A week on El Camino - From Le Puy to the Aubrac plateau
Filmed on : August 2023
Filmed in : El Camino
Our itinerary
Day | From | To | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Le Puy | Saint-Alban | 22km |
2 | Saint-Alban | Saugues | 19km |
3 | Saugues | Lajo | 24km |
4 | Lajo | Aumont-Aubrac | 26km |
5 | Aumont-Aubrac | Aubrac | 35km |
6 | Aubrac | Saint Chély d'Aubrac | 8km |
Some tips
Start in Le Puy en Velay, it's a very popular start, relatively easy to access via train and above all, attend the 7am mass at the cathedral. Many pilgrims are there, it's a moment to get to know the faces you are gonna see along your trail. You can also get your credential at that point.
Don't plan on covering long distances on the first days, as you need to give your body some time to adjust to the effort. Many injuries occur at the start of the journey. For example, we started with 22, 19 and 24km. You'll want to wake up pretty early (from 6 to 8) and walk as much as possible before the sun shines to bright. Once you stop for lunch, it's quite hard to continue so we always pushed our meal break.
On the way, you'll find churches and chapels where volunteers will welcome you and be available for questions, and assistance.
On the way, you will sometimes be quite remote, with little options for accommodation, groceries and restaurants. Plan accordingly, especially if you don't carry a tent. It's quite frequent to see pilgrims hitchhike to get to their guesthouse, the locals are happy to help.
Being in the wild is very rewarding and you'll get to discover landscapes and approach animals that live in amazing conditions. Crossing the Aubrac plateau for example was absolutely breathtaking !
Like anywhere, it might start raining. The trail becomes muddy, you'll get wet, the effort gets harder. Check the weather forecast, have your waterproof jackets ready and pack good shoes !
Some people prefer walking with a stick, but it can create a disbalance if you rely on it to much, so try to keep that in mind. You will lose/forget your stick at least 4 times per day :)
In the end, walking 6 days on El Camino gave us so much energy, as we never sleep this much, eat this good or do that much effort. Our body really thanked us. None of us got injured ! We used NOK cream on the feet to avoid blisters.
