France has over 50,000 miles of trail thru the country. In the old days everyone lived in small villages (6 – 30 homes) for protection from bandits, armies, etc. Each day they would travel to their fields, which might be a mile or so away. As a result every property line has a public right-of-way 2 wagons wide. These have been marked as modern day trails.

Pilgrims on their way to Santiago Compostela would start near their home which might be anywhere in France. Even today you can walk from just about any place in France to another. The trail is well marked, but the marks for the turns are poor! The shops have maps for their areas.

The trails can be roadside for short distances, but these are local roads – paved, but no lines and about 1 ½ cars wide with almost no traffic. Sometimes you hike alongside a farmer’s field, then thru a wooded area for an hour etc. It’s not a wilderness experience. I camped out on alternating nights and stayed in small hostels or lodges. Depending on the area you might pass thru 2-3 villages a day. They have lodging/meals depending on your budget. I passed thru larger towns (1K-5K) every 2-3 days.