Circular loop in the Chaîne des Côtes in Charleval

This route will take you past Mont Trésor, Cuou de Peyrou, the Marseille Canal and the Sainte-Anne Chapel in Goiron, with beautiful views of the Durance plain, the Luberon, the village of Malemort, etc.

Details

20036961
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 676 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 674 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 475 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 162 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Lambesc (13410)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.69387° / E 5.24997°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3143ET, 3143OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Start from the car park at the pass on the D67 between Lambesc and Charleval at a place called La Cabane du Fou.

(S/E) Follow the path to the north-west, which quickly turns into a trail marked by three red dots, which runs along the ridges.

(1) Once you reach Mont Trésor, continue westwards along the path, now marked with red lines.

(2) After descending into a small valley, then climbing back up towards the north-west, join another trail marked in yellow.
Turn left towards the west for 70 metres.

(3) Head north, following the red or yellow markings.
Before descending into a valley, leave the marked trail via a path on the left that takes you to the Crêtes du Cuou de Peyrou (cul de chaudron in Provençal).
At the end, a metal balustrade leads you to the right to a staircase that descends into a hole to access a very dilapidated footbridge, which is not recommended, that runs along the cliff. It appears to be an old access point to a mine.

(4) Enjoy the view and turn back.

(3) Find the red or yellow markings. About a hundred metres before this point, you can take a path on the left at a small cairn that descends to the bottom of the valley to rejoin the marked trail. Turn left to climb back up to the ridge and follow it eastwards.

(5) Just before reaching the DFCI track (elevation 282), take the unmarked path on the right, which runs alongside the track below.

(6) After rejoining the DFCI track not far from a cistern (elevation 311), follow the path opposite, heading north-east, until you reach the D67.

(7) Cross the D67 and take a path to the right that overlooks the road for about 200 metres. Then turn left onto the path and quickly leave it to take a path on the left, marked in red, which descends into the valley.

(8) After joining a path, turn right at a metal hunting post onto a trail that climbs for 120 m before turning north.
This path joins the track at a cistern and continues, cutting across the bends in the track to descend to the Canal de Marseille.

(9) Follow the Canal de Marseille to the right, on the left bank. You will arrive at the Valbonnette Aqueduct, which unfortunately cannot be crossed. This means you have to descend into the valley to the entrance of the Domaine de Valbonnette, then climb back up the other side. Continue to follow the canal, which will pass through a tunnel. A path climbs up the side to join a track.

(10) At the crossroads, turn right for 30 metres, then left to reach the Vallon de Vabre de Jacourelle above the Jacourelle Aqueduct.

(11) Follow the path that climbs to the right, following the valley for about 1.1 km.

(12) Turn onto the path on the right, which is circular and leads back towards the hamlet of La Jacourelle. 100 m before the hamlet, take the path on the right which leads to a crossroads, where a sign points to the right towards the Chapelle Sainte-Anne de Goiron, 1 hour and 10 minutes away.

(13) At the top of the hill, turn left to pass the entrance pillars of a private property. Quickly leave the path on the left to follow the yellow-marked trail that winds through the woods until it joins a path that continues to climb.

(14) Leave the path and take an unmarked steep path that climbs to the right to the chapel. Climb above the chapel via a concrete path to reach the monument* commemorating the resistance fighters killed by the Nazis.

(15) Descend the access road to pass by some old cave dwellings, cut across two bends and then continue along the road until you reach a path marked CC103.

(16) Take this path on the right, then quickly turn left onto another path that descends into a small valley before climbing up the other side to a cistern.

(17) Leave the path and take the trail that descends into the valley towards a field. Then turn right onto the trail that climbs to the top of a cliff. A rather steep and rocky trail descends on the other side.
Once at the bottom, take the path on the right that climbs back up the valley to a pass.

(18) At the pass, head left, ignoring a path immediately to the left. The path climbs towards the cliff with a small rocky passage before arriving at the Plaine de Sèze. Then follow the path that runs along the cliff to the west for about 350 metres, before heading north to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 383 m - La Cabane du Fou. Car park.
  2. 1 : km 0.71 - alt. 360 m - Mont Trésor
  3. 2 : km 1.31 - alt. 333 m - Trail. Yellow markings.
  4. 3 : km 1.81 - alt. 259 m - Turn-off to the Crêtes du Cuou de Peyrou
  5. 4 : km 2.08 - alt. 256 m - Viewpoint. Crêtes du Cuou de Peyrou
  6. 5 : km 2.88 - alt. 280 m - DFCI track
  7. 6 : km 3.55 - alt. 311 m - Altitude 311 metres
  8. 7 : km 3.96 - alt. 292 m - D67
  9. 8 : km 4.65 - alt. 253 m - Altitude 243 metres
  10. 9 : km 6.75 - alt. 180 m - Canal de Marseille
  11. 10 : km 7.99 - alt. 189 m - Altitude 189
  12. 11 : km 8.33 - alt. 165 m - Jacourelle Aqueduct
  13. 12 : km 9.46 - alt. 206 m - La Jacourelle
  14. 13 : km 10.84 - alt. 296 m - DFCI water tank
  15. 14 : km 12.08 - alt. 400 m - Chapel of Sainte Anne
  16. 15 : km 12.43 - alt. 475 m - Monument to the Heroes and Martyrs of Sainte Anne
  17. 16 : km 13.37 - alt. 432 m - CC 103
  18. 17 : km 15.25 - alt. 391 m - Cistern at elevation 389
  19. 18 : km 16.12 - alt. 395 m - The Sèze Plain
  20. S/E : km 17.35 - alt. 383 m - La Cabane du Fou. Car park.

