হাইকিংয়ের একটি ভূমিকাe evenings at your gite. ideal strangers become firm friends as you laugh, tell anecdotes and gorge your huge appetite on the local food and wine.
Helping one another out is an unsaid code on the pilgrimage – amazing kindnesses and gifts are extended. I had meals paid for, accommodation covered, medicine and clothing given to me – all completely sourced from a magical fountain of pilgrim goodwill.
On the trail there’s an honesty to be found unlike anything you’ll see in your normal daily grind. The undertaking is a hard one – walking 19 -28 kilometers, day after day for 4-5 weeks causes people to stick together and draw the best out of each other.
The reasons for Walking
Pilgrims walk for numerous reasons. Some, like me, to see the amazing landscape and reflect a while. Others walk in the shadow of great loss, or change. You may find it’s your task for the day to spend a few hours beside your fellow man (or woman) reassuring, talking about or simply sharing in the marvel of being best here, best now – alive together amidst all this natural beauty.
The implying of your walk gathers strength with every step taken, every village visited, every conversation shared. The whole thing can’t help but be mystical, allegorical – answers to long-held questions come to a pilgrim in quiet places, or amidst the laughter around the evening dinner table. It’s all rather spectacular and completely unforgettable.
Soon you come to an inevitable conclusion: long distance walking is the best way to press pause on ‘normal’ life, to get reacquainted with yourself and rest your soul a while.
Costs and budget On The French Camino
But what about the costs of walking the Camino in France? numerous are drawn to the Spanish Camino because it can be done so cheaply. There you can find albergues – or hostels – for as cheap as €7-8 a night, with food only another €10-15 more.
A month on the Camino in Spain can easily be done on a budget of €800-1000. people tend to think a similar experience in France would cost a huge amount more. In fact, this isn’t true.
Accommodation costs are higher than Spain, but not by much. On my walk I managed an average of only €16 per day for my bed, and another €12-15 for food and other costs. My total budget for the walk – not including flights or insurance – concerned €1100, or just over €30 a day.
I’d challenge anybody to see so much of gorgeous, magical France on a budget smaller than that.
As I said, reasonably priced walkers’ accommodation is available all along the through Podiensis route – there’s rarely a stretch of 5-10km without some advertisement for a gite. Municipal places are a good cheap option, typically costing €10-12 a night, and with cooking facilities so you can make your own dinner and breakfast.
Often though, you’ll get provided demi-pension in a gite, where along with the bed in a easy dorm-style room you’ll get a superb dinner and breakfast before you go. This costs a little more, but is certainly worth doing once in a while. After all, you’re in France – you’ve got to delight in the food, red wine and hospitality!
উপসংহারে
As for me, I’m now firmly addicted to long-distance walking. I plan to take on the through Tolosana at some point – another variant of the Camino, this time in the south of France. I’d dearly love to attempt the Pacific Crest trail as well, but for now I’ll stick with my native England – here we have some of the best walking anywhere in the world.
Pilgrim, I wish you buen camino, or as they say in France, bon chemin!
Author’s Bio:
Tom Caley runs IndieLifestyle.net, a site devoted to travel, fitness and personal growth. His preferred past times include push-ups, long days in the mountains and evaluating books about heroes. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
এই পোস্ট পছন্দ? পিন কর!
Disclaimer:Goats On The road is an Amazon associate and also an affiliate for some other retailers. This implies we earn commissions if you click links on our blog and purchase from those retailers.