Via Podiensis Guidebook Updates – Late 2023

Via Podiensis
Dave

Via Podiensis Guidebook Updates – Late 2023

The Via Podiensis guidebook is heading out for a second printing! Thanks very much to everyone who has bought a copy and made this possible so soon. For those who have the first printing, not to fear: you can find the complete list of updates that I’ve just submitted in this linked doc, with the most salient developments spotlighted below. (Most everything else is price changes, which is important but perhaps less crucial to track. Just assume everything got a little more expensive!)

Note: For more detailed information on accommodation options and services on the Via Podiensis, click here for our Via Podiensis Accommodations and Services spreadsheets! This includes many, many more accommodations than we can fit in the book, including a number of new spots opened up in 2023.

Finally, while I’ve pulled this out as a separate post, note that you can always find an up-to-the-moment list of my guidebook updates on this page.

  • Page 32 – Updates on baggage transport: “Three companies offer baggage transportation services along the Via Podiensis. La Malle Postale provides service between Le Puy-en-Velay and Lectoure, and also serves the Célé Valley and Rocamadour variants, between April and October (www.lamallepostale.com/en). Transport Claudine operates between Conques and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, as well as on the Célé Valley variant (www.claudine32.com), from April through October. Les Valises de Saint-Jacques runs from late March to early November, between Moissac and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (www.lesvalisesdesaintjacques.com).
    • As of 2023, baggage transportation on the Via Podiensis costs €8.5–9 per stage.
  • Page 50 – At Gîte L’Estaou in Combriaux: replace second phone number (0648126380) with 0666406031 / change room/bed numbers with 6/14, change cost of DP to €20
  • Page 53 – The food truck after Montaure has moved on, but there is a snack bar shortly after in Le Vernet
  • Page 57 – “Le” Clauze should be “La” Clauze
  • Page 61 – While the owners of L’Oustal de Parent had announced the opening of a new food truck at Chapelle Saint-Roch this year (2022), there has been no sign of it
  • Page 70 – Both accommodations listed in Finieyrols, Auberge Les Gentianes and La Rose de l’Aubrac, have reopened under new management
    • [A][BB]La Rose de l’Aubrac [Do][Pr][Dr][R][W][S], 1/7, €25/-/65/-, DP15, larosedelaubrac@gmail.com, 0608315561, open Apr – mid-Oct, snack bar
    • [A][BB]Auberge Les Gentianes [Do][Pr][Dr][Br][R], 5/15, €48/-/96/144, incl DP, lesgentianesdelaubrac@orange.fr, 0787112307, open Apr-Oct, English spoken
  • Page 70 – And there’s also a new accommodation just before Finieyrols: Domaine du Barena: [Pr][Dr][Br][R][Cr][S][W][Z], €-/100/134/-, incl DP, contact@domainedubarena.com, 0671776756, open mid-Apr – Sept, snack bar
  • Page 75 – Gîtes du Royal Aubrac in Aubrac has closed
  • Page 88 – Hospitalité Saint-Jacques in Estaing has closed, sadly
  • Page 93 – Along the GR65 between Estaing and Massip, you can count on two water fountains and a WC
  • Page 95 – Hôtel de la Vallée in Espeyrac has new owners and is being completely refurbished. The café has reopened and we await word on the hotel. [Ho]L’Auberge des 3 Dazes [Pr][Dr][R][Cr], DP, aubergedes3dazes@orange.fr, 0611497241
  • Page 98 – The camping in Conques has a new name: Le Temps d’Une Pause
