From Cabrières d’Avignon to the “Village des Bories” in Gordes

A pleasant circuit, partly in the shade of the forest, to discover many very well-preserved stone huts (“bories”) and splendid olive groves.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.01 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 169 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 167 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 291 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 163 m

Description of the walk

Start : Park in the free car park behind the town hall "Cabrières d'Avignon".

(S/E) From the car park, go to the Cours Jean Giono and turn left (West). At the junction, you will find the first fountain and the old town hall, which has been converted into a multimedia centre. Turn right (North) onto the Grand'Rue and continue up towards the upper village. Pass by the Saint Vincent Church. At the junction, turn right by the fountain along the Rue des Pasquiers and then immediately left (North) along the Rue Neuve. At the junction, turn left up the Chemin des Pasquiers.

(1) At the next junction, turn right (North-East) along the Rue Haute. On the Place Haute there is one of the wash-houses of the village. Continue on the Rue Haute until the Cedar Wood (“Forêt de Cèdres”), following the yellow waymarks. You will see a stone hut on the right at the junction with the Chemin des Aires. After the barrier, continue to the next junction.

(2) Turn right, then left, then left again. At the next junction, you will see a large stone hut which is still well-preserved. Pass to the left of it, then continue straight on as far as possible.

(3) At the junction with the long-distance route with red and yellow waymarks (the “GR® de Pays Tour des Monts de Vaucluse”), turn right (East). A little further on you will see a further stone hut on your right and a drystone wall, which are both also in very good condition. Carry straight on at every junction until you arrive at the junction in front of the estate "La Croix des Baux". At this point, you can overlook the valley of the Sénancole stream.

(4) Bear left. Continue up the stream (which is often dried out). At the first junction, carry straight on and then cross the Sénancole.

(5) At the second junction, turn uphill to the right. At a junction, head right. You pass in front of a structure at the base of the cliff: the “Refuge de Repli” or fall-back hideout of the Gordes Resistance (“maquis”). Continue along the yellow-marked trail commemorating the Resistance fighters. You next pass alongside the “Village des Bories”, a collection of drystone huts.

(6) Just after the first car park, turn immediately down the lane to the right between two drystone walls. A little further on, to your left, you will see a fine stone hut, which is in very good condition and is accessible. Continue downwards on the lane to the right. On your left, note a house, “Le Coulet”, which was used by the first maquisards in the early days of the Resistance. Descend to a five-way intersection.

(7) Immediately take the second track to the right, with a red and yellow waymark on the ground. Cross the Sénancole and continue up the old road with its rough paving. At the top, carry straight on along the main track (left) until you reach the tarmac road. Stay on this road for around 1.3 Km or so.

(8) At a junction, you will see a stone hut on your left in a private garden. Continue on the main road to the left. At the next junction, with the Chemin des Parties, carry straight on, then turn left (South-East) at the junction after that.

(9) Just before the tennis courts, turn right (West) along the Chemin des Tennis. Stay on the main road. At the junction with the Chemin de la Bergerie, keep left and continue straight on to the roundabout.

(10) At this point, head towards Fontaine de Vaucluse. At the next junction, bear left to return to your starting point behind the town hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 163 m - Town Hall car park
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 181 m - Rue Haute
  3. 2 : km 1.38 - alt. 233 m - Turn right after the barrier
  4. 3 : km 2.07 - alt. 243 m - To the right by the GRP
  5. 4 : km 3.26 - alt. 265 m - Gateway to the Croix des Baux estate
  6. 5 : km 4.02 - alt. 248 m - Turn right up the path
  7. 6 : km 4.98 - alt. 276 m - Car park - Village des Bories
  8. 7 : km 5.51 - alt. 215 m - To the right via the GRP. Over the - Sénancole (cours d'eau)
  9. 8 : km 7.08 - alt. 190 m - Cross with drystone shelter
  10. 9 : km 7.57 - alt. 175 m - Tennis courts
  11. 10 : km 8.75 - alt. 167 m - Roundabout
  12. S/E : km 9.01 - alt. 163 m - Town Hall car park

Practical information

Start & parking: Park in the free car park behind the town hall.

