Around Séguret

Park in car park no. 2 (Place Jean Moulin), at the entrance to the village of Séguret, 200 metres after the post office.

(S/E) From the car park, take the street that goes up to the right and heads towards the village. Do not take the street that goes under the porch, but turn left onto the street marked "Accès au Château" (Access to the Castle), marked in yellow.

(1) 150 metres further up, take the path that climbs steeply to the right.
After several wide bends, the path leads to a platform with three concrete benches. Turn left to reach the ruins of the medieval castle. Go around the ruins on the left along the path, then begin the descent on the opposite side to the ascent.
After descending, at a fork, keep left and the path leads to a tarmac road.

(2) Turn right towards the houses and find the faint path that passes to the right of the house (the one on the left) and a wall. It continues along the path and runs alongside vineyards to reach the Constant crossroads.
Turn left onto the road towards Dindoulette, following the red and white markings (^GR®).

(3) At a fork, the markings indicate to turn left, then leave the tarmac road and enter the pine trees via a small path that gradually climbs. The path leads to the road you left earlier. Turn left onto this road (there are no markings at this point). About 200 metres further on, you will come to a crossroads with a wooden sign.

(4) Continue straight ahead on the^{GR® trail}, which descends slightly. About 400 metres further on, turn left onto a downhill path and enter the Séguret-Sablet communal forest. When you reach Dindoulette, head straight ahead towards Vaison-la-Romaine and Côte Chaude (^GR®). 200 metres further on, you will see the Côte Chaude sign.

(5) Leave the^GR® trail and take the path on the right towards Prébayon, marked in yellow. The path winds pleasantly through the Prébayon valley, then arrives at a stone bridge at the Prébayon sign. Do not cross the bridge, but turn left towards Vaison-la-Romaine and La Grande Montagne to reach the ruins.

(6) Cross the ruins of Prébayon monastery on the left, pass in front of an oratory and continue along the path which climbs steeply through tree roots. The path levels out and arrives at a track.

(7) Turn right to rejoin the^GR® trail markers^. After walking alongside vineyards and through pine trees, the Verrière estate appears on the left. Arrive at the La Verrière crossroads.

(8) Turn right towards La Pousterle and Les Cyprès des Évêques on the track. At the Les Cyprès des Évêques crossroads, descend to the left on the path towards Le Crestet and Font du Pommier.

(9) About 300 metres further on, at a fork, take the path on the left that goes downhill (marked red and yellow, sometimes yellow). The path is stony at first, then becomes more pleasant (pay attention to the markings, which are not always very visible). At a crossroads, the markings lead straight ahead onto a small path. Further on, at another fork, the path branches off to the left. Cross a stream, turn right into the forest, walk alongside the vineyards and turn left again into the pine trees. Further on, a path descending from the left joins the marked trail.

(10) Continue straight ahead and finish the descent down the hillside to reach the Le Veran sign.

(11) Take the tarmac road on the left towards Le Crestet (Yellow) and arrive at the Le Crestet fork. Follow the road that climbs to the left (the sign has been vandalised and the directions indicated are incorrect - May 2014). At the top of the road, take the left turn onto Chemin de la Verrière and 50 metres further on you will reach the Les Faysses sign.

(12) Continue right towards Vaison-la-Romaine and Les Fontaines, via Chemin des Fontaines (yellow and yellow-red markings). This path, which passes through the forest, is marked with numbered signs indicating water catchments. It joins the tarmac road, passes in front of a shed and arrives at the Les Fontaines sign.

(13) Take the tarmac road on the far left that goes uphill (Chemin des Bois Ruraux), where the sign has also been vandalised. After passing a house, a yellow marker points to the right, but ignore it and continue straight ahead on the road. Pass an unusual letterbox, attached to an old bicycle, and continue along the road. An old yellow marker indicates to turn right into a vineyard, but ignore it and continue along the road (yellow).
50 metres further on, a path branches off straight ahead towards Crestet. Ignore it and stay on the road.

(14) At the Coste Belle crossroads, turn right towards Vaison-la-Romaine and Derrière le Château, staying on the road. It runs alongside vineyards, passes a small group of houses, then turns right. Continue until you reach a cypress tree planted at the side of the road, which marks the entrance to a property. Continue for 20 metres until you see a path on the left that is not visible at all (markings missing).

(15) Turn left between two vineyards, go around another vineyard on the left (lower down) and 50 metres further on, the markings reappear on a tree! (Yellow and red). At the end of the vineyard, the path goes straight into the forest. After a series of ups and downs, it leads to a tarmac road.

(16) Take it to the left uphill. At the Les Roussillons sign, continue straight on towards Séguret, pass the Sainte-Catherine crossroads and arrive at the Saint-Siffren sign.

(17) Continue straight ahead on this same road until you reach Mourchon.

(18) Continue straight ahead until you reach the sign for Le Besson.

(19) Turn right onto the road that climbs to Notre-Dame-d'Aubusson, which leads to the chapel perched on top of the hill.

(20) Return to Le Besson.

(19) Take the road that descends to the right towards Séguret and Le Terron.

(21) At the Le Terron sign, turn right onto the yellow trail to return to Séguret via the same route you took at the start. When you reach the porch, turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Of the 24 km of this route, about 8 km are on paved country roads, but with little traffic (I saw only 3 vehicles).
So if your feet can't handle asphalt, this route may not be for you!

Visit the village of Séguret, a gem in the Dentelles de Montmirail region.