On the way
The alarm went off at 04:00, up, showered and a cup of tea then Sandra dropped me off at the station to catch the 05:13 to London.
To get to the start of the GR70 I bought a 4 day Interrail ticket, unlimited travel in a month which will get me from Lancaster to Lyon via London and Paris. After that I’m on little local trains which have a different ticketing system.
For a few extra quid I upgraded the Interrail pass to first class, this was a great idea.
The last time I did a first class trip was in 1976 from Edinburgh to London after finishing the Pennine Way. I don’t know if I’d buy an ordinary first class ticket but the Interrail upgrade was only about £40 so it was a bargain.
The carriage was almost empty when I got on and a few people joined at the couple of stops on the way but at Milton Keynes almost the whole carriage filled up with rich commuters on their way to London.
I certainly stood out in my T shirt and walking kit😄
Apart from the extra space, quiet carriage and easy access to charging points etc. I was also entitled to a free full English breakfast with unlimited free tea.
The Lancaster train arrives in Euston Station, from where it’s a short walk to St Pancras International for the the Eurostar to Paris.
While my pass entitled me to a first class seat, these are very limited and when I tried to book it found the Interrail allocation were all taken.
Never mind, the train arrived in Paris on time and I was faced with the only part of the trip I’d been concerned about when planning the trip.
The Eurostar arrives at Paris Gare du Nord, but the train south departs from Gare du Lyon, this is not a hard transfer, just a couple of stops and one change on the excellent Paris Metro. However I only had an hour to do it in.
In the end it was fine and I was in my seat with nearly 25 minutes to spare.
I had managed to snag a first class seat reservation on the Lyon express and this proved to be a wonderful experience. The TgV train was a double decker and I had a window seat on the upper floor. The views of the French countryside as we raced south were delightful, spoilt only by the hammering rain.
Once in Lyon I had time for a meal and glass of wine before changing to the local trains for the final two legs to Le Puy en Velay and the start of the walk. The first train was rather crowded, this time with commuters going home but the second was nearly empty.
Despite the second train being delayed by about 20 minutes it made up a lot of time and arrived only 6 minutes late.
A few minutes after disembarking I walked into my hotel:-
Sixteen and a half hours after the alarm had gone off I was finished traveling. 800 miles, one car (thanks Sandra for getting me to the station), five trains and two metros, what a day!
First Class breakfast
The campsite at Le Puy.
After the very long trip down I had an easy day sight seeing around the town in much improved weather.
The cathedral, where the Stevenson Trail and a couple of other walks start.
This whole area has a long history of volcanic activity, now inactive. The town is dominated by the remains of two volcanic plugs, one has a very old Romanesque chapel on it summit and the other. Huge iron statue of the Virgin Mary.
The statue was made in the 19th century, using iron from 218 Russian cannons captured at Sevastopol during the Crimean war.
The best thing about it, is it’s hollow , made in sections and bolted together, it even has a spiral staircase inside it.
The old chapel is very small and quiet.
Not only did I spend the day sightseeing, I also walked the complicated route the trail takes around the old town. This meant I wouldn’t have to climb back up to the cathedral the next morning to start the walk proper.