Route de la Gardette in Gordes

From the village of Gordes, take the D15 road towards Murs. After about 2 km, park in a car park at a nature area (N 43.928029° E 5.208318°).

(S/E) Take the road south-west for about 350 m, where you will find a small paved path (Chemin de Fontanille) in a bend that leads to the Camping des Sources campsite.

(1) Take this path, which climbs northwards towards the Fontanille estate. Continue westwards towards the campsite.

(2) Pass in front of the campsite, leaving it on your left, as well as a gravel path. Continue straight ahead on the paved path towards the north-west, which climbs steadily until you reach some houses where the pavement ends. The path, now enclosed by dry stone walls for about 200 metres, slopes northwards and becomes rocky.

(3) At the end of the walls, notice a drystone shelter on the right in a clearing. Continuing north, the path winds between holm oak and boxwood copses. The climb levels off and continues downhill towards a clearing before a copse of oak and cade trees, which you cross to find yourself in front of a very long field of fallow land. Cross the field via the small path at the edge of the woods on the left

(4). You will come to a crossroads at a place called Le Serre. Take the path on the right, heading east, then turn left, heading north, and after about 130 metres you will come to a crossroads. Leave the fairly obvious path on the left and continue straight north under fairly dense cover (pines, boxwoods), gradually turning east. The path becomes rocky. Pass above and to the right of some curious, very imposing rock outcrops, then into a more sparse wood (pines, cedars, holm oaks, etc.). The path continues to the bend in a dirt track suitable for vehicles, at a place called Le Plan des Busans.

(5) Turn right, towards the south-east, and take a small path. After about 60 metres, cross a small crossroads and continue through a sparse cedar forest until you reach another crossroads with an asphalt path that leads to the right to the Domaine de la Gardette (fire hydrant).

(6) Cross this road and enter a cedar grove on the left, climbing moderately towards the south-east (reddish markers). Cross a yew grove before reaching a pine forest overlooking the Calavon valley. Then descend southwards on a steady, straight slope over particularly rocky ground. At a fire hydrant, the path turns left towards the south-east, then crosses a plateau to the south-south-west, ending at a fork in a left-hand bend.

(7) Leave the small path on your right that leads into private property (no trespassing). Negotiate the turn to the east and, about 100 m further on, take another curve, this time to the right, towards the south-west, which will take you back to the car park where you started (S/E).

Beautiful view of Mont Ventoux and the Monts de Vaucluse.