The sand caves at Revest-les-Eaux

Description

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).