Défens d'Eyguières - Lamanon, Grottes de Calès

A hike starting from Eyguières with its two enclosed springs, the Fontaine des Bormes and the Fontaine Gilouse.
A walk in the Défens d'Eyguières, with fine views of the ruins of Roquemartine Castle, the Durance valley and, if the weather is fine, the Mont Ventoux.
Access to the Grottes de Calès site is forbidden.
Return by the olive groves below the Défens d'Eyguières.
__Caution! Because of the nature of the rock (mollasse sandstone, and therefore friable) and the cliffs, parts of the site are dangerous.
A municipal order prohibiting access to these areas is currently in force. Take great care.__

Technical sheet

41377
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.20 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 329 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 329 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 308 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 96 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the Fontaine des Bormes in the REYRE quarter of Eyguières. Well over half the route follows the long-distance path GR6 (red and white markings).
Head up the road away from the town centre, past the Calvary cross on the left and follow the road round to the right.
At the junction, head left towards the Fontaine de Gilouse.
Cross over the Canal des Garrigues.

(1)At the Fontaine de Gilouse, take the lane opposite towards Lamanon.
Where the lane heads left at the intersection after 400 m, stay on the GR6. The route is well marked and for a while follows the overhead power lines.

(2)At the top, you arrive at a black pylon. Turn left, then right after 50 m.
After the mast, bear right, still on the GR6. Carry on.

(3)Careful! On a wide bend on the way down, take the GR6 to the right. (If you miss it, you can pick it up again by turning right at the next intersection).
Pass in front of the cistern and follow the GR6 to the left as far as the Grottes de Calès site.
N.B. Access to the site is forbidden by municipal order following rock falls.
You can find information and a map of the site on the blog of the Association Calès-Saint Denis. The address is given in the "Useful information" section.

(4)Return to the cobbled path leading down to Lamanon. You are no longer on the GR6. At the car park, go down the lane "Montée de Calès". At the bottom, at the Place du Cabaret, turn right down the main street.
Pass the church and the castle. You are now on the Eyguières road.

(5)Take the path to the right level with the road sign. This is a nature trail. Follow the main track. After 1500 m cross over a wide lane beneath an overhead power line. Continue straight on to the end of the lane.

(6)Turn right, pass in front of the cistern to reach an intersection with three lanes after 15 m. Take the leftmost lane and follow it for 2000 m. At an intersection, keep right.

(7)On reaching a water point covered in graffiti, start up the concrete road leading up to the right. After 10 m, take a path heading off to the left. At the end of the path (which leads down to the left), take the lane heading right and continue along it.

(8)Follow the track which leads past private residences.
At the end of the Vallée des Baux canal, return to the Fontaine des Bormes.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 96 m - Bormes fountain
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 108 m - Gillouse fountain
  3. 2 : km 3.07 - alt. 308 m - HT pylon
  4. 3 : km 4.79 - alt. 220 m - Take the GR on the right
  5. 4 : km 7.95 - alt. 169 m - Large stone staircase
  6. 5 : km 8.58 - alt. 114 m - educational trail
  7. 6 : km 10.17 - alt. 139 m - Turn right
  8. 7 : km 11.93 - alt. 122 m - Water station tagged
  9. 8 : km 12.41 - alt. 119 m - path that runs alongside the properties
  10. S/E : km 13.2 - alt. 96 m - Arrival

Practical information

Hiking shoes or boots.
Enquire at the tourist office whether the paths in the Alpilles are closed because of the risk of fire.
Take a map of the Calès site. Many of the paths are not marked on the IGN map.
Information on the Calès site can be found at the following website: [http://www.cales-lamanon.fr/lesitedecales/index.html]

In the nearby area

A magnificent plane tree in Lamanon.
The springs of Eyguières.
The Baux de Provence site and Saint Rémy de Provence.
The Luberon, with its walks and fine villages.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 30 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 522246

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice walk

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Chrisly
Chrisly

Hi, this time I didn't download the route you mentioned,
However, I did download the "map" which covered the whole of the Eyguieres-Lamanon sector.
No particular comments....
Bonne continuation

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nanou13430
nanou13430

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

It's a shame that the cirque and caves are off-limits.
Otherwise a pleasant walk.

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gise13
gise13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice walk
We didn't venture too far into the caves as there were no entry signs.
but we still enjoyed ...... very nice views
Thanks for a great time

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CécilePascal
CécilePascal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Thank you for this hike and for discovering the caves. They were quite busy on a holiday Sunday, but the weather was good and it was fun!
The map helped us more than the directions and we made a few minor mistakes.
Thanks a lot!

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Kti173
Kti173

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Lovely walk to do in winter when the sky is clear - Magnificent panorama and interesting scenery

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NicoleJeanLouis
NicoleJeanLouis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very nice walk without major difficulty. possible departure from the Gillouse fountain (parking for several cars if they are well parked) avoid walking on the pavements! start of the walk.
magnificent panoramic views of the Alpilles, Durance, Lubéron, Ventoux, Ste Victoire, Crau plain etc.
and why not visit the pretty village of Eyguières and its many fountains!!!!!!!

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ANNIEMORENO
ANNIEMORENO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very nice circuit

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barbbu
barbbu

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Well, it wasn't the nicest of my hikes, but it takes all kinds to make a world...
There were 2 or 3 places where we hesitated quite a bit, including on the GR route.

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gerserg13700
gerserg13700

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

pleasant walk, beautiful site, beautiful view

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valcam30
valcam30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hikes! As far as the Calès site is concerned, work has been carried out and some areas are now accessible again. Check out their website for more information: the barriers at the entrances have been removed and there were a lot of people on the site on the day we visited. Thanks to the author.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you Caramede
The author put a warning in his introduction to point out the risks in certain places.

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Caramede
Caramede

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Access to the Cales caves has been banned for several years due to the danger of falling rocks. And of course nobody
The ban is just a pretext for the municipality to avoid any work and protect itself in the event of an accident. And every year they open the umbrella!

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dudziak
dudziak

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Magnificent views
Dangerous Callès caves (rock falls)
Departure from the church of Lamanon preferable numerous PK places

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bernard popiol
bernard popiol

Hello bibi,
My hike does not pass through the ruins of Queen Jeanne's castle. Patrice Fauré already pointed this out to me in February 2017.
However, there is a hike similar to mine that passes through the ruins.
"Le Castellas de Roquemartine, la Crête du Defens, les Grottes de Calès".
I wonder if the hikers have the wrong hike when they make their comments. Does mine come first?
If not, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Good hiking to all
Bernard

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