Overview: the Arles route
One of the 4 medieval pilgrim routes described by Aimery Picaud in his mid-12th c Pilgrim's Guide. Used by Jacobean pilgrims from southern and eastern Europe and in reverse, by Spanish, Portuguese and French pilgrims to Rome. Also known as the Via Tolosana as the most important town along the way is Toulouse.
We are encouraging people to try alternatives, even for a first pilgrimage, to the increasingly over-crowded le Puy route. For an account of the highlights of the route, click here.
St-Guilhem-le-Désert
The Route. Starts in Arles (Provence) and continues westwards, parallel with the Pyrenees through Montpellier (Languedoc) and Toulouse (Midi-Pyrénées) to Oloron-Sainte-Marie (Béarn). Here it swings south up the Aspe valley to cross the Pyrenees into Aragón by the Col du Somport. In Spain, the route, now the Camino aragonés, follows the valley of the river Aragón south to Jaca and then west, still following the river, through Aragón and Navarra to join the Camino francés at Obanos just before Puente la Reina.
Length. 905 km; 745 km in France, 160 km in Spain. Can be divided into 33-35 stages, several of 30-40 km, the length of each stage being dictated by the availability of accommodation. Rest days and sightseeing take extra days.
Waymarking. A footpath/small farm road route, waymarked clearly throughout. In France, designated GR 653, part of the network of Sentiers de Grande Randonnée waymarked with red and white bars. In Spain, waymarked by yellow arrows but also with red and white bars as GR 65.3, part of the Spanish network of Senderos de Gran Recorrido. Mostly a single route in France but in Aragón and Navarra with variants north and south of the Embalse de Yesa which has flooded the original route.
Terrain. Tough, very variable and always over-shadowed by the Pyrenees. Between Arles and Montpellier, the route crosses the Camargue (drained marshland of the Rhône delta). Between Montpellier and Castres are the steep hills of Haut-Languedoc: initially the causses (dry, steep-sided limestone hills and gorges) and later vast areas of commercial forest, largely conifers or beech. Between Castres and Oloron-Sainte-Marie the terrain is flatter: low hills and open plateaux dotted with trees and with mixed farming. The valley of the Aspe and the northern slopes of the Pyrenees are clothed with verdant beech forest and pasture; beyond the Col du Somport, the southern slopes and the valley of the river Aragón are stark, bare and rocky. After Jaca comes the Canal de Berdún, extensive arable farmland, anticipating the meseta ahead and along the shores of the Embalse de Yesa there are dramatic rocky moonscapes.
Weather. Strongly influenced by the Pyrenees so mountain weather - variable and unpredictable from day to day. Can be very hot in Languedoc and Aragón in summer. Often very wet in Midi-Pyrénées and the French side of the Col du Somport. Haut-Languedoc and Aragón can be very cold, even in summer. The Col du Somport is snow-covered in winter.
When to go. Walkable throughout the year despite temperature and rainfall extremes. Spring (long daylight hours) and autumn are best. Summer is too crowded (with tourists). Winter journeys over the higher hills of Haut-Languedoc or the Col du Somport in snow or mist are not advised except possibly for experienced mountain walkers. There are relatively frequent bus-services over the Pyrenees (Oloron-Sainte-Marie to Jaca) as an alternative to the path.
What to see. Saint-Gilles-du-Gard: shrine of Saint-Gilles and also a long-standing pilgrimage destination in its own right - visit http://www.regordane.info to find out about the route to St Gilles from le Puy-en-Velay; Montpellier: birthplace of Saint-Roch, patron saint of pilgrims and now a pleasant modern commercial and industrial town; Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert: a picturesquely sited village in the gorge of the Hérault where Saint-Guilhem, a close childhood friend and companion in arms of Charlemagne, sited his Abbey of Gellone. The lovely Romanesque church remains (can be over-run by tourists); Lodève: magnificent cathedral reflecting the wealth and power of the medieval warrior-bishop Saint-Fulcran; Castres: finest collection of Goya's engravings in France; Revel: spectacular grid-pattern bastide (medieval new town); Toulouse: fine Hospice Saint-Jacques beside the Garonne, cathedral, basilica of Saint-Sernin (martyred and venerated in the town) and many churches and convents; Auch: associated more with the 3 musketeers than with Saint-Jacques but has a cathedral with fine stained glass and choirstalls; Morlaàs and Lescar: each at one time a capital of strife-ridden Béarn before the province's accession to France; Oloron-Sainte-Marie: picturesque cathedral town with second fine Hispano-Moorish style church; Jaca: the cradle of the Reconquista with a cathedral regarded as the prototype of the Spanish Romanesque; Monasteries of San Juan de la Peña (just off the route) and Leyre: Romanesque pantheons of the pre-Reconquista kings of Aragón and Navarra; Embalse de Yesa: formed by the highly controversial flooding of the river Aragón, and the picturesque villages of the Canal de Berdún, many being restored for tourism after long years of depopulation caused by the flooding of the Embalse.
Where to stay. No network of dedicated cheap pilgrim refuges, even in Spain. Hotels, gites d’étape, chambres d'hôte and camp sites in France. Hotels, refugios and camp sites in Spain. Generally expensive, they cater mostly for tourists although pilgrim discounts are available and becoming more common. A few kind families put up pilgrims but pilgrims must fit in with their day-to-day lives. But rooms on offer are few, and places of accommodation tiny and often swamped by tourists and construction workers. [Since this was written, the route has become a lot more popular, and pilgrim-friendly accommodation is much more plentiful - July 2007.]
Distinctive features of the route. A solitary route - very few pilgrims and much of the way is in forest - pilgrims need to be able to cope with loneliness. An expensive route - 80% of the way is in France (more expensive than Spain); there is virtually no free accommodation; and long distances between accommodation may require extended stays for sightseeing which prolongs the journey. Accommodation is difficult and barely sufficient - and may be full in season or closed outside. Hilly, tough terrain as the route crosses the grain of the land - especially hard for cyclists.
Guide books.
Chemin d'Arles vers Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle: La Voie du Sud, by R. Day, L. Laborde Balen, P.Macia, J.P.Siréjol. FFRP, Rando Editions & Association de Coopération Inter-Régionale, 2004. Step by step guide in French with schematic maps - available from Stanfords.
Arles to Puente la Reina (Pilgrim guides to the roads through France to Santiago de Compostela # 4), by Maurice and Marigold Fox. The Confraternity of Saint James, 2007. Now published in 2 sections and available in our Bookshop by following the links from the individual titles: 4i) Arles-Toulouse and 4ii) Toulouse to Puente la Reina. It is recommended to use them in conjunction with the FFRP guide.
Pictures. For pictures of the Arles route and the Camino Aragonés, visit our digital image gallery and the Pictures Pages of the Camino (Camino Aragonés only).
Discussion Forum. Visit the Camino de Santiago Forum Arles Route section, Camino Aragonés section and the Piemont section to join in the current conversation.
Websites.
http://chemindarles.free.fr/ is a fairly recently-created site, in French and English,devoted to the route from Italy, via Arles, to Puente la Reina. The authors have also created a photographic gallery of the Arles route.
Two other useful sites recommended by Pat Chambers:
chemindarles.free.fr/carte_EN.php
viatolosana.free.fr/ vt_hebergement.htm
and one recently set up by Ralph Alcorn:http://backpack45.com/camino2p4.html
Thanks to Maurice & Marigold Fox, August 2003.