Country:
District:
From the centre of Salon-de-Provence, head towards Avignon. On leaving the town, turn right towards the A7 (Salon Nord entrance towards Avignon and Lyon). Cross the EDF canal, go under the motorway and immediately turn right towards SPA and Tallagard. Park in the Tallagard car park.
(S/E) From the car park, take the Haut Chemin du Tallagard opposite and follow the green arrow signs for 200 metres.
Turn right between the cypress hedge (marker R0102), go through the gate and continue on the paved road until you reach the reservoirs.
(1) Leave the road and take the botanical trail on the left. At the first fork, take the left path that runs alongside a pine plantation. When you approach a ruin, pass it and turn right to climb up towards it. Turn left to find numerous terraces a little higher up (Bancau, pronounced "bankaou"). Cross these well-reconstructed terraces to reach a track.
Turn left onto this track and follow it for 100 m, then take the first path on the left which leads to the orientation table.
(2) Take the path on the right that joins the previous track, turn right for 10 metres and then take the path on the left that descends into the heath. At the next crossroads, turn right and you will start to see some drystone shelters. 100 metres further on, as you approach another drystone shelter, take the path on the left that joins the track.
Turn left and you will soon come to a crossroads. Take the concrete path opposite. 300m further down, leave the path that branches off to the left, then the next one.
(3) Turn left onto the third path marked with a sign for La Pastorale. This section of the trail is in the heart of the drystone shelter village, which are scattered everywhere. Continue downhill, skirting the drystone shelters on your left, and when the path forks, leave the left-hand path (marked in red) and take the right-hand path. When you approach a path that descends to the left, leave it and continue on the flat.
At the next two crossroads, turn left.
(4) Keep to the right and 150 metres further on, turn left to descend. Turn left again to come out between the reservoirs and then a little further down at the ruins of the Bailli de Suffren hunting lodge.
(5) Go around the ruins on the left and descend through the pine trees to rejoin the road you took on the way up.
Go downhill to the left for almost 400m to rejoin the Haut Chemin du Tallagard. Turn left to return to the car park (S/E).
Association / Club / Walk leader
Visorando member
Moderate 
Difficult 
