Calvisson la Vaunage

Magnificent view from the Roc de Gachone and the Tour de Guet (the Ventoux, the Pic Saint-Loup, the Hortus, the coastline).

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 348 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 347 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 211 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 55 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Calvisson (30420)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.786481° / E 4.191489°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2842OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the village of Calvisson in the Rue du 8 Mai car park.

(S/E) From the car park, follow Rue du 8 Mai, leaving Rue Bourely on your left, then Rue Fontvieille.

(1) Turn left onto Rue de la Carrièrette, cross the ford, turn right and pass the wash house. Follow Chemin du Lavoir and continue onto Avenue Gerbu. Turn left to join the D107.

(2) Cross the D107 and follow Chemin d'Ournèze opposite. Leave thePR® trail that leads to Sinsas and continue on the left. Continue to the next junction.

(3) Continue on the left, then turn right towards the Fontaine du Coucou.

(4) Leave the wide path and take a trail on the right that climbs uphill and rejoins the main path further up. Continue to the right to reach La Liquière and the watchtower, then follow the signs for La Liquière to reach the watchtower.

(5) Continue for 2 km until you reach a three-way junction.

(6) Turn right onto the Combe du Renard and descend, ignoring the paths on either side, until you reach Saint-Etienne d'Escattes.

(7) Turn left at the church onto the small road called Raccourci de Sauvignargues, pass a water reservoir, then take the path on the left that goes up the hill. Ignore the paths on the left and continue to a fork at the corner of a field at the bottom of the valley.

(8) Turn left and walk along the fields on your left. At the three-way junction, turn left towards the small pass and, after a wide bend to the right, you will reach the paved road that leads to Sauvignargues.

(9) Turn left and then right at the next crossroads. Cross the Écuries du Mas Long and continue straight ahead to Congénies.

(10) In the village, continue left onto Rue du Temple, then Chemin Creux de l'Argile and Chemin de Bragassargues. At the road, continue for about 400 m until you reach a multiple intersection.

(11) Take thesecond path on the right. Follow this path for 600 m.

(12) Turn left, leaving thePR® trail that descends to your right. This path will take you to a pass through the heath. Ignore the trail on the right, then two on the left, and climb up to Roc de Gachone. Go to the orientation table, then visit the mills.

(13) Continue south-east along a path that leads to the village of Calvisson. Follow the Chemin des Oliviers, then the Chemin de l'Espendidou on the right and then left onto Rue Paloquine. After a few metres, turn right onto Rue des Garrigues and continue along Rue de Fontvieille. At the end, turn right and join the Place du 8 Mai (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 55 m - Parking Rue du 8 Mai
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 59 m - On the left, Rue de la Carrièrette
  3. 2 : km 0.76 - alt. 63 m - D107
  4. 3 : km 1.65 - alt. 73 m - At the junction, turn left
  5. 4 : km 2.9 - alt. 135 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.31 - alt. 210 m - La Liquière, Watchtower
  7. 6 : km 6.23 - alt. 154 m - Three-way junction, on the right
  8. 7 : km 8.17 - alt. 87 m - Church, on the left
  9. 8 : km 9.44 - alt. 107 m - Fork in the road, turn left
  10. 9 : km 10.37 - alt. 127 m - Road, on the left
  11. 10 : km 14.29 - alt. 76 m - Rue du Temple
  12. 11 : km 15.2 - alt. 82 m - 2nd road on the right
  13. 12 : km 15.8 - alt. 91 m - Fork in the road, turn left
  14. 13 : km 16.76 - alt. 167 m - Roc de Gachone
  15. S/E : km 18.28 - alt. 55 m - Parking on Rue du 8 Mai

Notes

Watchtower: beautiful view of the Vaunage with its villages, Nages, Boissières, Langlade, Cavairac, Clarensac, Saint Côme and Marvejols, Saint Dionisy, Congénie, Calvisson.
Saint Etienne d'Escattes: its 12th-century Romanesque church is well worth a visit.
Mazet Lebrun: see the dry stone sculptures.
Roc de Gachone: see the three windmills and enjoy the panoramic view and the orientation table.

