Publisher: Miam Miam Dodo Le Vieux Crayon. Author: Mireille Retail
This Guide edition covers the GR653 - La Voie d'Arles + Camino Aragones. Arles - Col du Somport - Puente La Reina. The route is also known as Via Tolosana and the Camino Aragonés.
Beginning in the lovely town of Arles in the south of France and arriving in Puenta la Reina in Spain, the Way of Arles, today marked as GR653, is a magnificent itinerary that offers a rich diversity of reliefs, landscape and climates: plains, forests, hills, mountains.. It was much frequented during the Occitan civilisation ahead of the persecution by the Cathars.
Pilgrims must be well prepared for this journey. The Via Tolosana is the only one of the 4 traditional pilgrimage routes in France that has a destination in both directions: Santiago de Compostela one way and Rome in the other. It arrives in Somport pass in the Pyrenees where the Camino Aragonés and later joins the Camino Francés around 160km later.
The Miam Miam Dodo 'Eat and Sleep' guide is an excellent resource for pilgrims. Written in French it has a Union Jack code to assist with accommodation and places to eat and contains a glossary in 6 languages of terms used in the book. Updated every 2 years it details places to eat sleep and at what price for a 4km band width for the length of of the route. With maps for the route at a scale of 1cm to 375m it is, all in all, a great resource!
ISBN: 9782380060492