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.__

Details

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

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 329 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 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

Notes

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]

Worth a visit

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 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

4.3 / 5
Based on 37 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Christine_aix
Christine_aix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy route; no trouble following the route on the app.
Not very busy, but it was a weekday outside the school holidays.
The only downside was the section on the track at the start, but there’s the option to take small parallel paths.
Thanks for this route

Machine-translated

Francine84
Francine84
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We decided to start from Lamanon and spent a lot of time exploring the Calès site. As a result, we had to shorten the circular route and didn’t make it all the way to Eyguières.
The ridge walk above the Cirque de Borme and the Redaresse valley offers some stunning panoramic views. The troglodyte site is extraordinary!
We’ll come back on a weekday to enjoy a quieter atmosphere, as the place—a victim of its own success—is very busy with families… children and dogs…
Tip: for a guided tour, the guidebook on sale at the grocery shop, published by the Calès Saint-Denis association, is very interesting.
Thank you for sharing this.

Machine-translated

Corinne.13
Corinne.13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route for discovering or rediscovering the fabulous Calès caves. The site is popular and offers picnic facilities. The pretty St Denis chapel is worth a visit after exploring the caves. No difficulty. Beautiful views.

Machine-translated

Fafy
Fafy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy and pleasant hike that is very well marked. With beautiful views at the start of the hike and a very popular but also very beautiful section: the Cales Caves.

Machine-translated

PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 11, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the Alpilles. Pleasant trails, paths and tracks. A chapel, an old semaphore, a troglodyte village and a beautiful panorama make this a very interesting hike, not to mention the botanical trail at the end of the route.
PP and MM

Machine-translated

Patricia LeC.
Patricia LeC.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, fairly easy hike with a few small climbs to tackle at your own pace.
Beautiful views, including 360° views of the Pre-Alps.
Amazing terraced bee walls in the Rédaresse valley, but difficult to find as they are not marked on any map. Please be very respectful if you find the site!
Note that on the way back, the path on the left just after the water station is a little hidden, so keep your eyes peeled.
The Calès caves site has been reopened since April 2025 and is great fun.
However, the short circular of "la Tour de Guêt" is of no interest (there is no watchtower).

Machine-translated

BNuyten
BNuyten

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, magnificent site.

Machine-translated

User 522246

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk

Machine-translated

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

Machine-translated

nanou13430
nanou13430

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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

Machine-translated

gise13
gise13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : 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

Machine-translated

CécilePascal
CécilePascal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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!

Machine-translated

Kti173
Kti173

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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

Machine-translated

NicoleJeanLouis
NicoleJeanLouis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ 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!!!!!!!

Machine-translated

ANNIEMORENO
ANNIEMORENO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very nice circuit

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.