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

4.2 / 5
Based on 39 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
titxu
titxu

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Route undertaken on Friday 20 March 2026, as a return to walking after a fairly long period of inactivity.
We chose it because it’s an easy route, with lots of forest tracks so it’s rather monotonous, though there are lovely views of the ridges at the start and of the mills at the finish.
We used a GPS; no particular problems, although near the finish there was a large pine tree lying across the path – you can get through between the branches.

Thank you for this hike.

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bernbla
bernbla

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this hike. Easy, no difficulty, perfectly doable with the family (except for the distance). Avoid Sundays, which are hunting days and, above all, market days in Calvisson, making it difficult to find a parking space.

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lebretondelest
lebretondelest

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in almost summer-like conditions, but without much of interest in terms of scenery apart from the view from the watchtower. The section leading to Saint-Étienne-d'Esclattes is along a fairly monotonous forest track, while the rest is more rural, through heath and vineyards. A few comments:

1) As already mentioned, almost the entire route is in full sun, so it's best to avoid it in the height of summer, or at least take plenty (and I mean plenty) of water with you

2) On several occasions, there are posts with place names that are not mentioned. Why not indicate them? For example, at point 6, it is "Puech des buis"

3) After point 8, do not turn left at the first three-way junction, but at the second one in the opposite direction. At the first three-way junction, you will see vineyards on your left. Leave them behind and go straight ahead up the small hill before the right-hand bend

3) Between points 9 and 11, before arriving in Congénies, you can turn left 1 km before the village to reach point 11 via the Combe de Biol

4) Between points 12 and 13, it is impossible to understand anything. There are lots of paths going in all directions and it is really difficult to find your way around. Simpler and more reliable landmarks are needed. If you go too far and arrive at the first houses in Calvisson (playground on the left), you can turn back and head up to the mills.

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athmos.oner
athmos.oner

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with beautiful drystone shelters and the remains of mills.
No difficulty if you have a GPS (even with a GPS, some paths with multiple options are a little hard to follow, but it's easy to find the main trail).
No difficulty and a pleasant walk.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 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 hike. A stunning view of Mont Ventoux from Hortus. The route is varied, with tracks, paths and trails. The drystone shelters and mills are reminders of a not-so-distant past. The vegetation is beautiful at this time of year. There is a welcoming mazet with stones carved into animal shapes. This beautiful route is easy to follow.
PP and MM

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pascal34150
pascal34150

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike that allows you to discover a delightful area. GPS or APP ESSENTIAL!

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fabre.jl
fabre.jl

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty hike. Accessible.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

I have just updated this hike with the missing waypoints.
Please leave your comments...

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cachoute
cachoute

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting and very pleasant hike on varied trails with beautiful views of the Vaunage. The first third of this hike coincides with the "Le Chemin des Laines" hike. However, it is surprising that the description only uses five points, which barely cover a quarter of the hike. The explanations from this point onwards are extremely brief and insufficient if you are relying solely on the description. I use Visorando a lot and this is the first time I have encountered this problem. That said, I regularly use the Visorando GPS, which allows me to complete all the suggested routes without encountering any problems and without having to refer to the description. luckily, because on this hike, it would have been particularly difficult to follow this beautiful route. One small detail: using "elevation 107" or "elevation 109" in the description is completely useless: there are no signs of this kind on the trail!!! Thank you anyway, because it is a very beautiful route, a little long but very pleasant.

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jujupacha
jujupacha

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

perfect for us

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PANTEL FRANCIS
PANTEL FRANCIS

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Fine, but more reference points should be added in the second part, after point 5.

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Jacques966
Jacques966

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

There are many possibilities for varying the route, including single tracks created for mountain biking but which pass through more scrubland, more shaded and more playful terrain, without detracting from the characteristic features of this ride

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apipop
apipop

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Yellow markings are practically non-existent, and there are so many paths in the forest that it is easy to get lost and have to retrace your steps. A GPS device is essential to find your way around

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nouzille nicoules
nouzille nicoules

i didn't have time to go on that hike
i'll do it next time I'm in the south

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nouzille nicoules
nouzille nicoules

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

discover drystone shelters and beautiful shaded paths
calm and relaxing

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