Notes

No water sources along the route.

Worth a visit

Towards Mont Trésor, you may see wild goats. From Cuou de Peyrou, there are beautiful views of the Durance valley and the Luberon. Also worth seeing is the old mine entrance.
On the Marseille Canal, the Valbonnette Aqueduct, while not as impressive as the one in Roquefavour, is still interesting.

  • Also worth seeing are the Sainte-Anne Chapel in Goiron and the Monument to the Heroes and Martyrs of Sainte Anne.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
JKSalem
JKSalem
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Today's hike took 5 hours and 50 minutes with a few small detours (approximately 19 km). The route is quite varied, including hills, the Marseille Canal, forest trails and small cliffs. I enjoyed the variety of the landscape and didn't get bored. There is indeed a slight incline without much difficulty (at the beginning in the vegetation), more delicate to descend under the viaduct (stage 9) but be careful from stage 17 onwards, the descent into the Vallon can be slippery (but this part is ultimately short).

The description is fairly reliable and, even though I wasn't paying very close attention, I was still able to easily take other paths and find my way back to the route (the app's GPS is very reliable and works very well). I recommend having a picnic at stage 9 when you arrive at the Marseille canal.

I didn't meet any other hikers and I recommend this hike in spring or autumn (access to the mountains may be prohibited in summer and at times the sun can be very strong).

I recommend this route to hikers who already have some experience.

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MANU13480
MANU13480

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, but despite the shortcuts, I don't think the route is easy. The section from the start to the road crossing is difficult and uninteresting in my opinion, and it takes its toll on the body because it's too hard on the legs. To avoid finishing our route uphill, we left the canal and took the track that climbs between the Valbonette estate and the Jacourelle viaduct. Not an easy hike, but a beautiful one. Thank you for sharing.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in a stunning setting. A little physically demanding for us seniors, but manageable without difficulty. The stony paths are very slippery (the stones roll underfoot) and sometimes require the use of your hands and... bottom. Panoramic view over the Durance plain. The chapel and the majestic monuments in memory of the heroes who died for France provide a place for reflection. The path along the canal is pleasant. The VISORANDO app was very helpful in finding the starting point and throughout the hike.
We recommend this hike (which is not a walk), but you need to be in good physical condition.
PP and MM

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zouzou0978
zouzou0978
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Accustomed to hikes of around 12 kilometres with an elevation gain of approximately 500 metres, it should be noted that the topography of this hike remains challenging as it is long and has a significant elevation gain at the end. As a result, it is not suitable for everyone.
Between points 9 and 10, the path to cross the Valbonette aqueduct is almost non-existent and you need to be extremely careful of the barbed wire.
At point 13, the hairpin bend path runs alongside a field guarded by a rather impressive and intimidating dog, which is "restrained" only by an approximately 80 cm fence. For our part, we did not walk along the fence but took a detour through the woods.
When we reached point 14, having already covered about 12 km, there were still 5 km to go and a large part of the elevation gain to be made on tricky paths. We therefore decided to go directly from point 14 to point 16, giving up on the steep climb to the chapel, the memorial and the cave dwellings.
Once we reached point 16, we still had 5 km to go and a significant climb ahead of us to complete a circular route, including some tricky paths between point 18 and the finish.
Nevertheless, nothing comes for free: the views are superb and quite varied.
.

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Randonneur du dimanche
Randonneur du dimanche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with stunning panoramic views, especially during the first half.
At point 9 (Valbonnette Aqueduct): on the descent and ascent (steep), watch out for barbed wire, which is hidden by vegetation.
The rest of the hike is fairly easy going, except for the last few kilometres (from point 16), where you have to negotiate ascents and descents when your legs are already tired....

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Catherine D1.
Catherine D1.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely circular route that should have allowed us to explore the surrounding peaks, but the grey and foggy weather prevented us from doing so.

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marcmoine
marcmoine

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very surprised by the duration of this hike, I quickly understood why!
At Mont Trésor, I did indeed see four magnificent goats.
Le Cuou Peyrou really inspired me. I went beyond what was reasonable, but you can't change who you are. However, I advise you not to follow my example.
When you reach point 6, turn right for about a hundred metres to discover a magnificent, completely renovated "sheepfold" that can be used as a shelter in case of rain or for lunch, then return to point 6 to continue the hike
To conclude, this is a magnificent hike that I highly recommend.

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