much again for reading and I look forward to seeing your response.
Disclaimer; none of my photos in this and previous stories have been edited.
