Day 32: Melle – Another Hidden Gem on the Voie de Tours (GR655), Walking from Paris to Bordeaux

Day 32: Melle – Another Hidden Gem on the Voie de Tours (GR655), Walking from Paris to Bordeaux

Hi it’s John on day 32 of my walk I passed through Mel which did two things exceptionally well one was flowers and the other was Romanesque churches it was mid April when I got there so the wiera and the bulbs were out I’d done 500 km along the gr 655

From Paris and I still had 250 to go to reach Bordeaux

On Day 32 of my walk I came to Melle which did two things exceptionally well. One was flowers. The other was Romanesque churches, especially St. Hilaire, a world heritage site.

This video is part of a series covering my post COVID project to walk the medieval pilgrim’s trail from Paris to Bordeaux. I did it in the Spring of 2023. I have a playlist (introductory video below) which gives the full sequential list of videos for my walk. There are also other, shorter, playlists covering different aspects of the walk such as the best chateaux, the best churches and the best gardens.

The whole walk took 47 days and my route was the GR 655 which recreates the medieval Via Turonensis or Voie de Tours. Today not many pilgrims take this trail and one can walk stretches of it in perfect solitude. However, you do meet other pilgrims, especially in the portion of the walk from Tours to Bordeaux and can experience wonderful fellowship too.

The full route takes you to the Spanish border, crosses the Pyrenees and joins the famous el Camino to Santiago. Ambitious walkers go all the way, a journey of 1800 kms.

I am posting videos explaining, day by day with images, what the walk meant to me and could mean to others who might give it a try.

Here’s the link to the introductory video of the series.

#GR655
#caminodesantiago
#walkinginfrance
#highbanks.pilgrim
# Romanesque