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The car park at the town hall is ideal for parking.
(S/E) With your back to the town hall, head right, then immediately turn left onto the tarmac road of Les Espérelles, which climbs before becoming a dirt track and joins the GRP® "Tour des Monts de Vaucluse" (yellow and red markings).
(1) Follow this GRP® to the left, ignoring the Discovery Trail which starts off to the left shortly afterwards. You’ll reach a junction and notice the distinctive marker indicating the direction of “Mur de la Peste”; continue to the right, passing through abundant heaths and oak woods, until you meet the GRP® “Autour du Luberon et des Monts de Vaucluse” on the right at Chante-Perdrix. Leave this GRP® and continue north-east to reach the Cabrières tourist road. Cross it to arrive opposite the Bourbourin car park. Memorial stone in memory of the Maquisards and signpost (yellow markings).
(2) Follow the road as it descends for a few metres, then leave it and take the path leading straight ahead to the north, until you reach the scattered pine trees. Turn left onto the path that runs alongside the road, turning westwards, until you reach a path on the right that climbs northwards. Follow this path to reach the “La tête du Soldat” track. Turn right until you reach the PR® (yellow markings) which starts on the left.
(3) Take this path, which climbs very gently to the Esperacons junction (signpost).
(4) Continue straight on along this path, which descends quite steeply for 300 m through the cedars, until you rejoin the GRP® “Autour du Luberon et des Monts de Vaucluse” (red and yellow markings).
(5) This trail descends gently to the left for about 700 m, through a sparse forest of deciduous trees and pines, with the occasional trickle of water audible in places; ignore a path branching off to the left and emerge onto the Gordes tourist road.
(6) Immediately turn right onto this interrupted path, which runs alongside the road, crosses another path and arrives at Font de L’Oule at elevation 114.
(7) Take the first path on the right which climbs northwards, veers left to join a parallel path and turns sharply north-west into the Vallon de la Fontaine, climbing initially before reaching a flat section and then descending to arrive at the rear of the Château des Évêques (altitude: 136 m).
(8) With great care (danger!), it is possible to walk around the inner courtyard of what remains of the castle. There are very fine panoramic views of the “Fontaine” (de Vaucluse), which rises further up and flows under the name “Sorgue de Velleron”.
Leaving the château, turn right onto the single path to carefully begin a descent with several successive steps, sometimes fitted with metal ladders, and reach a tarmac path and narrow streets winding between small, very typical houses, until you reach the bottom at the Route de Cavaillon.
Turn right and cross the bridge over the Sorgue to the roundabout, then immediately turn left onto Rue des Bourgades and follow it to the end. Follow a small tributary of the Sorgue to the “Descente de la Cristallerie”, which you climb until it joins Avenue Robert Garcin. Continue along this road, which turns left, until you reach a car park; cross this to reach the right bank of the Sorgue, which offers plenty of spots to stop and have a picnic by the water’s edge, whilst enjoying the peace and quiet of the place and the many birds (ducks, robins, titmice, sparrows, etc.) in search of food, which will not hesitate to approach you.
(10) Continue westwards, leaving the banks of the Sorgue behind, skirting them to the left and, opposite the “Vallat des Baumes Noires”, take the path to a footbridge, just for a return trip. Continue along the Sorgue and pass through a swing gate which leads back to the road; follow this for a few metres until you reach the base of one of the aqueduct’s piers.
(11) Access the Canal de Carpentras, which flows beneath the aqueduct, via a small path and a turnstile that allows only one person through at a time. Cross the aqueduct with care, especially if the Mistral is blowing, whilst admiring the panoramic views, with the Sorgue de Velleron far below. Then, continue along the canal until you leave it at the path that crosses over it on the left, goes round it and climbs south-east, passing first one, then a second path on the left to reach the Chemin de Bondelon. Follow this path to the left until you reach the Oppidum de Bondelon (altitude: 181 m). You can walk the full circuit of this oppidum (private property).
(12) Continue along this path heading east to reach the junction with the GRP® ‘Tour des Monts de Vaucluse’ (altitude: 205 m).
(13) Head due south along this GRP®. Pass the Bastide Rouge on your left, then the Mastres estate on your right (there are numerous paths just before this, heading towards Les Baumes) and arrive via a very stony path at the Cabrières tourist road (cross). Take this road to the right for about a hundred metres and turn right to reach the Chemin du Réservoir, which climbs and then levels out to end in front of the Château de Lagnes.
(14) A stroll through the village’s narrow streets takes you along the rear walls of the château and past the post office. Turn immediately left to go up Rue Montante, then take Chemin des Groubelles on the right, until you reach the entrance gate to the open-air theatre, which you cross on the left-hand side. Climb a few steep steps to reach the top of Groubelle Hill (cross), where you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the village.
(14) The descent towards the centre of Lagnes follows the path that continues south-west and crosses Place Batailler, with its “Vieux Lavoir” on the right. Return to Rue Montante, which you now descend on the left, then continue along Rue de la République to the town hall (S/E).
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