Circular route around Vernègues

Hike around Vieux Vernègues, where 20th-century buildings stand alongside older ones.

Details

5582922
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.16 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 373 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 368 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 390 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 170 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Vernègues (13116)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.694704° / E 5.198315°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3143OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Saint-Symphorien Chapel in Cazan, in the commune of Vernégues.

(S/E) From the chapel, return to the D22b, turn left after walking along the wall of a house, go down a small drovers' road on the right, then turn right a little further on to Chemin de Coucheport. Continue along this path until it ends after passing under the TGV bridge.

(1) Turn left to walk alongside and cross the vineyards. Cross a road and, at the next one, turn right to reach the entrance to the Domaine du Château Bas. Go around it on the left to reach the Chapelle Saint-Césaire.

(2) Take the path on the right and follow it until you reach a fork at the end of a vineyard.

(3) Turn left, following the yellow markings. Begin a slight climb, pass under a power line and, at the next crossroads, keep left. Continue south to reach a crossroads of tracks directly below another power line.

(4) Leave the track and turn right onto the path towards Aurons, crossing a vineyard. Continue left at the Y-junction at Badasset. Stay on this track until you reach another Y-junction with a cistern.

(5) Turn right onto the Vallon du Pin track. Stay on this track, ignoring the various turnings on the right and left, to reach the Ferrages district and then the village of Aurons. Join the Chemin de Saint-Pierre crossroads at the town hall.

(6) Turn left and continue to the junction with a path just before the cemetery. Take this path on the right between the trees in a hedge, being careful not to miss it, and climb up through the woods to the D16 road.

(7) Cross the road carefully and continue along the yellow-marked trail. Make a small circular loop at a cistern and continue on to theGR®6junction.

(8) Take this and stay on it at the following crossroads. Pass in front of the Resistance Monument. Walk along the road, then at an intersection, leave the Saint-Jean Chapel on your right and continue on theGR® to reach the crossroads of the Route du Vieux Vernègues.

(9) Continue on theGR® trail, leaving the road on the left and climbing up the old road to the village.

(10) When you reach the top of the village, leave theGR® for a moment and turn left to reach the orientation table at the viewpoint.

(11) Return to the previous crossroads.

(10) Turn left, rejoin theGR® trail, pass an old wash house and descend to the road.

(12) Turn left and follow the road for a few hundred metres until you reach a bend in the road at a trail junction.

(13) Leave the road and continue straight ahead on theGR® 6. After a zigzag descent through the forest, you will reach a four-way crossroads.

(14) Leave theGR® on your left and head straight ahead onto the path crossing Camp Caïn, then you will come to a crossroads of paths at the edge of a wood.

(15) Enter the woods by taking the path on the left, continuing on the TGV track. At the antennas, turn right then left. Finish by returning to the Saint-Symphorien Chapel and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 207 m - Chapelle Saint-Symphorien car park
  2. 1 : km 1.05 - alt. 190 m - Passage through the vineyards
  3. 2 : km 2.15 - alt. 208 m - Chapelle Saint-Césaire Roman ruins
  4. 3 : km 3.18 - alt. 232 m - Yellow signposting junction
  5. 4 : km 4.26 - alt. 222 m - Signpost
  6. 5 : km 5.36 - alt. 170 m - Cistern
  7. 6 : km 7.63 - alt. 222 m - Aurons Town Hall crossroads
  8. 7 : km 8.57 - alt. 285 m - Crossroads Yellow markings
  9. 8 : km 9.89 - alt. 257 m - GR 6 signpost
  10. 9 : km 11.91 - alt. 262 m - Old road to Vieux Vernègues
  11. 10 : km 13.57 - alt. 372 m - Access to the viewpoint
  12. 11 : km 13.93 - alt. 390 m - Belvedere
  13. 12 : km 15.11 - alt. 311 m - Route du Clau
  14. 13 : km 15.55 - alt. 295 m - GR 6
  15. 14 : km 16.09 - alt. 248 m - Signpost
  16. 15 : km 16.91 - alt. 218 m - Crossroads at the edge of the woods
  17. S/E : km 18.16 - alt. 207 m - Chapelle Saint-Symphorien car park

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Germonneau
Germonneau

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy hike, and the icing on the cake was a beautiful day in the sunshine, with no mistral wind.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike on tracks and trails, without any difficulty. Pleasant villages to visit. Lovely views.
Castles, chapels... In a very beautiful region.
Grandpa and Grandma.

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randorhonecamargue
randorhonecamargue

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike thanks to its diversity: roads, paths, trails, undergrowth and, of course, the views from the orientation table at Vernègues Castle and the crossing of Aurons. A beautiful day with a strong mistral wind in places, but the weather was very clear.

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Micmich
Micmich

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A walk rich in varied discoveries: Château Bas, Roman temple, old paved slanting street leading to Vernégues, ruins of the old village, Puech plateau and its orientation table (360° view of the surrounding Provence), ancient Roman camp site.
Easy forest path or road, gentle slopes. A real treat!

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phildaix
phildaix

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Gentle and often picturesque landscapes (in the best sense of the word). More than breathtaking views. Highly recommended.
As for the guidebook, I rated it "good", but there are still a few oddities;
- after WP4, there is no Y in Badasset, but you arrive at a road that you have to take on the left until you reach the cistern: it is not a track!
- At Aurons, do not follow the cemetery road to the end, but follow the road; the path hidden in the trees is not easy to find.
- After WP8, don't forget to turn off; this isn't mentioned in the guidebook and the WP number hides the turn-off on the map.
- When arriving at WP15, we got a little confused, didn't see the path on the left and didn't see the undergrowth; continuing straight ahead, we managed to pass over the high-speed rail line.

Otherwise, it was an interesting walk: thank you.

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pbiava
pbiava

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting hike that we did backwards, starting with the climb up to the castle and the tower with its orientation table, then on to Old Vernègues, where you have to make a small detour to see the chapel next to the cemetery.

This is the most interesting and beautiful part. Finishing at the Saint Césaire chapel, which is attached to a temple with beautiful ruins, makes us glad we did the rest of the hike.

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Campagne bessons
Campagne bessons

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, including a visit to the Temple of Diana in the village of Aurons and, above all, a tour of old Vernégues.

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