Full Le Puy Camino

Le Puy-en-Velay is the historical starting point of the Via Podiensis, and this is where archbishop Gothescalk departed from, in 950 AD, to become the first ever pilgrim to reach the tomb of the apostle St James in Santiago de Compostela. Le Puy-en-Velay has always been an important sanctuary city as it is home to the mysterious Black Virgin, which has drawn pilgrims from all over Europe since the Middle Ages. But the appeal of Le-Puy-en-Velay goes beyond historical and cultural – the city also worth a visit for its picturesque location. Indeed, set between the Auvergne dormant volcanoes and the Rhone Alpes valley, the lively old city charms visitors with the great views it offers over the surrounding low mountains.

Starting at the Notre-Dame du Puy Cathedral, modern pilgrims feel a certain emotion when walking down the stairs that have been the starting point of thousands of pilgrim journeys to Santiago for the last millennium. The day is spent through the rounded green mountains of the Velay massif, offering beautiful scenery all day long, before reaching Saint Privat D’Allier.

This is a short enough walk but the regula ascents and descents make it the most demanding stage of this first section. The rewarding side of this walk is that it offers wonderful views over the Velay massif and the Gévaudan plateau, and we also pass through picturesque villages and hamlets before arriving in Saugues.

Today, we leave Saugues and its Tour des Anglais to continue up to reach Le Sauvage, a farm domain perched on top of a hill dating back to the times of the Knights Templars. The Camino then continues to enter the La Lozère département at the Saint-Roch Chapel and we conclude our day in Les Faux.

From Les Faux, we reach Saint-Alban sur Limagnole and its Roman church. Then, it is a steep climb up to Grazieres-Mages. We then start our way down to the tiny village of Les Estrets through peaceful wood and farmlands. Finally, we reach Aumont-Aubrac, gateway to the mythic Aubrac high plateau.

As we leave Aumont-Aubrac, we start our way towards the inspiring Aubrac high plateau, walking on walled tracks with endless flat grassland surrounding us. Typical Aubrac cows grazing there bring a hint of life between the sporadic sleepy villages and farmhouses. The walk ends up in Nasbinals, a charming village with a Romanesque church.

Today, the Camino reaches one of its highest points as we climb up to 1,370m before walking down to the historic hamlet of Aubrac, a legendary stage on Via Podiensis. The whole walk between Nasbinals to Saint-Chély d’Aubrac is listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. This section, though challenging, is one of the most unique of any Camino.

Soon after crossing over the Saint-Chély Bridge, we leave behind the typical scenery of the Aubrac to enter chestnut and beech woods. After this, we enter more populated areas and we reach the mediaeval Saint-Come-d’Olt, often claimed to be one of the prettiest villages of France. It is then a nice stroll, climbing up a bit before getting down to the charming village of Espalion on the banks of the Lot River.

Along the walk there are many well-preserved treasures from the past, part of the reasoning this whole are is on the UNESCO World Heritage site list. First, we head to the beautiful Romanesque church of Béssuéjouls and its upper chapel hidden in the 11th Century steeple. Then, we reach Estaing, a mediaeval village topped by an impressive castle. We then continue along the Lot River, before climbing up to Montégut. The Camino then runs through woods and countryside before reaching yet another pretty village, Golinhac.

Countryside and peaceful woodland will be our backdrop all day long during this easy walk. We have some time to wander around the charming village of Espeyrac on the bank of the river and to admire the old castle in Sénergues. Finally, we arrive in Conques, one of the nicest towns on the whole Le Puy route, to rest for the evening!

Once across the UNESCO World Heritage bridge over the river Dourdou, the day starts with a steady climb up to the chapel of Sainte-Foy. We then continue through woodlands and green hills, through the village of Noailhac and Saint-Roch chapel before reaching Decazeville. Here, we will stop to stay the night.

As we leave the Aveyron region to enter Le Lot, we a change in the landscape and feel the influence of the Les Causses high plateaux as we approach Figeac. Between Montredon and Figeac, we also walk on a whole stretch listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our destination for the night is Figeac, which has been recognised as one of the 18 Great Sites of Occitania, a historic region spanning the South of France and parts of Spain and Italy.

There are many ups and downs during this long walking day but it also means lots of beautiful views. Leaving the pretty town of Figeac, we quickly go up to the high plateaux. The rocky ground preserves the wilderness of the landscape, and dolmens, shepherds’ stone shelters, and stone crosses are the only regular sights encountered. The leg of the Camino between Faycelles and Cajarc is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. We eventually arrive in Carjac, a pretty village on the banks of Le Lot River.

Today is a peaceful walk as the Camino runs through the quiet woodland and farmland of La Causse. It is a relatively easy walk where we can take our time to admire the surrounding wildlife and to wander through scattered isolated hamlets. The small town of Limogne En Quercy is our stop for the night.

We continue our way through the natural park of Les Causses, mainly along flat forest tracks. More dolmens and old shepherds’ shelters can be seen today and after a very pleasant and enjoyable walk, we arrive in Lalbenque. When you are looking for a meal in the town, why not try the local delicacy: the highly esteemed black truffle!

Today again, the area covered by the Camino is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list. We will come across a good few ‘caselles’, the typical shepherds’ stone shelters and we also pass through a scattered hamlets. As we approach Cahors, we can enjoy great views over the mediaeval town, before reaching the final destination of this section. Cahors is known for its fine gastronomy, including regional specialties of foie gras and truffles.