  • Page 102 – Modify this sentence near the middle of the page: “The routes reunite for an off-road descent, leading first past an intersection with the GR62B (1.6km)–take care to not follow the wrong waymarks!–and then an odoriferous agricultural complex (0.8km)” A past reader has been tricked into an unfortunate detour here!
  • Page 107 – Gite/CDH La Mariotte in Montredon has new contact info: contact@gitelamariotte.com and 0)768539646
    • Also in Montredon, the centrally-located Gite Bien et Toit offers snacks, right across from the church: [Do][Pr][Dr][R][Cr][S][W], 2/16, €17/70/80/90, DP24, bienettoit46@gmail.com, 0609485693, 0783384959, open mid Apr – mid Oct, snack bar
    • And finally, Halte Pèlerin Le Saint-Michel in Montredon has closed
  • Page 108 – Cut cafe icon from Saint-Felix on map
  • Page 111 – Two gites in Figeac (Gîte Chez Celia and Le Repos du Célé) have closed
    • Page 111 – Add accomm in Figeac: [A] Gîte Le Maquis [Do][Pr][Dr][K][R][W], 2/10, €18/-/44/-, DP20, 10 Rue des Maquisards, pier20@yahoo.fr, 0633411195, open mid Apr – mid Oct
  • Page 121 – Cut Gîte Les Deux Pigeonniers in Saint-Jean-de-Laur
  • Page 122 – Gîte Dalat’Etape no longer offers pilgrim accommodation
  • Page 123 – Cut Gîte Chez Titi in Varaire
    • New CDH in Varaire: Varaire: [BB] La Villa Gariotte [Pr][Br][K][R][Cr][W], €-/55/65/-, contact@lavillagariotte.com, 0672431112, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 125 – The café after Varaire, La lune ô 4 saisons, has closed
  • Page 129 – Gîte Le Valentré in Cahors has closed
    • New accommodation in Cahors: [A]Le Deuxieme Souffle [Do][Pr][Dr][K][R][S][W], 1/5, €16/30/45/55, DP22, 178 Rue Hautesserre, L2S.accueil@gmail.com, 0777266424, open Apr-Sept
  • Page 136 – Change stage distance to 23.5km
    • Change distances in Gite listing in box: Les Mathieux 7.4km, Labastide-Marnhac 11.7km, Trigodina 14.9km, Lascabanes 23.5km
  • Page 137 – The chemin now bypasses Les Mathieux, trimming a few meters along the way. Those hoping to stay at Domaine des Mathieux can still count on signage to get you there
  • Page 138 – Gîte de l’Église in Labastide-Marnhac has closed
  • Page 139 – Similarly, the route through the center of Lascabanes is now slightly more direct to the church, trimming a few more meters
  • Page 140 – Change stage distance to 24.4km
  • Page 140 – The Via Podiensis officially goes into Montcuq now! The route has changed between Montcuq and Rouillac, sliding a little over to the west as a consequence of some trail damage on the old route. While it’s a little longer, it’s basically in line with what you were actually going to walk if you made the small detour into Montcuq (as you should!)
  • Page 142 – Change paragraph after Montcuq: “Turn left to remain on D4 / Boulevard Jacques Chapou. Turn left on Rue Neguevieille and then Chemin de Lacombe. Fork right onto a footpath (0.4km), then turn left at a T (0.9km). Turn right at the next T onto a dirt road (0.3km). Fork left onto a track (1.1km), then pass through a lightly wooded stretch, and arrive at the Église Saint-Pierre in Rouillac (1.2km). Fork right, then turn left onto a dirt track (0.9km). Merge onto a paved road, loop through a small cluster of houses, then turn right at a T on D256 (1.7km), leading to”
  • Page 147 – Hotel Aube Nouvelle has closed
  • Page 147 – Change paragraph before Durfort-Lacapelette to: “Proceed along a footpath, a paved road, and then a dirt track (2.7km). Wind through a series of fields, then emerge on a paved road (1.9km). Continue straight onto a dirt track, looping around a residential street, then emerging on D2 (1.1km). Pass through the roundabout, then fork right on D16 in”
