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

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).

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.

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.