After a brief delay changing trains in Saint Ettiene, I arrived in Le Puy-en-Velay in time to check into a delightful hotel, tour the town’s historic center and have a 2 course meal featuring the regional delicacy, green lentils which I love.
Le Puy-en-Velay is the starting point for the Chemin du Puy a/k/a Via Podiensis or Chemin de Saint Jacques now also now known as GR65.
The Via Podiensis, like the Camino Frances, is referenced in the 12th Century Codex Calixtus, the earliest guide to the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. It describes 4 major pilgrimage routes in France including the Le Puy route which ran along ancient Roman roads and was used by pilgrims from Germany and points east.
The earliest recorded person to make pilgrimage to Santiago from beyond the Pyrenees was a Bishop from Le Puy named Godescalc who made his pilgrimage in the year 950. But during the Middle Ages Le Puy was a pilgrimage destination in its own right rather than the starting point of the route to Santiago.
In the middle ages, thousands of pilgrims walked to the sanctuary in Le Puy to pay devotion to the Black Madonna, which had been brought by Saint Louis to Le Puy on his return from the Crusades.
Le Puy only became a starting point for pilgrims making their way to Santiago in modern times with the creation in the 1970s of the long distance hiking route GR 65. GR 65 recreates the ancient Via Podiensis from Le Puy-en-Velay to the Spanish border.
The recognition and popularity of GR65 was enhanced in 1987 when the Council of Europe launched its Cultural Routes Progam and declared the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Routes to be the first such cultural routes.
They considered these routes “highly symbolic in the process of European unification“ and appealled to public authorities, institutions and individuals to recognize them. They concluded with the aspiration that travel along these routes could help to “build a society founded on tolerance, respect for others, freedom, and solidarity“ to which I say Amen!
So today you can start in Le Puy and walk 1550 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela on well marked and well maintained hiking trails with lodging, camping areas, food and support services all along the way and many people do.
GR 65 is divided into 28 stages passing through a number of medieval towns including some of the most beautiful villages in France. Several of its sections are included in the UNESCO world heritage list.
It starts in the volcanic mountains of Velay, crosses the Aubrac Plateau, the Lot river valley, and the brandy region of Armagnac before meeting up with the Camino Frances in the Basque region of the Pyrenees.
My plan is to walk Stage 2 through Stage 13, 12 stages in all (about 325 kilometers) starting in Montbonnet and finishing in Cahors from where I’ll take the train back to Paris to celebrate my birthday avec la meilleure petite amie de la planète terre, la mienne!
From Montbonnet you walk through wooded countryside to the lovely small town of Saint Privat and then a wonderful gradual descent takes you to Monistrol, an equally lovely small town on the Allier River which you cross on a bridge built by Gustav Eiffel.
You pass an impressive rock face with many climbers but from there the going gets tough. Over a course of about 5 kilometers you ascend 600 meters before leveling off and walking the last 8 kilometers to Saugues where I spent the night.
The book says Stage 2 is strenuous and for me, it really was. At the end of the day my app said I had walked more than 39,900 steps, covered over 18 miles, and climbed the equivalent of 140 stories.
It had been a couple of years since I had walked that far or carried a backpack that long in one day so I was tired and sore and eager to shower and crawl into my bed at the hotel until I saw the shower and my bed at the hotel but never mind that, the next morning I was up early and ready to tackle Stage 3!
It’s abnormally cool here, morning temps in the mid to high 30’s so you need to move to stay warm but Stage 3 is delightful, easy walking and I kept up a good pace and warmed up quickly.
The foot path is wonderful, mostly wide natural soft footing and hard packed roads through pretty countryside and farms with sheep and cows and horses.
There’s a lovely cheese farm owned by a gracious couple who run a stop for pilgrims with pastry, coffee and offerings of their products. They make a type of crusty bread pudding which was really tasty.
About half way through Stage 3, you cross into the area historically known as Gevaundan. A wild place long unpopulated, historically frequented by bandits and other unsavory types. In the 18th Century, the area was victim to a series of vicious attacks on women by an unidentified creature known as the Beast of Gevaudan whose legend lives on, I assume mostly in night time stories told to young children.
The stage is a short one, 19.3 kms, and easy walking. I had covered 12 kilometers in less than 3 hours even with stops and was feeling great when I felt the first drops of rain.
I kept going for a few more kilometers but was pretty wet when I got to a cafe set up under open tents in Chazeau and it was raining too hard to continue.
I’m no hero and I can afford a cab even with the Sunday surcharge but I felt bad for the pilgrims who we passed along the way, dripping wet with soaked backpacks, a few with their thumbs out hoping to catch a ride.
Tomorrow weather permitting I’ll set off on Stage 4 to Aumont-Aubrac.
À tout à l’heure mes amis!
Way to go, Jeff! Enjoy!