Dardennes Dam via the hamlet of Les Olivières

The hamlet of Les Olivières was abandoned in 1911, and its ruins give an idea of what life was like here: cellars, cisterns, bread oven, dwellings. A few more vestiges of times gone by. To get there, take the classic and always pleasant walk to the Barrage du Revest and the Ragas resurgence (see practical information).
This hike should be avoided in wet weather.

Details

28124184
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.03 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 261 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 267 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 293 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 94 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking: Place Jean Moulin in Le Revest-les-Eaux.

(S/E) Head east, passing the Comoni theatre on your left. Follow the blue-turquoise dots. Leave the private road on your right and continue down Chemin de la Reboune. When you reach Chemin de la Foux, follow it to the left and look at Lac de Dardennes on your right (dry in November 2022 after two years of work).

(1) Follow the concrete spillway on the right (blue markings) to its end, then descend to the right towards the tip of the lake. Ford the lake, except in heavy rain, heading south-east. Climb up the opposite bank and take the path on the left.

Continue and you will soon reach the Ragas site (R sign on the left, large rocky hole where a Vauclusian exsurgence from the Siou-Blanc massif is located). Enter the Ravin du Cierge. Walk through a shady forest between two rock faces.

(2) Leave the path on the left with the turquoise blue dots and continue straight ahead, following the two turquoise blue dots for 100 metres.

(3) At the intersection, continue to the right following the turquoise blue dots. Walk through large boulders shaped like big steps.

(4) Turn right, heading south-east, and head towards the hamlet of Les Olivières. Follow the turquoise blue markings. Cross the hamlet. You will then come to a wide path. Turn right, heading west, towards the dam.

(5) Take the path that descends to the left.

(6) Leave the path that continues straight ahead and turn left, heading south. Pass in front of some houses and join the tarmac road. Turn left and continue to the water treatment plant at the foot of the dam. After the dam, take the clearly visible path on the right, still marked in turquoise blue. Cross the metal footbridge. Climb up and pass under the dam road bridge and take the tarmac road on the right. As you pass, take a look at the wash house on the left, which was used until the 1960s by the Revest washerwomen to wash the laundry of the people of Toulon. Then head back to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 190 m - Parking at Place Jean Moulin.
  2. 1 : km 0.61 - alt. 134 m - Weir - Lac du Revest
  3. 2 : km 1.56 - alt. 189 m - Leave the blue dot on the left and continue.
  4. 3 : km 1.66 - alt. 202 m - Fork in the road
  5. 4 : km 2.17 - alt. 260 m - Hameau des Olivières
  6. 5 : km 3.03 - alt. 267 m - Fork in the road
  7. 6 : km 3.53 - alt. 191 m - Fork in the road
  8. S/E : km 5.03 - alt. 190 m - Parking at Place Jean Moulin.

Notes

A three-hour hike if you take your time. Mini climbs over large boulders. So you need good shoes, a minimum of balance and strength in your legs to climb these rocks.

Avoid during or after heavy rainfall, as the boulders in the section requiring a bit of climbing may be slippery.

If you want to see the Ragas overflowing, you should come about ten hours after the end of heavy rain (time for the water to seep into the Siou Blanc limestone plateau). However, be careful, especially with children.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
gisyl
gisyl

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, a bit difficult going uphill, but with caution it's fine!

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La rando du dimanche
La rando du dimanche
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with magnificent views of the lake halfway up. However, avoid taking children under the age of 7, as there are many rocky sections that can make access difficult (and especially tiring) for younger children.

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lucianidl.fr
lucianidl.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk

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Denis revest
Denis revest

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Really nice, a shaded area; everything else is true to detail.

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Sylvie 83
Sylvie 83

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route with views of the lake. No major difficulties. Varied terrain with plenty of shade. We would happily do it again as a family.

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GG83
GG83
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Done with children; the blocks go well; picnic in the hamlet and return before teatime 🙂
Markings are entirely in turquoise, easy to follow.

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Aapef
Aapef

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, which can be done in summer, which is really nice (80% of the walk is in the shade).
Perfect with my dog, even though I had to carry him over the last big rock (and carrying 45kg isn't easy). So it's not ideal with a large dog, but it should be easier with smaller dogs.
Excluding breaks on the way there and back for the dog to swim, it took just under 2 hours.
Thank you, Mbabi.

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michelvtt13
michelvtt13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant circular, accurately described. As always with these trails, make sure you wear good footwear for the scree. The duration indicated is accurate.

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maikaina
maikaina

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

As seasoned hikers, it took us more like 3½ hours (rather than 2 hours) to complete this circular route, which was more difficult than advertised... even in dry weather.
But we have no regrets about discovering Ragas and the landscapes around the lake. Thank you.

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mbabi
mbabi

Nice! Thank you, Belette83
If you like this kind of hike, my wife also recommends https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-habi...
A little more challenging, but it's a taste of prehistory right at your fingertips... or rather, your feet!
Enjoy your walks!

  1. mbabi

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Belette83
Belette83
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful discovery.
I loved the section from Résurgence du Ragas to the hamlet of Les Olivières (the history of the hamlet is very interesting). The trail is beautiful and fun. I would happily take my 8-year-old daughter, who is used to walking, there.

Be careful, this section is full of karstic caves... avoid straying from the paths, even if most of them are marked on the maps.

I extended the route because I wanted to visit the sand caves.
Avoid in rainy weather.

I did it with my little dog (a Jack Russell type, who didn't need any help).

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Waddle83
Waddle83

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk around the dam, with a challenging section just before the hamlet of Les Olivieres (not recommended for children).
A beautiful oak tree several hundred years old near the remains of the hamlet.

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mbabi
mbabi

Okay, I'll take your comments into account and expand on the description, but the "mini climb" and avoiding "heavy rain" were already mentioned.
You don't say anything about the impression given by the route from Ragas (personally, I always expect an elf or fairy to appear, as the forest is so "wild") or the ruins of the hamlet (I like to sit under the big oak tree and imagine community life).
At the end of the description, you have a link to a Revest website that talks about the history of Les Olivières.
Enjoy your walks.

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Andy83
Andy83

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very tricky sections at the Cierge ravine, requiring repeated scrambling over large boulders made slippery by recent rainfall.

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Jiefka
Jiefka
• Edited:

Please note: Swimming is prohibited in Lake Revest.

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