Author: Thom

The tiny hamlet of Rochegude overlooks the valley of the L’Allier river below. There has been a guard tower up on the ridge here since the early medieval period at least. Also up on the hillside above the houses is this little chapel, perched precariously over the steepest part of the hillside, just beyond. Date: 19 August 2023 Place: Rochegude, […]

Once I got closer to the top of the hill, the view opened out. It absolutely took my breath away. They say that the walk from Le Puy to Conques is the most beautiful in France, and I for one am inclined to agree. And this wan’t even the nicest view of the day. Date: 19 August 2023 Place: between […]

While most of the Camino paths I’ve walked have been relatively broad, from time to time you do get something like this path from Saint-Privat. Normally, I like to burst out of the starting blocks with my best speed of the day before I slow down to the usual saunter. This path, however, was narrow, rocky, and uneven. It was […]

This was my view just after 7am, looking back as I left the village of Saint-Privat-d’Allier. It was a beautiful and cool morning, perfect for walking. I was hoping to get some serious kilometers under my belt before the day’s heat set in. You can see in this photo that the terrain in the region is a trifle hilly. This […]

The next day we were treated to a fantastic (and typically French) breakfast by Olivier, our gracious host. It consisted of an assortment of juices, coffee (or tea) in a bowl, and toasted fresh bread with a slew of jam options. As you can see from the map below, today was going to involve a lot of altitude changes as I […]

The interior of Saint Privat was restored in 1965 by the villagers. Compared to medieval churches I visited later, this one is comparatively stark, with modern furnishings and new stained glass that reflect the tastes of that time rather than respecting the fabric of the building and its architecture. It’s likely that originally the interior would have been covered in […]

My first stop on my self-guided tour of the village of Saint-Privat-d’Allier was the village church. This is, you will be shocked to discover, dedicated to Saint Privat. Privatus was an early bishop in the area who was martyred Germanic invaders for refusing to reveal the location of his hidden followers sometime in the third century. This was originally a […]

I arrived at my first gîte about a half-hour before it actually opened. I spent the time in conversation with a French pilgrim named Dominique. She was originally from Paris but had retired to Brittany. She spends her summers walking the various trails throughout France. She and I would cross paths frequently over the next couple of weeks. After check-in […]

After the downhill scramble through the woods, I finished the day’s walk with a short stretch of uphill roadwalking to the village of Saint-Privat-d’Allier. This was the stopping point for my first stage. As one generally does in France, I had pre-booked my bed, so the main thing on my mind was finding my gîte and checking in. It was […]

The last kilometer or so before Saint-Privat-d’Allier was a literal downhill scramble. The path, such as it was, had vanished completely, and I was confronted by this. It’s steeper than it looks in this photo – realize the camera is pointed downhill here. I am very glad I had hiking poles. It was pretty slow going, even so. Date: 18 […]