We first climb up stone steps to Pech d’Angely from where we take a last look at Cahors down in the valley before continuing through the Causses, a limestone plateau. We will then pass through Labastide-Marnhac before reaching the charming village of Lascabanes and its flower-decorated houses. Then, we continue the walk to Montcuq.

The route we follow today goes up and down hills all the way to Lauzerte. We start seeing less woodland and more farmland and cultivated crop fields, until we reach the beautiful village of Lauzerte with its ancient raised dovecote and Saint-Sernin church.

This is one of the easiest walking days as there is no particular difficulty regarding the terrain itself. We walk through the quiet countryside, between crop fields, woodland, and vines. We finish this stage in Moissac, home to UNESCO World Heritage Saint-Pierre Abbey.

The Camino follows the water all day as we first start walking on towpaths along the Tarn River until the Lock of Espagnolette. We then continue towards the villages of Boudou and Malause, before being back on ancient towpaths, this time along the Canal of Golfech. The last effort of the day, to climb up the steep street when we enter Auvillar, is rewarded by views of the picturesque cobblestone plaza with its ancient circular open hall and arcades.

Today we leave the Le Lot region to enter Le Gers and its rich agricultural lands. The walk also passes through charming villages such as Flamarens or Miradoux before ending in Lectoure, an old fortified town with an impressive cathedral. We will stop here for the night.

Leaving Lectoure, we head down to the river Le Gers which we cross over before continuing through the countryside. We then reach the village of Marsolan and its Romanesque church. It is then a very enjoyable stroll between woodland and open countryside until we reach La Romieu and its UNESCO World Heritage collegiate church.

Today is a relatively short day. While the first half is mainly spent on dirt tracks through the gently undulating countryside dotted with lakes and streams, the second half brings us into direct contact with history. Indeed, passing by Larresingle (known as ‘the little Carcassonne’), lovers of fold stone buildings will be bowled over. Finally, we arrive in Montreal du Gers and its timber houses, the proud home of the biggest vineyard of Armagnac, the famous brandy in the region.

From Montreal du Gers, the Via Podiensis heads south towards Eauze. The first 8km are spent between countryside and vineyards, and the first hamlet we cross is Lamothe. The Camino then runs through the quiet vineyards and countryside of Armagnac. The walk ends up on Place d’Armagnac in Eauze, another beautiful village and the official capital of Armagnac since 1802!

We continue through the vineyards of Armagnac to reach the pretty town of Manciet, a historical point on the Camino as this is where, in the Middle Ages, Pilgrims coming from Auch met those walking on theVia Podiensis or Le Puy route and consequently started using the Le Puy trail more regularly. The route then runs through the countryside and at the end of the day we arrive in Nogaro.

Today, the Landes influence is more and more obvious as vines become rarer and pine trees start to appear in their place. We start our day mainly walking through cereal fields. The day is also punctuated with some of the prettiest villages and hamlets of the entire section, such as Lanne-Soubiran and Barcelonne-du-Gers. At the end of the walk, we enter Les Landes département in another charming town rich in history: Aire-sur-L’Adour.

As the kick-off to the final section of the Via Podiensis or Le Puy Route, we spend our first day walking through the Les Landes département and its crop fields. Cultivated landscapes are dotted with hamlets with different ancient buildings, from well-conserved stone chapels to washhouses. This first day is demanding, mostly because of its length rather than the difficulty of the terrain.

The beauty of the route today lies in the lovely paths taken along hillsides from where, from time to time, we can see a steeple reaching up to the sky from the valley below. The route runs through the rounded hills, passing by numerous villages and old churches such as in Luvigny, Larreule, or Caubin.

Today is a long day going through the attractive undulating countryside of the Le Bearn area. After crossing over the river Gave de Pau, there are a few long uphill stretches which add some difficulty to this stimulating walk. One of the best rewards of the day comes after the uphill, when arriving in Navarrenx, a beautiful fortified city which was the first bastioned city of France.

Soon after Navarrenx, we find ourselves walking through the countryside and attractive woodland. Then we reach Lichos, marking the entrance of the Camino into the Basque Country. Passing via the village of Aroue, we continue our way up and down with the Pyrenees getting closer and closer with each step. Finally, we reach the town of Saint-Palais.

This is another incredible walk, passing through very few villages but offering beautiful views all the way. Walking through the peaceful countryside, we gradually make our way up to the Chapel of Soyarce with its wonderful views over the Pyrenees. We pass the typical village of Ostabat and continue to Larceveau, our destination for the evening.

The last day of the final section of Via Podiensis runs through the hilly countryside of the Basque Country, with its grazing sheep and red-roofed houses. The Camino goes up and down all day long, offering great views over the verdant countryside and passing through villages with typical Basque names like Bastida Xoko, Utxiat or Bussunaritz. The journey ends up in the beautiful mediaeval Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, at the foothills of the Pyrenees and the starting point of the French Way to Santiago de Compostela.

After breakfast, we bid you farewell. If you wish to continue and experience crossing over the Pyrenees on the Camino, have a look at the start of our French Way route, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona. You can also stay overnight in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and explore what this beautiful town has to offer itself.