  • Page 153 – Chambres d’hôtes Pugnal has closed
  • Page 153 – Change paragraph before Malause: “Cross the canal, backtrack to the right on D813, then turn left, soon climbing a dirt track into the hills, along the treeline. From there, the route winds along mostly paved roads to Boudou (4.4km). The next section, by contrast, is primarily unpaved, descending and then crossing another wooded ridge to reach Malause (2.9km). Take the second left at a roundabout towards the mairie, make a sharp right, then turn left. Cross the canal and turn right, rejoining the official route.”
  • Page 153 – Cut Gîte Boudet in Malause, cut accommodation icon for town
  • Page 155 – Cut Gîte Le Baladin and Gîte Chez le Saint-Jacques from Auvillar listings
    • Add accomm in Auvillar [A]Accueil Catholique Les Amis de Saint Jacques[Do][Pr][K][R][W][Z], 2/14, €20/30/60/-, breakfast €5, 23 Blvd de la Papayette, monique.bianco83@gmail.com, 0784927515, open Apr-Oct
    • Add accomm in Auvillar [A] Gîte Maison Necty [O][Do][Pr][Dr][K][R][Cr][S][W][Z], 7/14, €30/-/60/-, DP20, 6 rue du Palais, necty.apiculture@gmail.com, 0678563162
  • Page 159 – Add accomm in Saint-Antoine: [A][BB]Gite L’Oustal[Do][Pr][Dr][K][R][S][W][Z], 7/28, €14+/-/55/-, DP22, 4 Route de Gascogne, gite.loustal@gmail.com, 0672367390, open Mar-Nov
  • Page 161 – Add note before route description after Castet-Arrouy: “Note: a destructive storm in June 2023 did significant damage to the trail. Don’t be surprised to encounter route changes in this section.”
  • Page 164 – Cut Gîte L’Enclos du Tabus from Marsolan listing
  • Page 166 – Gîte Le Couvent de La Romieu has closed
  • Page 168 – Cut Gîte de Gabarre from Condom listing
    • Add accomm to Condom: [A]Gîte L’Aller Simple[Do][K][R][S][W], 2/8, €15/-/-/-, breakfast €7, 14 place de la Liberté, gite.aller.simple@gmail.com, 0562282731, 0682590652, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 173 – Cut Gite Carpe Diem in Montreal
  • Page 178 – Gîte La Hargue has closed
  • Page 182 – Gîte L’Âne Soubiran in Lanne-Soubiran has changed its name to Gîte Dar’Labarbe, email to darlabarbe@gmail.com
  • Page 185 – Hospitalet Saint-Jacques and Hotel de la Paix in Aire-sur-l’Adour have closed
    • Add accomm to Aire [A][BB]Le Jardin sur l’Eau [O][Do][Pr][Dr][K][R][S][W], 2/9, €17/-/75+/-, DP20, 25 Rue Carnot, lejardinsurleau@gmail.com, 0749650427
  • Page 188 – Cut Gîte Les Marcheurs de Latrille
  • Page 194 – Gîte Chez Darribère has closed
  • Page 197 – Cut Gîte Méziat in Maslacq
  • Page 199 – Gîte Nadette has closed
  • Page 204 – Gîte Aux 2 Ânes and Eco-Accueil Le Jardin des Rêves have closed
  • Page 205 – Chambre d’Hôte Christiane Jaury has closed
    • Add accomm in Lichos [BB] Chez Angèle [Do][Pr][Dr][K][R], €22/-/44/-, DP23, jeanmarie.loumpre@sfr.fr, 0631909241, 0559288139, open Apr – mid Oct
  • Page 206 – Change distance to Saint-Palais in box: “24km (30km via Saint-Palais, 21.7m via Uhart-Mixe)”
  • Page 208 – Gîte Terra Sylva has closed
  • Page 209 – The good news is that the waymarking for the Saint-Palais detour is now refreshed and easy to follow. The bad news is that, for some reason, it now spends considerably more time on highways. It’s not an enjoyable walk, which is too bad, given that Saint-Palais is already a harder sell since it adds 6km to the stage
