Climb up to Caylus Rock and discover the Sorgue Valley

In fine weather, the views from Caylus Rock are superb. The walk ends with a tour of the town centre.

Details

230991
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

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

  • ▲
    Highest point: 485 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 317 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Except in exceptional circumstances, you will have no problem parking your vehicle at Place du Maréchal Leclerc.

(S/E) From the car park, head east on Boulevard Émile Trémoulet, cross the Foirail and take the Pont Neuf on the right to cross the Sorgue. Continue on Boulevard Charles de Gaulle for 150 m. On the left, take Rue des Potiers and immediately turn right onto the small Rue du Paradis. At the end on the left, follow Rue des Tendes, which becomes Ancien Chemin de Saint-Affrique à Caylus.

(1) After the sharp right-hand bend, turn left onto Avenue de Caylus and continue to the crossroads.

(2) Take the wide path in the middle and continue to the rock, where you can take a few minutes to explore it and the landscape. Go back down to the crossroads.

(2) Take the path on the left marked in yellow. Ignore the "impasse" sign reserved for cars.

(3) Leave the road that provides vehicle access to the property and take the path on the left. This path is narrow, so you will need to walk in single file, but it is safe. Join Avenue de Caylus, turn right into Rue Peyre Cadias, then left into the next street (Rue du Pasteur Borel).

(4) Walk past the temple, turn left onto Rue Baudin and then immediately right onto Rue Lamartine. Walk past the car park and continue to the entrance of Lycée Saint-Gabriel. This school is a fine example of heritage architecture.

Turn right onto Avenue du Maréchal Joffre, then right again onto the D999 (Boulevard Émile Borel) for 150 metres. On the left, take Rue Chevreul and immediately turn right onto Rue Pasteur, which leads to Boulevard Victor Hugo. From there, walk 75 metres to the left, then turn right onto Rue Louis Blanc and continue to Place de la Mairie. Cross the square, take Rue des Mitrons on the left and continue on Place de l'Église to the banks of the Sorgue.

(5) Here is the Church of Saint Affrique with its 81-metre-high bell tower. Continue to the right to reach the Pont Neuf, cross it, cross the fairground on the left and return to the car park at Place du Maréchal Leclerc (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 324 m - Maréchal Leclerc car park. Towards the bridge - Sorgues (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.01 - alt. 385 m - Sharp bend
  3. 2 : km 1.68 - alt. 454 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.4 - alt. 427 m - Take the path on the left.
  5. 4 : km 3.41 - alt. 334 m - The Temple
  6. 5 : km 4.34 - alt. 321 m - Church of Sainte-Affrique
  7. S/E : km 4.64 - alt. 324 m - Maréchal Leclerc car park

Notes

In hot weather, the climb to the rock can be exhausting, so remember to take water with you.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
marcelle marie
marcelle marie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A parish specific to Brittany, easy hike. We encountered some patous, who came up to us and were very friendly.

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Martine Viste
Martine Viste

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

One downside is that the trail around Caylus Rock is very overgrown, as the path has not been maintained.

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FC44
FC44

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We suffered during the climb up Rocher de Caylus (steep and without shade... we made the mistake of climbing in the middle of the afternoon in hot weather), but the view is superb once you reach the top. We were disappointed by our visit to Sainte-Affrique: there was little of interest in terms of heritage, apart from the Pont Vieux and the church. We forgot to take the map, but the description was enough for us to complete the circular without any problems.

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Phil31240
Phil31240

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 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 easy walk that allows you to discover Saint-Affrique.

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RAMOUNAS
RAMOUNAS

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Signage needs reviewing, explanations are lacking.

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nanarddu11
nanarddu11

Thank you for your comment.

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Marie BRENIER-LIOGIER
Marie BRENIER-LIOGIER

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This walk allowed us to discover St Affrique without worrying about missing anything interesting. The visit to the church was also good, with explanations about its history.

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LAROQUEFAYET
LAROQUEFAYET

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lack of details on which crossroads to take during the descent

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jo30700
jo30700

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful route, but I would suggest doing it in the other direction because the view of the rock in that direction is magnificent.

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pbonamour
pbonamour

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An unusual trip combining towns and rocks. The identifications are perfect for a tricky journey between town and country.

Thank you.

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poulette31
poulette31

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

A long journey (halfway there) and it only took us 1 hour and 15 minutes. Quite disappointing.

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