In Vaugines, park in the car park north of the church, between the church and the cemetery.
Red and whiteGR®® trail markers
(S/E) Head towards the Vallis Jovina hiking sign and follow theGR®® marked path eastwards towards Guet. At the fork in the path, keep right and then, at the T-junction, keep right again. You will come to a road.
(1) Follow it to the left. At the next intersection, at the Guet signpost, continue straight on the road towards Étang, then, after about a hundred metres, turn left onto Chemin du Cagnard. At the intersection with Chemin de Gabarut, follow it to the left. You will arrive at Étang de Cucuron (originally a pond fed by springs from the Luberon).
(2) Go around the pond on the left.
No signposts
At the crossroads, take Montée du Château Vieux opposite, slightly to the left, pass in front of the Portail de l'Étang, then in front of the ice house. When the street turns right, climb to the right onto the Tour de la Citadelle. Go back down and take the stairs opposite, keep left at the fork and you will arrive at the foot of the Notre-Dame de Beaulieu church. Turn right to reach the church square.
(3) Opposite the church entrance, follow Rue de l'Église. Pass a museum and a fountain/wash house on Place de la Cabreyrade, take Rue Marc Royer and arrive at an intersection (Rue du Portail de l'Étang). Walk a few metres to the left to see the Maison des Consuls, then retrace your steps and continue straight ahead (Rue du Portail de l'Étang) to the fountain at the intersection with Rue Sus Pous.
(4) Retrace your steps and turn right onto Rue de la Mairie. At the T-junction, turn left, pass in front of the town hall (for sale in 2023), and arrive at the door of the Tour de l'Horloge (fountain). Turn right to pass underneath.
(5) Do not go up the stairs but continue straight ahead on Rue des Fours, continue diagonally to the right (Rue du Château), ignoring the alleys on the left. At the fork in the road, keep left (Rue de Baldart) then take the stairs on the right, Rue de l'Auro. Continue along the street and, at the intersection, turn right. Pass under the arch of the Maison dite de la Reine Jeanne and you will find yourself once again at the foot of the stairs leading up to the keep.
(5) Climb the stairs to arrive below the Donjon Saint-Michel, the seigneurial castle of the Oraisons. Climb up to the keep on the right, go around it, come back down and take the path that descends to the right behind the plague victims' sign. You will come to a street. Follow it to the left for a few metres, then take the second staircase on the right. At the bottom, turn right towards the roundabout and look for the Cucuron signpost.
Yellow markings
(6) Follow the signs for Vaugines (road direction Cabenet). At a large covered wash house, turn onto the first road on the right, which quickly turns into a path. At the T-junction, turn left.
(7) Further on, at the first fork in the road, turn right, then keep left at the second fork. When you reach a four-way intersection, continue to the right.
(8) At the fork in the path, before reaching a road, turn left. Join a road and follow it to the right. You will arrive at the crossroads in the village of Vaugines.
No signposts
(9) Go straight ahead, then turn left onto Rue Basse. Follow the road as it curves to the right, then to the left, and continue straight ahead onto Rue des Amazones. At the end of the street, turn right and you will arrive at Place de la Mairie, where you can admire the beautiful fountain covered in plants. With your back to the town hall, take the street that goes up opposite (Impasse des Poucelles).
(10) About 50 metres further on, turn right into Parc de Georges. Follow the path that crosses the park (heading north) and exit the park onto a street. Turn right and follow the street back to the town centre.
At the intersection with Chemin de la Fontaine, keep right (Rue de la Fontaine), then turn left onto the first street (Rue Vieille), before arriving back at Place de la Mairie. Immediately take the stairs on the left (Rue des Coquillages, note the shells in the stones of the houses) and follow them to come out onto the street again. Follow it to the left to arrive at Place des Aires.
Go straight ahead, climb a few steps and then follow the street on the left (Rue de la Montagne). At the T-junction, turn right and you will soon come to another T-junction. Turn left, cross the Ruisseau de Laval (which widens into a basin here) and you will find yourself back at the church and its square (famous, see below), planted with beautiful plane trees. Walk around the church (see the old cemetery) and return to the car park (S/E).
At the top of the list, following in the footsteps of Manon des Sources, this hike is easy and pleasant, with unique vegetation.