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.

Details

4495475
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.01 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 169 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 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

Notes

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.

Worth a visit

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 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

4.4 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
nichou
nichou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike between the villages of Gordes and Cabrières d'Avignon.
The most difficult part of the hike is around the village of Les Bories, where there are many drystone shelters.
From the SENANCOLE valley, the climb up to the drystone shelters is not easy to find (to find the path, it is best to walk along the bed of the SENANCOLE rather than on the path running alongside it).
After drystone shelters, the descent is quite steep and stony. Take care in wet weather.
The return to CABRIERES, after crossing the SENANCOLE again, is flat and a little monotonous (on the road).
Thanks to the author of this hike.

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User 4503125

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike, pleasant and easy to follow on your phone, with no major difficulties – nothing but happiness.

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godillot1
godillot1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Jan 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Dec 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Nov 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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

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captainalan1
captainalan1
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Feb 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy walk. Ideal for families

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phildur55
phildur55

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route with no major difficulties

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kine84
kine84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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 your route : Jan 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : 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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