Having not walked any distance since last year, we decided to have a relaxed week
staying in an AirBnB in Arles to investigate the start of the Via Tolosana,
which has the advantage of being flat for some distance. Arles is a fascinating town,
and we can thoroughly recommend taking two or three days to look around.
Not only does it have impressive Roman remains with interesting museums - the Roman barge exhibition
is well worth a visit - but there is also a Vincent van Gogh trail. The Saturday morning open air market,
with exotic spices, local food and all manner of other goods should not be missed.
Finally, the Camargue offers a variety of wildlife, and the Mediterranean coast is not far away.
The Way of Arles begins at the church of Saint Honorat on the Alyscamps, a Roman and then Christian necropolis.
Although the church was never completed and is now ruined, we could still see the steps where the pilgrims
would walk underneath the altar before starting off down the tree lined alley commemorated with
a slab marked with the Scallop Shell of Saint James. From there it heads up to the town,
past the Roman Amphitheatre and Ancient Theatre to the 12th century church of Saint Trophime.
The cloisters and associated buildings of the church are well worth a visit.
From there, the way leads through town and over the bridge to Trinquetaille, where we were staying.
There are two main routes from here to Saint Gilles; either along the tow-path of the Petit Rhone, or along roads.
Deciding to investigate the start of the way, we set off along the main road and then across country roads,
turning off the Way early on to loop down to the Priory of Notre Dame des Champs before returning along the Rhone Dike to Arles.
(Whilst the dike is not the official way, it is traffic free and much more pleasant. The official way on roads is more hazardous.)
Another day, we took a trip to Saint Gilles, by way of Nimes, to have a look around.
The Abbey there was founded in the 7th Century, and is now partly ruined.
The crypt dates to the early 11th century, and is huge, measuring 50 by 25 meters,
with the remains of the staircase used by pilgrims to descend from the main church, no longer usable.
The abbey used to be nearly 100m long, but the original choir is now in ruins.
Inside the abbey, the Association des Amis des Chemins de St Jacques presented an exhibition illustrating all
the routes through France of the Chemin de Compostelle, which made fascinating reading.
There was also a modern life-size statue of a pilgrim welcoming visitors.
