Lourdes Camping or Chalet option.pub

Lourdes Pilgrimage & Holiday
Join the Diocesan Pilgrimage as part of a
longer break (great for families!)
Our Diocesan Pilgrimage with the Catholic
Association travels from 21-28th Aug. 2015
Perhaps you may like to consider joining in
with this, but would rather have the
freedom of enjoying it as part of a longer
holiday, with considerable cost savings too!
Fr. Peter Codd does this ever year and would like to share his top tips
and suggestions for doing just that. Clearly there are many ways that this
holiday/pilgrimage can be done but these are some of our suggestions.
He is more than happy to talk to anyone interested in finding out more
after reading this leaflet.
Fr. Peter can be contacted on 01256 762351
or email: [email protected]
Travel to France
Portsmouth to Caan with Brittany Ferries.
www.brittany-ferries.co.uk The approx cost for a car
and family (depending when you travel) c. £360 return.
Driving down through France toward Lourdes:Whatever route you take down the west coast of France, please be aware
of toll roads. The whole journey is possible without using them, but this
will take a little more time, but will keep costs down.
Fr Peter’s route suggestions:To go from Caan to Lourdes (via the A10) and pay tolls
takes approx. 7.5 hours (c. 530 miles).
To go from Caan to Lourdes (via the N10) and avoid tolls
takes approx. 10.5 hours. (c. 560 miles)
Stop - overs to break the long drive:Many places are available en route to stop over and break
the journey. You could stay in a campsite or even a Premier
Class inn (like a travel lodge). www.premiereclasse.com/en
Fr Peter’s top tips!
Stop over at Poitiers which is more or less half way between Caan and
Lourdes. Their tourism website is very helpful:www.uk.poitiers-tourism.com
Other stop over points or places of interest:
Lisieux. Chartres. Bordeaux. Nevers (where St Bernadette is laid to rest)
Where to camp in Lourdes?
www.campsite-lourdes.campingdelaforet.fr/index.php
You can hire a tent pitch or a chalet /
mobile home. The site has great
facilities and an easy to use website!
For an example of cost, a chalet for a
family of 2-6 costs c £250 a week.
A tent pitch for 4 people with electricity
supply per night is c. £24. This means
you can use a cool box or fridge on site.
Recreational and other activities for families:There is a lot to see in Lourdes, aside from joining with Pilgrimage
activities. The Pilgrimage diary itself is very full (from Saturday to
Friday), but families may want to spend some time in recreation too,
especially if you spend more time in Lourdes than the Pilgrimage week.
And there is something for everyone!
See the Lourdes tourism website for more details:
www.lourdes-infotourisme.com
Fr. Peter’s top tips!
The Land Train to see the town
You can get on and off and see the historical sites on route. It leaves
from just outside St Joseph’s Gate of the Lourdes Sanctuary.
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Lac de Lourdes
A glacial lake 3 km from the town centre (towards Pau via Soumoulou).
You can go walking or mountain biking, fish and play golf (18 holes).
It is in a natural environment, with a restaurant, an adventure playground
for children, pedalos and a picnic area are at your disposal.
Château Fort de Lourdes
This thousand-year-old fortress, which has
never been conquered, is a listed historical
monument and a museum of France. This
site offers exceptional views of the city, the
Sanctuaries and the Pyrenees. Within its
walls there is also a botanical garden at the
foot of the 14th-century keep, and the
Pyrenean Museum.
Visit the most important collections about the history of the French and
Spanish Pyrenees: ceramics and furniture from the 18th century, a
shepherd’s hut, traditional costumes and lots more.
Musée Sainte-Bernadette
A few metres from the Sanctuaries, this museum tells
the story of the Saint’s life, the Message of Lourdes
and the construction of the Sanctuaries, in particular
through a wealth of iconography and objects that
belonged to the most famous child of Bigorre.
The Jubilee Walk
"In the footsteps of Bernadette" is an interpretation trail that
invites pilgrims and visitors to discover the most important
places and events in the life of Bernadette Soubirous:
Bernadette's birthplace (the Boly Mill - her “happy years”), the
Sacred Heart Parish church, the village of Bartres (where she
stayed as a child), the Cachot (her ’home’ during the
apparitions), the Presbytery and the St Bernadette Hospice ...
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Cirque de Gavarnie - World Heritage Site
Great for walkers! In the heart of the Pyrenees National Park on the
French-Spanish border, is the massif of Mont-Perdu that rises over
3,000m in altitude. To the south are the extraordinary canyons of Ordesa,
Aniscle and Pineta. To their north, the land of cirques with the majestic
Troumouse and Gavarnie the greatest of all. See Europe’s greatest
waterfall with its 413 m vertical drop!
Access to Gavarnie is simple. On arrival
at the village and within 1.5 hours of easy
walking, you will be at the foot of the
cirque. The walk may be done on foot or
horseback: it gives a truly theatrical
dimension to the appearance of Gavarnie.
Less well known but equally impressive,
are the Estaube and Troumouse cirques
which are accessible to all.
From the family walk to a quest for sensation, there is something for
everyone here.
Pic du Midi ’Vessel of stars’
Or the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, one of the most majestic summits in the
Hautes-Pyrénées, at 2,877 metres. The Pic du Midi is renowned for the
beauty of its landscape and also for its astronomy observatory.
Pic du Jer
Locally the Pic du Jer that overlooks the
Lourdes can be recognised by its big
cross, which is lit up at night. It is
reached by taking a hundred-year-old
funicular, which will take you to the top
at an altitude of 1,000 metres in a few
minutes; a very scenic journey…
At the top, a walking trail will take you to the observatory, where you will
find a unique panoramic viewpoint offering a 360° view of Lourdes,
Tarbes, Pau, the Argelès Gazost valley and the peaks of the Pyrenees.
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Getting active
Lourdes and its surrounding area offer an
impressive playground for lovers of outdoor
sports and leisure activities. Take a bike along
the legendary roads of the Tour de France or on
the many mountain bike trails; tame the wild
waters of the Pyrenean rivers or just go
swimming at one of the public swimming baths.
To be ‘included’ with the Diocesan Pilgrimage you must
register as a Pilgrim with the Catholic Association (C.A)
This registration cost is £30 per adult to cover; the administration charge
(thereby getting your pilgrimage badge & booklet), a Diocesan charge, a
Lourdes Authorities charge and supports the C.A. charitable activities.
Please contact Fr. John Cooke or Msgr. Vincent Harvey to register as an
independent traveller and let us know where you are staying, so we can
make contact with you and ensure your booklet & badge gets to you.
These are only available when in Lourdes so can’t be sent out prior to
travel. You could still volunteer as a registered helper (see the Diocesan
website for full details) and your children could take part in the Helpers
Children’s Pilgrimage while you are on duty.
Please contact ...
Director: Mgr. Vincent Harvey
St Edmund’s Presbytery,
14 Rockstone Place, Southampton. SO15 2EQ
Tel: 023 8033 3589
Email: [email protected]
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Assistant Director: Fr. John Cooke
St Margaret Mary Presbytery,
Middle Road, Park Gate. SO31 7GH
Tel: 01489 572797
Email: [email protected]