Access: on the D5 linking Le Rove to Ensuès-la-Redonne, park on the left-hand side of the road (take care) in a small designated area (rubbish bin) which can accommodate two to three vehicles. This area is situated directly opposite a former pizzeria and an upholstery workshop.
(S/E) Cross the road carefully to join a wide, stony track which climbs whilst remaining more or less parallel to the road until it reaches the Tour d’Ensuès and its picnic area.
(1) Carry on straight ahead and, at the first hunters’ car park, continue in the same direction until you reach a second car park, where you should turn right. You will soon come to a junction marked by a large boulder on the right-hand side and a sign warning of an underground pipeline nearby.
Turn left. About a hundred metres further on, do not miss the wide path that branches off to the right and winds its way along flat ground through low-lying Mediterranean vegetation. Ignore a narrow path on the left that descends very steeply and continue for about fifty metres to reach a junction that does not appear on the IGN map.
(2) Turn left to begin the descent into the Régouvi valley. Join the very steep path you crossed earlier and follow it to the right. At the bottom of the valley, turn left onto a wide track leading to a junction in a grove of pine trees (with a wire fence and a ‘Hunting Reserve’ sign opposite).
Turn right and, at the junction with a track that makes a hairpin bend to the right, carry on straight up the slope. At the crossroads at the top of the hill (a large, majestic pine tree), turn left. Ignore a wide path on the right and continue straight on to reach a vast open space where several tracks meet.
(3) Head up to the right towards a lovely patch of sparse pine trees. Reach the ridge and continue eastwards, keeping the power line on your left. When you reach a fork where three tracks lead straight ahead, take the left-hand one and continue uphill. At a large pylon, the view opens up: the Étang de Berre, Mont Ventoux, Sainte-Victoire and the Pilon du Roi are easily spotted in the landscape.
(4) As you approach a small valley on the left where a few white rocks protrude, veer left towards another pylon, smaller than the previous one (do not hesitate to turn back if you have gone past the valley).
(5) A tricky junction where I’ve placed a small cairn. At the foot of the pylon, look slightly to the right for the start of a very overgrown path that is barely marked on the ground. This path curves to the right and descends to reach the bottom of the valley, where you really have to force your way through for the last five metres.
Turn left onto a much clearer track, pass a small electricity substation, then cross a gully before reaching a wide path where you must turn right. Then ignore a path branching off to the left and continue to a hollow where several paths and tracks converge.
Take a sharp left-hand bend onto a wide path which curves sharply to the right before reaching a flat area. At the second grassy section, turn right at a 90° angle and walk for about fifty metres.
(6) A tricky junction where I’ve placed a small cairn. Head diagonally left and look out for a very faint track on the slope; it’s particularly difficult to follow through the low vegetation but becomes clearer about fifty metres further on. At the next junction, take the path on the right – a narrow track that descends steeply down the slope before levelling out and curving to the right towards a small gorge marking the start of the Vallon de Juan.
(7) Where the path meets a stony track, turn right, then right again at the next junction to quickly reach a lovely grassy, shaded spot – ideal for a break, provided you stay well clear of the beehives clinging to the rock face. Then head up the wild Juan valley, which becomes very steep-sided before widening out at a small pine plantation where a track joins from the left.
(8) Turn right and follow this track up to the first hairpin bend (elevation 158), where you should leave it and take a wide, partly grassy path on the left. Continue for about 400 metres until you reach a junction marked by two yellow-painted posts (buried gas pipe) and a sign indicating a nearby pipeline.
(9) Start climbing a very steep slope on the right, which leads to a flat area where you’ll join a stony track. Follow this track to the left until you reach a metal gate (with an information sign about the Conservatoire du Littoral).
Go round it, then turn immediately right, walking alongside a few boulders lined up in a row. Follow a wide, double-track path overgrown with low-lying undergrowth. At the first junction, turn right; then, at a solitary pine tree (be careful not to miss this junction), turn left onto a narrower path which makes a wide circular loop to the left before joining a track at a concrete telephone pole.
(10) Turn right and continue along the power line. Begin a gentle descent (lovely view of Ensuès-la-Redonne), pass the first path on the left, then take the next one, also on the left, to quickly reach a junction (a small solitary pine tree).
Do not continue straight ahead but veer to the right to avoid running into a large area enclosed by concrete walls which you can see below. Ignore a path branching off to the left.
(11) At the next junction (small cairn), turn left, head down the slope and then climb back up opposite to reach the Tour d’Ensuès.
(1) Turn left to return to the starting point (S/E).