The Claparèdes plateau: between drystone shelters and lavender fields

This easy hike can be enjoyed in any season. The blue of the lavender gives way to the warm tones of autumn or the green colours of spring. Along the route, you will discover hidden drystone shelters or majestic structures built in the middle of fields. You will alternate between small paths in the undergrowth and paths through fields offering magnificent views of the Luberon mountain.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 72 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 72 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 615 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 553 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the Barbe Blanche car park on the D232 (picnic area and information board).

(S/E) Leave the car park heading east and take the small road south. About 80 metres further on (signpost "Barbe Blanche"), turn left onto the path through the undergrowth (follow theGRP® markings towards Sivergues). After a stony area, you will come to a crossroads.

(1) Leave theGRP®, descend opposite and turn left twice. Follow a dirt track towards the north-east (not marked). Go around a bend and, at the first crossroads, turn left onto a path along the edge of the fields. A little further on, continue to the right. You will come to a track; take it to the left. About 50 metres further on, you will reach the D232 and come to a stop sign on your right.

(2) Take the path through the woods to the right of the stop sign. Continue to a crossroads and turn left. Walk along the lavender field and enter the woods for a few metres.

(3) Turn left and continue straight ahead to reach the D114. Follow it to the right for 350 metres, then turn left onto Chemin de Sivergues (signposted). Take this dirt track to the crossroads and turn right onto the road.

(4) At the first crossroads, go straight ahead (GRP®) then, 350m further on, at a bend (rubbish bins), continue straight ahead on a dirt track and you will reach a crossroads (signpost for "Le Colombier", iron cross).

(5) Follow the path straight ahead (PR®), pass between two lavender fields and continue straight ahead. Don't miss the cart wheel tracks in the rock. You will come to a small car park (signpost for "Les Fondons"). Turn left, take the D48 for about 50 metres and continue on the dirt track on the right (not signposted). At the first crossroads, go down opposite and you will come back to the D48. Continue straight ahead for 500 metres.

(6) At the end of the straight stretch, turn left onto the road and, after about 100 metres, turn right onto a path through the undergrowth (GR® andGRP®). Follow this winding path, pass a very stony section and come out onto the road again. Follow it for 20 metres to the right and take the path on the left under the hedge of trees and brambles to return to the "Le Colombier" signpost you passed earlier.

(5) Turn right, follow the path you took on the way there (GRP®), then continue along the road.

(4) Turn right and walk 100 metres. Turn left and follow the dirt track (GRP®). Walk past a lavender field and continue straight ahead through the undergrowth. You will come out onto the D232. Cross it and continue along the path opposite. Continue straight ahead, passing close to the Reine des Drystone Shelter on your right (private property: please respect the premises) and reach the D114 (GRP®).

(7) At the "Vouliou" signpost, turn right and take the D114 for 300m (GRP®).

(8) At the "Plaine Lambertes" signpost, turn left and take the narrow, stony path through the undergrowth (GRP®).

(9) When you reach a track, turn left to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 553 m - "Barbe Blanche" car park D232
  2. 1 : km 0.79 - alt. 561 m - Unmarked path climbing to the left
  3. 2 : km 1.78 - alt. 569 m - At the junction of the D232 and D114, take the road on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.04 - alt. 566 m - Fork in the road, left
  5. 4 : km 3.53 - alt. 586 m - At the crossroads, continue straight on the GRP
  6. 5 : km 4.01 - alt. 586 m - Iron cross, straight ahead
  7. 6 : km 5.45 - alt. 579 m - Tarmac road on the left
  8. 7 : km 8.17 - alt. 567 m - Poteau Vouliou, on the right
  9. 8 : km 8.43 - alt. 561 m - Plaine Lambertes signpost, on the left
  10. 9 : km 9.03 - alt. 558 m - Crossroads with track, on the left
  11. S/E : km 9.35 - alt. 553 m - Return to the "Barbe Blanche" car park.