  • Update route description: “Continue straight on a minor paved road, ignoring side streets, as it winds through quiet terrain. Turn left at a T (3.2km), then right onto D242. Cross the Pont de Quinquil over the Bidouze River, then turn right on D933 (0.7km), taking care when crossing the busy highway. Continue straight through a roundabout on D2933 (1.2km), and keep walking (2km), eventually reaching the Refuge Communal Les Franciscains and Espace Chemins Bideak in”
  • Page 210 – Tweak opening of first line: “Backtrack from the Refuge Communal Les Franciscaine on D2933 towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
  • Page 211 – In Ostabat, Gîte Gaineko Etxea has changed owners and is now: [A][BB]Gîte Izarrak [Do][Pr][Dr][Br][R][Cr][S][W][Z], 1/6, €42/-/100/138, incl DP, 1020 Azmeko Bidéa, contact@giteizarrak.com, 0672737856, swimming pool, open Apr-Oct, English spoken
  • Page 213 – Hôtel Espellet in Larceveau has changed owners and is now Hôtel Espelletenia, hotel-ostatu@espelletenia.eus
  • Page 213 – Gîte Ferme Xokoan is now Dodo à la Ferme, change email to xokoan@gmail.com
  • Page 217 – Update Gîte La Vita è Bella entry in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: 2/10, €19/-/42/-, DP17, 4 Place du Trinquet, lavitaebella.sm@gmail.com, 0672100463, open Apr – mid-Oct
  • Page 221 – Camping Pech Ibert has closed
  • Page 221 – Add accomm to Béduer: [A][BB] La Forge de Béduer [O][Do][Pr][Dr][Br][K][R][W], 2/8, €18/-/55/-, DP16, 51 Rue Saint-Etienne, sandrine.arque@gmail.com, 0631835142
  • Page 224 – Cut La Maison du Passant Pélerin from Espagnac
    • Add accomm to Espagnac [BB] Oltarcie [Pr][Dr][Br][R][Cr][W], €-/80/90/105, DP25, oltarcie@gmail.com, 0652688582, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 230 – Cut Chambre d’Hôtes de Geniès from Sauliac
  • Page 241 – Cut Domaine du Porche in Saint-Géry
    • Add accomm to Saint-Géry [BB]Un Nid Pour la Nuit [Pr][Br][K][R], €-/67/70/76, Ave de l’Europe, alexandredup69@gmail.com, 0676589348, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 248 – There’s a new approach into Cardaillac, adding 200m to the walk and modifying the final 4km. It’s less road-bound, and the final chunk of the walk into the village is a considerable improvement, looping past a sports complex and the church before dropping you in the center
  • Page 249 – New gite in Lacapelle-Marival! Le Cèdre Bleu [Do][Br][K][R][S][W], 5/14, €23/-/-/-, Rue Merlival, sraffy@wanadoo.fr, 0641999520, 0645165364, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 251 – A water fountain is available on route in L’Hôpital
  • Page 257 – Thanks to reader feedback that it is best not to rely on finding a taxi at the Rocamadour train station to make it into the sanctuary. Instead, the bus–line 876–offers a quick connection
  • Page 260 – Add WC and fountain icons to Couzou map (see “Couzou” png)
  • Page 261 – New gite in Couzou! Les 7 Pèlerins [Do][Dr][K][R], 2/7, €23/-/-/-, DP22, 34 Place de l’Église, franckvidal2000@hotmail.com, 0642541625, open Apr-Oct
  • Page 261 – Also of note in Couzou: A WC with water is available in the village, though it’s a bit of a detour, following D32 south for 400m
  • Page 264 – Cut Gîte Le Cayrou Mirabel in Cras
    • Add accomm to Cras [A]Gîte La Commanderie[Do][Pr][Dr][R][S][W], 1/6, €18/-/36/-, DP15, roxane.nogues1996@gmail.com, 0652681593, open Apr-Nov
  • Page 271 – Cut Ainhoa from Gites list, cut Camping-Gite Harazpy
  • Page 280 – Cut Gite Le Jeu de Paume from Espelette listing

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