Day 3 - First Steps on the Via Podiensis : Le Puy en Velay to Saint-Privat-d'Allier

Today was our first day of hiking, and it felt really good to be back on the Camino! We woke up at 6 am and headed over to the Cathedral for the pilgrim's mass at 7 am. It was a wonderful service, which made me wish my grasp of French was better. 

 

 

The priest made everyone laugh, and really gave us an impressive and personalized send-off. After the mass we returned to the seminary to pick up our bags, and then stopped at the foot of the hill for a breakfast of pain au chocolat and expresso. It felt like a very leisurely and luxurious morning compared to the rush that often occurred on the Camino Frances.

 

 

 

We began the hike out of Le Puy around 9:30am with a steep climb out the town that afforded wonderful views of the town behind us. 

After the initial climb the trail levelled out a little as it wound its way through beautiful countryside, but most of the day was uphill. As we walked through fields filled with blooming wildflowers we were serenaded by crickets and many different bird songs. I am embarrassed and quite irritated to admit that I could not identify a single species, but I enjoyed them all nonetheless!

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Around 10 am we stopped at the outskirts of a little village where there was a picnic table with a great view and polished off the last of our pastries from the bakery in Lyon. Beside the picnic table there was a public washroom, and as the day progressed we passed several more. This is one of the differences we noticed between this hike and the Camino Frances - there is virtually no garbage along the trail here, and the piles of toilet paper behind every bush are not to be found. Instead, there are washrooms provided along the trail, although in some cases it is necessary to bring your own toilet paper. A preferable system, I think.

 

 

 We continued to climb for another hour, and then came across a little trail-side stand which sold coffee, cold drinks, sandwiches, fruit, and picnic baskets. We had seen picnic baskets advertised by a few of the gites, and decided to try one to find out what they involved. For 8 Euros we were given a bottle of water, a bag of chips, a tub of apple sauce, a baguette with cheese, and a large mixed salad (lettuce, rice, corn, peas, beans, carrots, white beans, and ham).  It was good, but far too much food for us! We carried our feast with us, and stopped to eat it in a field filled with blooming wildflowers sometime after noon.

Throughout the day the trail shifted from a paved road, to a gravel track, to a single-file footpath, to a slightly muddy path. Most of the day we walked through hilly countryside which panoramic views across rolling fields, dotted with small towns.

For the most part the walking wasn't too difficult, except the last half hour, which was a rather steep descent down a rocky track into the valley of Saint Privat d'Allier.

 

We stayed at the Gite Kompost'l, which was not too fancy on the outside, but turned out to be very nice on the inside. We shared a room with two girls who spoke English, one of whom came from New Zealand, and the other from Switzerland. After arriving and doing the usual chores we went for a walk through the town, and visited the small church. The churchyard provided gorgeous views of the river valley in which the town is located.

We returned to a communal dinner downstairs, which consisted of rice salad, bread, wine, and the green lentils of the region, followed by cake with ice cream. Once again, it was a wonderful day filled with friendly people and many things to be grateful for.  

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Practical Information:
Distance: 23.5 km

Cumulative ascent: 736 m

Cumulative descent: 546 m

Max Temperature: 28˚C

Accommodations: Gite le Kompost'l