Lagnes discovery trail

Start : Car park at Lagnes town hall. (248 rue de la République, 84 800 LAGNES)

(S/E) From the car park, return to the Rue de la République (D100) and turn right, with the town hall and school on your right. Walk a few meters and then cross the road to take the 'Chemin des Espérelles' (South). Signpost “Les Espérelles”: head towards Cabrières d'Avignon / La Falaise. From here on, follow the red and yellow waymarks. At the first road junction, head right (South-West).

(1) At the second, at the end of the tarmacked road, carry straight on following the stone wall. Continue round the right-hand side of the reservoir.

(2) Leave the track round the reservoir where it veers North-North-West, to carry straight on to a marker stone indicating that you are close to the old cordon sanitaire against the plague (the “Mur de la Peste”). The stone is eroded and the inscription is no longer visible. At this stone, turn right, still following the red and yellow waymarks on low posts until you reach the signpost “La Falaise”.

(3) Around 350m, at the signpost, leave the waymarked route and bear left (North-North-East) on the nature trail, which is waymarked in green. You will then see information boards on your surroundings at frequent intervals.

At a junction marked by a green arrow pointing back the way you came, turn left. Follow the path, which leads along the top of the cliff and affords a fine view over Lagnes and its valley. At a small cairn by a marker post with a green arrow, fork left. At the next fork (mini-cairn), head down to the left. Stay on the nature trail to the bottom of the cliff.

The path then leads through the woodland along the base of the cliff, coming to a cleared area, which you skirt round to reach a wide dirt road at the corner of an olive grove.

(4) Take the path opposite up a hillock, giving a fine view of the village. Climb up to the wayside cross and then drop down to overlook the Pieï open-air theatre.

From Pieï open-air theatre car park, return towards the olive grove by the track along the bottom of the hillock.

(4) On reaching the junction you came from before, stay on the dirt road (right) to return to the village. The Pieï cave mine is located by the first houses.

You will then see the old wash-house on your right, just before the road. At the junction, turn back to the church Notre-Dame des Anges. You can then retrace your steps to cross at the old communal oven. Turn right and in front of the post office go up the 'Rue Venteuse', which brings you to the castle. Stay on this street to walk left round the castle. At the end of the street, before passing the entrance to the castle, you pass under a stone arch.

(5) Take the steps on your left down to the 'Rue des Remparts'. Here you will see one of the two remaining towers. Continue left along the 'Rue des Remparts' to the village centre.

At the junction with the 'Rue de la République', you will see one of the village fountains on your left. Head right down the 'Rue de la République' and return to the car park at Lagnes town hall (S/E).

Start : Car park at Lagnes town hall. (248 rue de la République, 84 800 LAGNES)

Parking : Park in the car park at Lagnes town hall. (248 rue de la République, 84 800 LAGNES)

Terrain: The footing is not particularly difficult over much of the route, but good footwear is required on a few steep, stony sections.
The woodland canopy is quite thick and pleasant, but there are areas of sparse scrubland, where care is required in very hot weather, given the fire risks or simply the need for water and a hat.

Walk translated by Grahawi from the original version by the author les sem.

• This walk largely coincides with the nature trail and the cliff walk suggested by the Lagnes municipality. You will find many information panels explaining the features of the environment around you.
• The route then passes through the centre of the village. At each place mentioned in the description, you will find a panel explaining its history (the old wash-house, communal oven, castle, ramparts, fountain).
• The Pieï cave mine is not signed. It operated in the mid-19th century.