Notre-Dame de Calern

de fr

Notre-Dame de Calern, the cave chapel overlooking the small village of Caussols, leaves no one indifferent. Located on the southern slope of the Calern plateau, this place of devotion and fervour is the destination of an annual pilgrimage on 15 August.

Details

n°17970793
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.94 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 219 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 220 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,299 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,098 m
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Photos

Entrance to the chapel
Inside the chapel
Calern cave chapel
Inside the cave

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the village hall in Caussols.

(S/E) When leaving the car park, turn right and immediately head for the roundabout where you will find marker 30 and the start ofthe GR®4. Take the Chemin de l'Église on the left (marked Rue de l'Église on the map) and walk to Saint-Lambert Church.

(1) Continue along Chemin de Notre Dame de Calern, following theGR®4(red and white markings). At the end of the tarmac road, continue straight ahead on a stony path (private property). Climb up and take a hairpin bend to the right.

(2) Pass on the left side of the fence and continue along the path. Continue climbing with a few turns. You will reach a crossroads (cairn; on the left, a red and white cross painted on a rock at ground level).

(3) Turn sharply left (leaving theGR®). After about 20 metres, turn right onto an ascending path and you will soon reach the cave, the entrance to which is hidden among several trees.

(4) Close the gate to the cave securely and return to the car park at Caussols Town Hall (S/E) via the same route you took on the way there.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,101 m - Car park at Caussols Town Hall
  2. 1 : km 0.2 - alt. 1,104 m - Église Saint-Lambert
  3. 2 : km 0.86 - alt. 1,188 m - Closure
  4. 3 : km 1.91 - alt. 1,276 m - Crossroads of trails
  5. 4 : km 1.97 - alt. 1,299 m - Chapel Cave
  6. S/E : km 3.94 - alt. 1,101 m - Car park at Caussols Town Hall

Notes

Good walking shoes recommended.
No water available along the route.

Worth a visit

Notre-Dame de Calern
Saint Lambert Church (12th century) in Caussols (1).
Les Grands Prés and L'Embut de Caussols.
Visit to the village of Gourdon.

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 12 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 24836903

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, thank you for the directions to the cairn that marks the path to the cave 😀

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Sergio, for this review and these details
best regards, B.

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sergio de Nice
sergio de Nice

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is a lovely little hike! Even though the clearly marked path climbs a little, it is actually quite easy. As already mentioned, you just need to pay attention to turn left shortly after the red and white GR marker with a "barred" sign. The chapel is hidden behind a large box tree, but fortunately a small white cross marks the entrance. Don't miss it! Well done once again to Visorando.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Good evening, Chris and Vic
thank you for your review, and this "thank you Visorando"
Best regards, b.

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Chris et Vic
Chris et Vic

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Done on Monday 17/02, no one else around, lovely walk with llamas along the route, the white cross helps to locate the entrance to the chapel... Really not disappointed, thank you Visorando!

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Viviane, for your comments and well-founded opinions
best regards, B.

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Viviane Durand
Viviane Durand

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed it, but at the end of the hike it was a bit difficult to find the cave. As for the classification, my wife and I would rate it as slightly less than easy. Admittedly, we are getting older, but we have done a lot of hiking, and while it wasn't difficult, it wasn't easy either. We shared this opinion with a few people we met along the way. We marked "not very busy", but perhaps as it was our first time, we don't have the necessary perspective. There were still quite a few people there. We used the paper version that we had printed out. Thank you.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, George, for this review.
I look forward to seeing you on a trail in the 06
Best regards, Bernard

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sanchez georges
sanchez georges

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you, Bernard, for sharing this short hike with us, which was surprising in many ways: the landscape, the geology and the cave.
However, be very careful at point 3: turn left at the GR sign with a cross through it

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Phil437
Phil437

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A somewhat challenging route, but the view is well worth the effort.
Help finding the cave was welcome, as it is well hidden.

In wet weather, the path can be slippery. Take care.

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sybille
sybille
• Edited:

.................

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bernard bb
bernard bb

thank you for your opinion

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hdchris
hdchris

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Brilliant!

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you Pit for this review
best regards, Rando B.

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Pit
Pit

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We set off early in the morning and didn't meet anyone on the route described.
It was a very pleasant walk, which we continued towards the observatory and beyond, where there were hikers and walkers on the plateau.
The chapel cave was unexpected, larger than I had imagined, and very pretty.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.