Worth a visit

Keep your eyes peeled! There are several drystone shelters of various sizes and shapes along the route. Some are a little hidden... Feel free to wander along the small crossroads: they often lead to beautiful discoveries...

(5) On this old path, which linked the fields to neighbouring farms but above all to Buoux and Auribeau, you will notice cart tracks forming notches carved and worn into the rocky outcrops.

At the edge of the path, but also throughout the undergrowth, you will notice numerous rows of walls resulting from ancestral stone clearing and retaining walls. These structures, now abandoned, once supported terraced fields ("bancaou" in Provençal). These walls allowed water and runoff to pass through while containing the soil for subsistence crops (wheat and fodder).

Don't forget to visit the picturesque village of Saignon and its breathtaking view from the top of the Bellevue rock.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
abeille.gerard@free.fr
abeille.gerard@free.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

a pleasant, easy hike. Must be even prettier when the lavender fields are in bloom.
and regarding the previous review, there are indeed drystone shelters along the route.
Thank you

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le islois
le islois
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy hike. We didn't see any drystone shelters, but it was a pleasant walk, although a bit too much tarmac
thank you

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verodomi
verodomi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy hike but with limited interest. A few drystone shelters added some interest to an otherwise monotonous route.

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RandoJean
RandoJean

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The circuit, despite being at high altitude, lacks views. I didn't think I'd be so stuck on forest paths.
It must be magnificent when the lavender is in bloom.

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ma.orsoni
ma.orsoni

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few remarkable drystone shelters (4), including one, the first, which is not mentioned in the description. We saw it by chance when we turned around and walked about twenty metres along a hedge; it was slightly hidden.
Also not mentioned is a superb dry stone wall.
A pleasant, easy walk, but with quite a lot of road, fortunately not too busy.

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LIONEL13118
LIONEL13118

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Sincere thanks for sharing, lovely hike.

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Evy84490
Evy84490

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I encountered a problem with the start/finish point... it had clearly been changed or removed by a large ploughed field, but I quickly found the route again.

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ojeannot
ojeannot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

With only an hour ahead of us, we only did (S), (1), (2), (7), (8), (9) and (E) in about three quarters of an hour.

A beautiful hike.

Note to the author of the hike: it seems to me that the two short straight lines preceding (7) are incorrect, as the straight line parallel to the road does not exist and the "Vouliou" signpost is located halfway between (2) and (7). The description seems correct to me.

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Suzon
Suzon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Just one small tricky point: at point 3, it's not easy to see which is the right path on the left, as there are at least two possible routes. The right one isn't very well marked, and you get the impression you're heading into a field (where the lavender has been pulled up!) before you realise that the marked path continues. It's a shame there isn't a cairn or a mark to indicate it. Otherwise, it's a very pleasant, easy and varied walk. We only met three other walkers.

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jemebalade33
jemebalade33

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I completed this walk on 1 August 2021, following the GPS track. The description states that the walk is 9.15 km long, but my GPS (Visorando software) indicates a distance of 5.59 km, which seems much more in line with what I walked. The elevation gain is listed as 30 m. Furthermore, the description states that this walk does not return to the starting point (return to starting point: No), which is incorrect.
Apart from these details, it is a very easy, very pleasant walk, without any difficulty, with large shaded areas, which is a real bonus in hot weather. There are lavender fields and drystone shelters along the way.
Finally, I would suggest a slight modification to the route just before point 2: when the path reaches the large white road, do not take it towards the RD232 to the north, but cross the white road and take the path directly opposite, which will take you to point 3, bypassing the RD232.

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Hannah58
Hannah58

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, very pleasant route through lavender fields and drystone shelters. Shady paths alternate with tarmac sections. I recommend it!

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Bernards
Bernards

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant and very (too) easy! A bit too much tarmac.

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Madeleine Lunel
Madeleine Lunel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy and very pleasant hike, a bit too much tarmac!

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venelles
venelles

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk, but too much tarmac for my liking.

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philippe83
philippe83
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk with no elevation gain, suitable for children aged 5 and above. Lavender fields and a few beautiful drystone shelters adorn the route...

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