See reviews, access to the cave appears to be prohibited
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The D554 departmental road passes through the centre of Méounes. At the crossroads, take the Route de Signes (D2), then park behind the church.
(S/E) Begin the route with a visit to Méounes, heading towards the fountain on the Place de l'Église (south of the church). Then cross the D554 and take the Montée des Anciennes Écoles. Pass by the old wash houses to arrive immediately at the Place des Anciennes Écoles.
(1) Turn right onto Rue des Ormeaux. Pass the large red house on your right, then pause to admire the small waterfall. The canal used to power a flour mill before feeding the large wash house (below, at the intersection with the D554). Continue downhill.
When you reach the large wash house, turn left briefly onto the D554: be careful, cars drive fast here.
Proceed cautiously for about thirty metres, then turn left onto Rue du Four. Immediately turn right between the houses onto Ruelle de l'Anglade to reach Rue Basse, which descends to the third wash house in Méounes.
Then turn back onto Rue Basse. Walk up to the junction with Rue du Four, then turn right to continue along Rue Basse. After about 60 metres, turn right onto a pretty path paved with flat stones. Follow the sign for Chapelle Saint-Michel. When you reach the chapel, walk around it on the right to admire a beautiful view of Méounes and its surroundings.
(2) Continue right on the path heading east. Stay on this path and ignore the turnoffs to the left (do not follow the yellow markings).
(3) The path turns to the right and then heads south. Continue along this path, which winds through the undergrowth, until you come to an intersection on the left with a wider path.
(4) Continue left for a few metres, then ignore the markings on the right (fluorescent orange) for motocross bikes. Instead, turn left into the scree, which turns into a path and descends straight ahead (not shown on the IGN map).
The path then turns right. Continue on flat ground and pass an abandoned building on the right. Continue until the path turns left to join a wider forest track. Turn left onto the forest track and walk alongside some houses. The path veers slightly to the left (main path on IGN map poorly maintained). Take two bends to reach a large intersection.
(5) Take the path that climbs to the right. Follow it south-southeast until you pass between some stone ruins on the right and an abandoned telephone pole on the left.
(6) Look for a path that leads into the undergrowth on the left. It climbs through the undergrowth on a south-easterly slope. Please note that this path is very poorly marked and does not appear on the IGN map.
Continue in the same direction, avoiding any paths on the left. You will come to a Y-shaped crossroads.
(7) Continue straight ahead. The path becomes clearer and joins a well-marked trail that now winds along flat ground in a series of small bends. Further on, this trail leads to the solar panel field of the power station.
Turn right heading south and walk along the solar panels. Pass two water tanks on the left. About twenty metres further on, find a path on the right that leads between the trees and then descends steeply towards the cave. The path is steep, but the rock and pine roots make it a comfortable staircase. When you reach a crossroads, turn right and you will find the Grotte des Rampins.
(8) Exit the cave and retrace your steps along the solar panels. Take the path on the left that you took earlier. Continue along the flat section with bends but do not go down the poorly marked slope.
(7) Turn right and continue north, ignoring the paths leading off to either side. Continue until you reach a junction with a wider forest path.
(9) Do not follow this road, but turn left onto a path that descends into the undergrowth. It heads north-west and then goes around some houses, turning to the left (the route on the IGN map is unclear). Continue along this path until you reach Chemin de Beaumarran. Turn right onto this tarmac road and follow it for about 50 metres.
Then turn left onto a path that climbs back up into the undergrowth (follow the yellow markings). Ignore a fork to the right and continue along this path heading due west until you rejoin the path you took earlier.
(3) Follow it to the Chapelle Saint-Michel crossroads.
(2) Turn right onto the path that climbs up to the Colline de la Vierge. Turn right and climb to the top to admire the view of Méounes and its surroundings. Then descend via the same path and turn right (do not return to the chapel on the left) to reach the Passage Saint-Antoni, which leads to the Impasse Saint-Esprit. Descend into the cul-de-sac and then turn left into the Grande Rue. Continue to the Place des Anciennes Écoles.
(1) Then turn right to descend via the old wash houses, cross the D554 and finish the route with a visit to the church of Méounes (S/E).
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