Walking Tours in france

Within France, by the 12th century, there were four different routes for pilgrims on the ‘Chemin de St. Jacques’. Of the four, the earliest recorded and the best preserved is that which starts at Le Puy on the headwaters of the Loire and crosses the Massif Central from northeast to southwest on its way to Aquitaine and the Pyrenees.

We too start at Le Puy, a fascinating town set among the volcanic plugs of Velay. We follow the GR65 trail over the pastoral basaltic plateau of Deves and across the wooded gorges of the Margeride at the headwaters of the Allier. The way continues along traditional ‘drailles’ over the almost treeless plateau of the Aubrac.

From the Aubrac we descend the winding gorges of the Lot, one of the great rivers which flows from the Massif Central to the plains of Aquitaine. Our pilgrimage ends at Conques, an unspoilt medieval town, in the words of the writer Hal Bishop: ‘splendidly situated halfway up a hill between the gorges of the Dourdon and l’Ouche’. The narrow streets of Conques still cluster round the magnificent Abbey church of St. Foy, built astride the trail in the 11th century.

In place of the medieval pilgrim hospices which sprang up along the way, we stay at a succession of delightful, small hotels and auberges. The food, which reflects the best of local produce, has also received high praise.