The Aven du Trou du Duc

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The "abandoned house" in 1 is undergoing renovation.
There was a lot of water on the paths following the heavy rains of the last few days, so we had to leave the path several times, but without losing track of the route. The Trou de Duc karstic cave is not particularly well signposted, but fortunately a splash of fluorescent paint helped us to find it.

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Date of your route : Jan 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy walk and the hole is a curiosity. The old railway crossing is also a curiosity worth seeing.

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Date of your route : Dec 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting hike.
Be aware that walking on the old railway track can be hard on your ankles.
It's juniper berry season. We picked berries near the karstic cave.

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Date of your route : Nov 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike that takes us through an old SNCF railway tunnel. Be careful, just after the tunnel, there is a short steep climb on the right, but it is not particularly difficult.
Thanks to the author of this beautiful walk.

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Date of your route : Sep 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little hike, with no particular difficulties, completed in 1 hour and 40 minutes, near Valmagne Abbey. I would be curious to know the origin of the name "trou du Duc" (Duke's hole) for the entrance to this karstic cave!

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Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant and diverse landscapes

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Date of your route : Jan 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello

A hearing aid for changing paths would be appreciated

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Date of your route : Dec 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Dangerous! No warning signs, no protective barrier around the hole at ground level.

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A pleasant walk.
It would be interesting to have other walks around this site with different durations. The site offers exceptional views.

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Date of your route : Nov 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike to be enjoyed in the sunshine to appreciate the different landscapes

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Date of your route : Jan 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Three comments on this interesting route:
1) SNCF signs are posted along the old railway line. They warn that using this old track is prohibited and punishable by a fine. (They are not visible in the photos in the guidebook.) And this despite the fact that the site is not particularly dangerous. Thank you, SNCF, for covering your back at little cost!!!!!!! ,
Instead of blocking off one of its industrial wastelands, it could showcase it like it does in many other places.
But despite everything, this calls into question the legality of this route for those who are sticklers for the rules.
2) The end of the dangerous route along the road can be avoided. To do this, when you reach the road, cross it, go over the shallow ditch and follow the edge of the vineyard on the left. Cross the small road and go up into the next vineyard. Follow the edge, at the end turn right for 20 metres, a passage in the embankment leads to the path that goes down to the car park.
3) This route can be extended by 1.6km via a place called "L'Escuret":
At the tunnel exit, turn right then left(leaving the route), go down the stony path for 400 metres, ignoring the first path on the right and following the second on the right before the quarry. (coordinate 104 on the map)
Follow this new path to the tarmac road. Turn right towards Mas Nègre. 200m before the farmhouse and at a left-hand bend ( point 119 on the map), climb up to the right along a fallow field. At the right-hand corner, a slightly overgrown path will take you back to the vicinity of the point (3) ( you will rejoin the route)

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Date of your route : Nov 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The two points of interest, the tunnel and the karstic cave, are well worth seeing and quite unusual.
Bear in mind that the access path is very stony (ballast) and that some sections are quite tricky (steep): take care not to twist your ankles.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant little walk early in the morning. Nothing exceptional, but the charm of the garrigue is very much present.
As indicated in the route description, be sure to wear good walking shoes.

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Date of your route : Jul 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the heath. The climb up the railway track is pleasant and takes you back to a time when this line was still in operation....

The GPS tracking is spot on and requires no comment.

A few details about the route. The karstic cave of the Duc is not at point 4 but at point 5. At point 4, you leave the small tarmac road and descend about 50 m along a very narrow path until you reach the intersection with a larger path on the right. Then you start a (moderate) climb and it is at the top of this climb of about 200 m (at point 5) that you will find the karstic cave. There's no point looking for it before then .

In any case, the idea of following the old railway line gives us a new idea for a similar walk.

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Date of your route : Apr 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The directions provided by Visorando are inaccurate or even wrong, and it's easy to get lost. It's impossible to find the Trou du Duc if you follow the description. We had to use GPS to find it (really not easy!). Perhaps it would have been easier with the mobile app, but I wanted to do the hike "the old-fashioned way", just with the description and the map extract, both printed out.

That said, we didn't regret going round in circles because the hike is well worth it, especially at this time of year, with the thyme, rosemary, broom and other plants in bloom.

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