THE GR®65
While the Compostela pilgrimage dates back to the Middle Ages, the current GR®65 is much more recent. Developed in 1972 by the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre, it is the most frequented route and the best equipped with accommodation. It connects, for its French part, Le Puy-en-Velayin the Haute-Loire, to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, on about 755 kilometers of long-distance hiking trails, crossing the Lot from north to south. The via Podiensis, however, starts from much higher up. It is from Geneva that we will have to leave to then reach Roncesvalles at the end of 1120 kilometers.
Our pilgrim’s notebook in hand, let’s put on our backpack and set off on this legendary route. From the last green mountains of the Aveyron to the golden stone of the Lot Valley, the route takes us from stopover to stopover, treading in particular two sections of trails classified as World Heritage by UNESCO and discovering towns and villages with a singular character: Figeac, Faycelles, Cajarc.