A circular walk between Saint-Pierre and La Verdière

A circular walk starting from the Sainte-Anne neighbourhood in Saint-Pierre, heading towards the Sarrat Cai woods, the Plan d’Auron plain, the Notre-Dame d’Église Chapel and its wash house.
Return via Notre-Dame de la Salette, with a lovely view of the largest castle in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the village of La Verdière. The walk concludes along a lovely little path through the woods known as Terre du Roi.

Details

n°1022163
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.76 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 732 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 732 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,680 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,332 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts in the Sainte-Anne neighbourhood of the village of Saint-Pierre, on Chemin de Beaucas: parking is available along the path.

(S/E) Head towards Rue des Louardes, pass a wash house and, at the junction with Chemin des Campaux, turn left. Then take the first track on the right towards Bastide Neuve.

(1) Take the first path on the left to continue along the edge of the field. At the end of this, join a track.

(2) Turn left and you’ll come to an X-junction. Carry on straight ahead for 20 metres, then turn right onto the small path leading uphill. At the junction with a track, carry on straight ahead, join another track and continue straight ahead again until you reach another junction with a small blue sign.

(3) Turn left and make sure you keep heading in the same direction. Walk alongside a copse on your left until you reach a crossroads.

(4) Go straight on for about a hundred metres, then turn right, heading due south. Pass a small pond on your left and join a small road.

(5) Turn right and carry on straight ahead at the first junction.

(6) At the top of the hill, turn right onto Chemin des Blacas, then left onto the downhill road, staying on Chemin des Blacas.

(7) At the bottom of the hill, take the hairpin bend to the left onto the street called Chemin de la Mourotte, then take the first street on the right to see the Notre-Dame d’Église Chapel. Return to the street and continue uphill for about twenty metres.

(8) At the Y-junction, take the track slightly to the right, below the road, to reach the wash house.

(9) Turn right onto the small path called Notre-Dame de l’Église and carry on straight ahead to join Chemin de la Mourotte.

(10) Turn left and join the D554.

(11) Turn left, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing on the bridge, and continue towards the village. Walk past the cemetery and go round the roundabout on the right.

(12) Turn right onto Route de Rians, cross the bridge over the stream and turn left

(13) Just before a building, take a small path leading uphill to the right, join a road and continue to the right. Once at the Y-junction, keep right onto Chemin de l’Ange towards Hemest.

(14) At the end of the track, turn right onto Chemin de l’Ange, take the second track on the right marked ‘dead end’, then turn right again onto a track. Go through the barrier to keep cars out and continue along the track to reach Notre-Dame de la Salette.

(15) Turn back.

(14) Carry on straight ahead, staying on Chemin de l’Ange.

(16) At the end of the street, turn left, then turn right onto Chemin du Pigeonnier at the first junction. Keep to the right at the Y-junction, then veer right before the Pigeonnier buildings. The road turns into a track and leads to a multi-path junction.

(17) Turn right between the two stones, then carry on straight ahead, passing some small ponds.

(18) At the track junction just after this, turn left towards the hamlet of Bourdas. When you reach the hamlet, take the first road on the right to join the D554.

(19) Turn right, cross the road carefully at the pedestrian crossing, and continue straight ahead along the track called Chemin des Drovers' Roads to cross the Terre des Rois woodland. Join a dirt track, continue straight on, pass between the stones and join the D36.

(20) Cross with care, then take a short first turn right then left to follow the D236 towards Saint-Julien.

(21) Take the first road on the right, Chemin Sous la Roche, and about a hundred metres before the cemetery, at the fire hydrant, turn right onto the descending path to join the Route du Pigeonnier (D35).

(22) Cross with care, continue straight on along Chemin des Guis, then immediately take the track on the left. After crossing the bridge over the Ruisseau de Beaucas, join a track and turn right to
return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,470 ft - Sainte-Anne district
  2. 1 : mi 0.76 - alt. 1,516 ft - La Bastide Neuve
  3. 2 : mi 0.98 - alt. 1,562 ft - End of the field, junction with the track
  4. 3 : mi 1.62 - alt. 1,670 ft - Les Campaux
  5. 4 : mi 2.18 - alt. 1,614 ft - Crossroads, go straight on
  6. 5 : mi 2.97 - alt. 1,588 ft - A small road
  7. 6 : mi 3.18 - alt. 1,611 ft - Les Blacas
  8. 7 : mi 3.56 - alt. 1,450 ft - Chemin de la Mourotte
  9. 8 : mi 3.8 - alt. 1,490 ft - Notre-Dame l’Église
  10. 9 : mi 3.87 - alt. 1,486 ft - Washhouse
  11. 10 : mi 4.19 - alt. 1,401 ft - Route de la Mourotte
  12. 11 : mi 4.39 - alt. 1,358 ft - D554
  13. 12 : mi 4.64 - alt. 1,378 ft - Road towards Rians
  14. 13 : mi 4.86 - alt. 1,342 ft - Path leading uphill to the right
  15. 14 : mi 5.25 - alt. 1,457 ft - Chemin de l’Ange
  16. 15 : mi 5.75 - alt. 1,532 ft - Notre-Dame de la Salette
  17. 16 : mi 6.55 - alt. 1,391 ft - T-junction, turn left
  18. 17 : mi 7.49 - alt. 1,407 ft - Junction with several paths
  19. 18 : mi 8.41 - alt. 1,404 ft - Crossroads; turn left
  20. 19 : mi 9.1 - alt. 1,483 ft - Bourdas, D554
  21. 20 : mi 10.52 - alt. 1,621 ft - D36
  22. 21 : mi 10.72 - alt. 1,663 ft - Sous la Roche Path
  23. 22 : mi 11.26 - alt. 1,470 ft - D35, Route du Pigeonnier
  24. S/E : mi 11.76 - alt. 1,473 ft - Sainte-Anne district

Worth a visit

A lovely little path through the woods after La Bastide Neuve.
The Chapel of Notre-Dame de l’Église
Notre-Dame de la Salette, with a stunning view over the village of La Verdière and its castle
A lovely little path through the woods known as Terre du Roi.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 1 review

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
manonroro
manonroro

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, very bucolic hike through rural areas. However, at La Verdière, the path is mainly tarmac. The difficulty lies mainly in the distance, as there are almost no slopes. The presence of flocks of sheep with guard dogs forced me to take a detour via Les Olagniers between points 18 and 19. This hike is best done outside of hot periods.

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