Note : In hot weather, if you set out in the morning, it may be better to do this circuit in reverse, so that you are in the shade of the forest in the heat of the day.

Walk translated by grahawi originally from the French author les sem.

In the nearby area

At the start of this hike, you pass through the cedar wood of Cabrières d'Avignon. The seeds from which the present forest grew were planted in 1860. This forest covers five hectares, with a picnic area and a fitness trail, and offers shady walks when it is very hot.
The source of the Sénancole lies in the Monts de Vaucluse, above the Abbey of Sénanque. Its flow is very irregular: it may be completely dry or merrily overflow its bed.
You then follow the trail created in memory of the Resistance in Gordes during the Second World War. These trails have been marked and enhanced with information boards by the local association "Cadets de la Résistance".
The “Village des Bories”, at the hamlet of Les Cabanes, is a village of neolithic construction which was inhabited until the 18th century. These structures, like the terraces (“restanques”) and the walls along the roads and fields, were built with stones cleared from the farmland. This village is typical of the temporary dwellings which duplicated the permanent village and were used for seasonal farming work. The site was registered as a Historic Monument in 1977.

 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

4.4 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
godillot1
godillot1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant walk with no particular difficulties for the whole family. The most surprising feature is the open-air stage and dance floor with picnic area at the start of the walk.

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le islois
le islois

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

very nice walk we didn't go into the drystone shelter village but there are several drystone shelters of all sizes on the route easy, rolling route to be recommended.

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Hiker!
Hiker!

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant walk, sheltered from the wind that was blowing quite hard elsewhere. There is an entrance fee (€8) for the village of Les Bornes, but you can see a number of boundary stones and dry stone walls in the countryside along the way. At the end of the walk, you will see some beautiful properties and olive groves.

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J.Mounier
J.Mounier

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

It was difficult to follow the itinerary; we couldn't find it between 3 and 4, so we joined 7 by the path marked on the map, "tour des monts de Vaucluse", then returned via 8, 9 and 10 without going through 4, 5 and 6, which should have been the most beautiful part of the route!

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les sem
les sem ★

Hello
You do have to pay to enter the village if you want to visit and learn about its history, but as part of the walk you can already see several drystone shelters outside the village.

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Spica.57
Spica.57

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Please note that admission to the drystone shelter village is subject to a charge.

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captainalan1
captainalan1
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A lovely walk along stony, shady paths and tracks (in the undergrowth).
We continued on to the abbey, returning to the drystone shelter village.
Return to Cabrieres on the GR de Pays des Monts de Vaucluse.

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mmg84
mmg84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

It's a lovely walk, with lots of rockroses and laburnum at the start and a few cornflowers, and drystone shelters and walls.
The last few kilometres were a bit long in the heat that day and tarmac.

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Pistlepit
Pistlepit

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant, easy walk. Ideal for families

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phildur55
phildur55

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Pleasant route with no major difficulties

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kine84
kine84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Easy hike, ideal for the whole family, but with one final drawback: a bit too much road.
Nice walk

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CHABABA
CHABABA
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A rather pleasant walk; the drystone shelters are a must-see (€6 per person) for a better understanding of the history.

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phinou 84
phinou 84

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

bonjours, à tous, cercuit très plaisant , marcage au sol très faible, on c'est perdu au village des drystone shelters,beaucoup
de départ de routes droite et gauche, a faire avec gps, a notre décharge jeune randonneur d'une 10 de rando à
later on viso.

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Loiseau bleu
Loiseau bleu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice varied walk, cedar forest, dry stone, easy.
You pass the drystone shelter village, but you can't see much as it was closed.
Finally, you cross an area with some beautiful properties.

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Catherine Th.
Catherine Th.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

We did the walk in the middle of August and in the middle of the heat, leaving at 10.30am. But we did it the other way round as advised. It was perfect!!!!!!
Very nice, very varied, interesting, not very crowded. We based our route on the map, which was perfect. MANY THANKS.

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