The mills of Fontvieille

Climb up into the heath in search of the remains of a Gallo-Roman aqueduct. Visit the windmills of Fontvieille. Discover the ruins of the imposing Roman water mill at Barbegal and the aqueduct crossing the Vallon des Arcs.

Details

954512
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.23 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 161 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 162 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 105 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on the grass verges to the right of the D33, at a place called Croix de Jousseaud.

(S/E) Go up the road for about 300 m and look for a small passage in the bushes on the left below, at the bottom of the gully.

(1) Go back up the path on the other side until you come to a wider path on the left. Further on, look for a small cairn on the left-hand side. Go down the small cleared firebreak and look for the first remains of the aqueduct.

(2) Go back up the path via the next firebreak. Continue left towards altitude 39. Descend southwest for 50 m and turn right to reach the second remnant

(3) Walk along the latter and follow the path west to come to the third remnant, which runs alongside a fenced property with a tin-roofed shed.

(4) Continue west again on a more open platform. Before the descent, turn right then left to discover another ruin with its counterpart on the other side of the valley, on the burnt part of the hill.

(5) Turn right to cross the small field at the bottom of the valley lengthwise, heading north. The path leads to a crossroads with a trail (GR®653A). Continue to the right.

(6) Leave the main path and continue straight ahead, still heading north. Walk along an olive grove on your left. Turn right to pass behind a shed and turn left onto theGR® at altitude 57.
Then take a track that descends gently, with properties on both sides, and then turns into a small road.

(7) In the left-hand bend, at the right-hand corner, go over a chain to climb back up. At the top, continue to the left, pass the reservoir and reach the first windmill, without sails, known as Sourdon.
Go downhill, cross the road and follow it to the right for 200 metres. Turn left and climb up towards the Moulin de Daudet. Take the path to the north, pass the Moulin Ramet and, after the Moulin Tissot-Avon, you will reach a crossroads.
(Here, you can make a round trip to the Château de Montauban by taking the path of the same name).

(8) Turn right, pass the municipal swimming pool. Follow an old boundary wall, pass the Institut Médico-Pédagogique, and continue straight ahead to the south-east on theGR®653A.

(9) At the intersection of several paths, turn slightly left (leave the path furthest to the left). A track coming from the left joins the path; continue slightly to the right.

(10) When you reach the cistern (altitude 98), turn right heading south. Start descending the valley, quickly leaving a path on your right, then one on your left. About 300 m further on, follow the path that slopes to the left and you will come to a crossroads just before an aqueduct.

(11) Turn right to follow the canal. A little further on, cross it on a plank and follow it on the other bank until you come to a tarmac path. Turn left, cross the D82, and follow a farm selling farm produce.
Go straight south on the grassy path that runs alongside a fence. At the fork, turn right.

Cross to the right, going up the Barbegal water mill. Follow the remains of the aqueduct, then cross the road again. Cross the canal and turn left towards the west. Follow the path, cross the canal again and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 22 m - Parking at Croix de Jousseaud
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 28 m - Talweg
  3. 2 : km 1.11 - alt. 26 m - Remains of an aqueduct 1
  4. 3 : km 1.46 - alt. 31 m - Remains of an aqueduct 2
  5. 4 : km 1.66 - alt. 28 m - Remains of an aqueduct 3
  6. 5 : km 2.01 - alt. 24 m - Remains of aqueducts 4 and 5
  7. 6 : km 2.4 - alt. 42 m - GR653A junction
  8. 7 : km 3.47 - alt. 30 m - Sourdon Mill
  9. 8 : km 4.61 - alt. 39 m - Intersection - MontPaon
  10. 9 : km 5.5 - alt. 82 m - Six-way intersection
  11. 10 : km 6.55 - alt. 98 m - Cistern
  12. 11 : km 8.06 - alt. 26 m - Canal in the Baux Valley - Aqueduc de Barbegal
  13. S/E : km 10.23 - alt. 21 m - Parking at Croix de Jousseaud

Notes

Fountain in the village of Fontvieille.
Walking shoes.

Worth a visit

Visit to Daudet's Mill (in summer if the owner opens it!).
Visit to the castle museum in Montauban.
Climb up the Roman mill at Barbegal.

 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

4.1 / 5
Based on 46 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 11178415

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk through nature and mills, very close to Fontvieille.

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MichelBnk
MichelBnk

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike, the Roman aqueduct from the Alpilles to Arles, the mills near Fontvieille, the Château de Montauban with a lovely park for picnics, a museum to visit if it is open, varied landscapes including pine forests, olive groves, and paths running alongside a stream...

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Philou 88
Philou 88

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Route completed in October 2025.
We are retired hikers with decades of experience, and this hike is quite unusual for us.
We love the Roman sites in this area, which are very interesting to us, as are the mills.
On the downside, there are no details for this walk, so it's very easy to get lost. You have to walk with your GPS on at all times, which isn't very pleasant and can even be annoying!
And on a side note, we were devoured by mosquitoes in the first 3 km, but that was not something we could have predicted!
Still, it was a good day and we're satisfied with Visorando.

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User 6637871

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike, although it's easier to follow the GPS than the route map.

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vienot.pierre@orange
vienot.pierre@orange

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the GPS was very helpful in certain sections. The route was easy (length and elevation)
at the southernmost point of the route, it is possible to return to the road via the Barbegal mill and the Roman aqueduct, but the steps carved into the rock to the left of the mill are steep.

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Brunet Alain
Brunet Alain

An interesting route from a heritage perspective.

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jougla jean michel
jougla jean michel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

pleasant route.

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Brunet Alain
Brunet Alain

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

An interesting route from a heritage perspective.

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Manu d'Aix
Manu d'Aix

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, original and varied hike.
A small aqueduct to start with and a larger one to finish! With mills in between.
Be sure to watch out for the fork in the road at point 1.
Thanks

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Claude 2 Nîmes
Claude 2 Nîmes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike at the foot of the Alpilles along the Moulins trails and the remains of an aqueduct.
No difficulties despite some unclear sections on the firebreaks.
The route can be lengthened or shortened very easily.

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renardmi
renardmi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route due to its varied terrain and archaeological sites. Numerous Roman ruins and a pleasant forest section

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Francine84
Francine84

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike on a beautiful day. The "search and find" part, where you have to locate the four remains of the aqueduct, adds a fun element but requires you to rely on your GPS.... You feel a bit like a water diviner, with your phone replacing the divining rod!
We parked in the "Crottes d'Aubert" car park (opposite the greenhouses marked 21 on the map) so that we could start at the Barbegal mills.
Thank you for this tour.

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carlogeni
carlogeni

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very interesting tour, lots to see, not too difficult. I changed the starting point and left from Fontvieille to visit the windmills.

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cc_ribas
cc_ribas

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful landscapes and superb discoveries. The aqueducts and mills of Barbentane are astonishing. The numerous intertwining paths make it very difficult to follow the route without the Visorando app.
During the week in November, the route is very quiet.
Thank you to the author of this very nice route

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jprichaud
jprichaud

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hunt for the remains of the aqueduct was very interesting, as they are sometimes hidden by the many small paths that run parallel to the heath. After this walk, we completed our hike along the Fontvieille mill trail.

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