The sand caves at Revest-les-Eaux

A natural asset exploited by the local glass industry.
A route through woodland where you will see the remains of dwellings, wells, sand and stone quarries, and former industry, near the derelict hamlet of Les Olivières.

Details

455737
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.09 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 65 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 61 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 368 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 291 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access : To get to the starting point, from the village of Le Revest-les-Eaux, take the RD46 road towards La Valette-du-Var. At Tourris pass, leave the RD46 at the crossroads with the D446 on a left turn. Leave the RD46 and turn left towards Tourris and Le Coudon (D446). At the fork, leave the Coudon road to your right and turn left. Go past the power station and continue along the road up to the entrance to the military field where you can park near the former Baudissaire Inn.

(S/A) Take the small path that runs to the right of the building, lined with walls and old mulberry trees. Pass Le Goudron (cade oil was made here and a pine resin pitch for caulking boats) and cross the road.

(1) At the access road to Château de Tourris, take a parallel path to the right. After 200m, take a small track on the right. Continue in the same direction until you reach a trail. After the lefthand bend, enter the quarry known as "Fourmis" on the right with animals carved in stone.

(2) Continue on the GR51 track, signposted in Red and White, until you reach an S-bend. Shortly before it, on the left, is a ruined building by a natural stone tank* on the roadside.

(3) Take a path just at the bottom of the bend and leave the GR51 trail. After a small climb, take the path to the right for about 200 m, and you will see a well renovated by Michel Lambicchi.
Continue on this path through the woods (very beautiful stone terrace walls) which joins the GR51. Continue to the left towards Le Revest and Les Olivières (access on the right a hundred metres further on). Continue for about 120m, veer left on a small path and after 15 or 20m you will reach a second well (Imbert?) and an animal trough made by the hunters.

(4) Take the GR again towards Tourris and back to the S-bend.

(3) Take the small path on the right. Meet the GR and follow it to the right. Go up the track and continue to the right for 100m. The quarries which have become caves as a result of their exploitation, are on the left; the first cave has been squatted and degraded, but further on the left other caves can be explored with headlamps. Still further on, there is a wagon; the remains of this industry.

(5) Go back to the trail, then after about 100m, still heading towards Tourris, take a path parallel to the trail (GR). On your right there is a first bauxite gallery opening then a second old masonry gallery.

(6) Continue along the track. After 200m, take the lefthand path that goes back to the trail and head towards the departure point, keeping parallel to the road. After the Tourris castle gate, take the path to the right. Continue through a wooded section before reaching the path to the castle.
Turn left to reach the road shortly before the ruins of the glass factory. Then head back to the car park(S/A).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 346 m - Tourris - Entrance gate to the military site
  2. 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 349 m - Le Goudron
  3. 2 : km 1.41 - alt. 333 m - Carrière aux Fourmis
  4. 3 : km 1.72 - alt. 313 m - Crossroads drovers' road - GR51
  5. 4 : km 2.82 - alt. 292 m - The 2nd well above Les Olivières
  6. 5 : km 4.56 - alt. 353 m - Sand caves.Wagonnet
  7. 6 : km 5.11 - alt. 362 m - 2nd gallery. Built in 1863. Sand-blasted
  8. S/E : km 6.09 - alt. 346 m - Tourris - Entrance gate to the military site

Notes

  • A samble is a natural rock hollow that retains rainwater. Some large crevices have been reworked, made watertight by the inhabitants, the shepherds, to serve as water tanks. The Provençal word for samble is sambro.

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 / 5
Based on 49 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
guiguill
guiguill

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, which can be extended by following the GR trail to create a circular route.

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User 22970513

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Signage a bit sparse. Otherwise, very good

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User 25782800

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Marking a little light and route description sometimes average

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KILHUCRU
KILHUCRU

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short hike to do with children for the interest. We did not find the 2nd well but a first well after point 3.
On the other hand, there were high-voltage lines (REVEST power station below), a solo hunter and a motocross circuit further up. It was a Sunday, so there was engine noise, but otherwise the caves, the history of the sablieres and the hamlet of Olivieres, the ants, the ruins of the old glassworks: Interesting. Thank you for the route and the internet links.

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fr6
fr6
• Edited:

description a bit confusing, ah bon!!!!

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madrid2017
madrid2017

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

description a bit confusing

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Nadine
Nadine

Hello
Great hike, but it could do with some updated signposting.
We had difficulty finding the wells
A very easy 8 km walk

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GG83
GG83

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Done with children 4, 6 and 9 without difficulty.
Not easy to find the start: the ruins look the same; we set off backwards 🙂.

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nikolporteur
nikolporteur
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, uncomplicated walk with a headlamp to discover the rock paintings in the sand quarries.

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Binouga
Binouga

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very nice hike can be done with children

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Binouga
Binouga
• Edited:

not done this walk

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Rmann83
Rmann83

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We had difficulty following the route, especially as the Tourris area is blurred in geolocation because of the military terrain... so we didn't see the caves.
For the quarry of the ants, don't go deep into the quarry, the ants are on the right as you come under the trees.
The noise of the motocross bikes on the opposite slope becomes annoying as you go along.
Avoid this route on hunting Sundays...

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joelmaire
joelmaire

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you to the "experienced hikers" for considering that the "ordinary walker" can use Visorando to find out about a Sunday walk and not for a record-breaking beacon hunt.
no offence taken, but thanks for fr6's comment

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fr6
fr6

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In response to the last two comments: it's obvious that if you don't know how to read a map or use a compass, it may not be easy; GPS and/or mobile phones can't do everything and you need to know how to use and interpret them....
When signposting is essential, and you don't know that red and white signposting means you're on a G.R. (sentier de Grande Randonnée), it's best to be careful and not set off believing you're invincible.

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joelmaire
joelmaire

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

there are many "drovers' roads" on either side of the path starting from the château de Tourris; you didn't go to the quarry of the ants but simply arrived at the sand quarries by following this path; there are no markings except in a few places (red and white) and then in blue on the way back from the sand quarries (drovers' road on the left towards Tourris);
Pleasant walk and trust your instincts.

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