Walking the Way of Saint James

(Published February 2013, last updated February 2026)

The Way of Saint James is known by many names—the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, the Via Podiensis, the Pilgrims’ Trail or, more simply, the GR 65.

It is just one of many Grands Randonnées, or long-distance walking paths, which meander through France, bringing pilgrims from all corners of Europe.

Over time, four main routes through France, covering more than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) and known collectively as the Chemins de Saint-Jacques, became established, each one guiding walkers to the southern town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port where the most famous of all long-distance walks—the Camino Francès—begins.

Legend has it (and this is the version that I like best) that after the death of Jesus, the twelve disciples cast lots to divide up the known world and determine where each of them would spread the gospels.

James travelled to Iberia (now known as Portugal and Spain) but, disappointed by what he perceived as a lack of success, returned to Jerusalem some years later, where he was promptly beheaded on the orders of King Herod.

Devastated by his death, two of James’ followers placed his body in a boat, which was guided by angels back towards Iberia. The boat washed ashore near Fisterra in northern Spain, where local villagers buried his body in a nearby forest.

Eight hundred years later, the body was discovered by a hermit and declared by the Bishop of Iberia to be the remains of Saint James. A small church was erected to mark the spot.

And so, the first pilgrimages began.

For the devout people of France and northern Europe, a pilgrimage to northern Spain was much more manageable than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 

For more than one thousand years, pilgrims gathered in the picturesque village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (now classified as one of France’s ‘most beautiful villages’).

From there, they began the journey across the top of Spain to where the relics of Saint James are now housed in the much grander cathedral in nearby Santiago de Compostela. 

The most popular of the four major routes through France is the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy which begins in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute-Loire region of France and winds its way over 740 kilometres (463 miles) south-west, passing through the Lozère, Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne, Gers and Landes regions, before reaching Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. 

The first recorded pilgrimage from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port was made in 951 CE by Bishop Gothescale. As word spread, large numbers of pilgrims arrived, eager to follow in his footsteps, and the small church over which he presided was unable to cope with the influx. A much grander cathedral, which still stands today, was built in the twelfth century, proudly displaying a statue of the Black Madonna, donated by Saint-Louis. (This was, unfortunately, burned during the French Revolution but later replaced by the current seventeenth century statue.)

As you walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy, you’ll pass many reminders of the first pilgrims…

In 1217, the Bishop of Le Puy-en-Velay established a hostel and a small church on a busy part of the Margeride region where pilgrims arrived from Switzerland, Germany and Hungary. A law was passed which decreed the accommodation would be dedicated to serving sick and poor pilgrims, and livestock and crops grown on the surrounding farmland provided a constant source of food.

Four hundred years later, the cathedral relinquished control of the estate to local farmers, interest in the pilgrimage waned and many buildings fell into disrepair. But recent refurbishments have seen le Sauvage (Stage 1: Le puy-en-Velay to Aumont-Aubrac) become an iconic stop on the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy, with great importance still placed on sustainable farming practices and showing respect for the memory and spirit of the original hostel.

One hour after leaving le Sauvage, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy passes a small spring—Fontaine de l’Oratoire Saint-Roch. It is said that the water flowing from here is blessed, and pilgrims having been stopping to quench their thirst and fill their water bottles here for almost one thousand years. 

In 1120, the pilgrim Adalard crossed the Aubrac Plains (Stage 2: Aumont-Aubrac to Figeac) on his way from Le Puy-en-Velay to Santiago. He was attacked by bandits but survived, unharmed. Two years later, he returned to build a monastery, La Dômerie, a church and a hospital where future pilgrims could find shelter and receive care. During its busiest times, the monastery, in what is now the village of Aubrac, dispensed 5,000 bread rolls and sheltered 500 pilgrims each day!

The monastery was destroyed during the French Revolution but the church has survived. On its inside walls you’ll find murals by contemporary artist Hervé Vernhes depicting the story of Adalard.

An hour’s walk past Miramont-Sensacq (Stage 5: Éauze to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port), you’ll pass l’église de Sensacq—an eleventh-century church dedicated to Saint-Jacques.

At the entrance, a covered porch provides enough shelter for a dozen or so pilgrims to eat lunch or spend the night without entering the church. On the morning I passed through, the covered porch provided welcome cover from the drizzling rain, but the voices of tired pilgrims seemed to whisper through the walls, and I could easily imagine a row of blankets laid there, ready for nightfall.

Thirty kilometres (18.5 miles) before reaching Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, three of the Chemins de Saint-Jacques which cross France—the GR 65 from Le Puy-en-Velay, the GR 654 from Vézelay and the GR 655 from Brussels (via Paris and Tours)—converge at Stèle de Gibraltar and follow a single path south.

And as the pilgrimage to Santiago grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, an overwhelming number of pilgrims arrived from all directions.

The village of Ostabat-Asme, seven kilometres (4.5 miles) to the south of Stèle de Gibraltar, became a busy and important stop along the chemin. In the fourteenth century, as many as 5,000 pilgrims arrived each night, taking shelter in the village’s fifteen hostels and twenty auberges. Three hospitals provided care for the sick until they were ready to continue their journey. During the Wars of Religion, many buildings in Ostabat-Asme were destroyed and it is difficult today to imagine this sleepy village crowded with so many pilgrims.

If you intend to walk the entire length of this path (perhaps over many holidays), be sure to collect your crédencial, or passport, which identifies you as a pilgrim, before you leave Le Puy-en-Velay. You can have your crédencial stamped at each of your nightly stops. Not only will this serve as a lifelong reminder of your journey, it will give you priority access over other travellers if you wish to secure a bed in one of the many gîtes along the route. (In Spain, a crédencial is essential if you wish to stay in the pilgrims’ refugios.)

Luckily for us modern-day walkers, a steady procession of pilgrims has resulted in a plentiful supply of accommodation and other infrastructure.

As you get closer to Santiago, competition for a cheap bed can be pretty stiff, but in France, you are unlikely to find yourself stranded or having to walk on to the next town.

Nowadays, people walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques for a variety of reasons—sometimes for the physical challenge, sometimes to find meaning or reset after a difficult period in their life, often for religious reasons—and in a variety of ways—alone, in a guided group, with friends, in short stages or in one huge concentrated effort.

For me, it’s an opportunity to soak up some glorious scenery as I wander from one mouth-watering meal to the next.

No matter how, or why, you go, you’ll find friends and a camaraderie that overcomes language barriers and other differences.

The four main routes in France are known by their starting points—

Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy — 743 kilometres (465 miles)

Chemin de Saint-Jacques d’Arles — 805 kilometres (503 miles)

Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Paris — 940 kilometres (587 miles)

Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Vézelay — 1,090 kilometres (681 miles)

Learn more about walking along the Way of Saint James or Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy—

Stage 1: Le Puy-en-Velay to Aumont-Aubrac

Stage 2: Aumont-Aubrac to Figeac

Stage 3: Figeac to Cahors 

Stage 4: Cahors to Eauze

Stage 5: Eauze to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Some practical tips to make sure everything goes smoothly 🙂