Sunflower Books: Landscapes of WESTERN PROVENCE: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Western Provence, 2nd edition (2004); updated 06/03/08

(To visit the web page for this book on our main site, click here )

Updates for walks and car tours (drives) in western Provence given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

GENERAL, IMPORTANT: Due to the earlier arrival of summers and the increased heat, MOST forest areas are CLOSED TO WALKERS now between 15 June and 15 September. (See, for instance, the comment from the user on Walk 6.) This affects a great many walks in the book. Obviously the authorities are worried about people starting fires, but equally about walkers becoming trapped in firestorms. (John & Pat, 2/08)

Car tour 4: Pont Julien is now closed to traffic - there is a new road bridge, so be sure to stop and see it on foot. (newspaper article, 11/05) + Text from the 4th paragraph down on page 25 should now read: ... 3.5km from Bonnieux (just past a round electricty transformer that looks like a dovecot on the right), turn right on the D108 for ROUSSILLON. Continue to a roundabout and take the last exit to park for Pont Julien. Then go back to the roundabout and take the exit for ROUSSILLON, crossing a pretty, new bridge. Immediately joining the N100, turn left... (Pat & John, 10/06)

Car tour 8, detour: If you are doing the detour, OF COURSE one of the highlights is the Viaduc de Millau! For the best view - including all the pillars - you can take a hair-raising road off the D992 west of Millau, signposted 'Aire de vision du Cap de Coste'. Just hope you don't meet anyone coming the other way! (Pat & John, 11/06)

Walk 1: page 59, para beginning "To end the walk ....". The signing has been changed. I suggest the 2nd and 3rd sentences could better read "Walking in the direction of the red arrows, follow the track in a clockwise direction, passing through woods, then a field on your left, soon passing a lovely old aqueduct on your left also. Shortly after the aqueduct turn 90 degrees left ...". (User, 9/04) + This user has got it exactly right; one might just add that the aqueduct is a bit off the path, and there is very little left of it. (Pat & John, checked 10/06)

Walk 5: page 67, para beginning "From here head north ....". We thought we'd reached the bergerie before we actually had. Suggest amend to read "Now a shady path takes you below a limestone edge, past the odd small cave, eventually to reach a BERGERIE (1h40min). Three minutes past this shepherds' shelter go right at a fork. The path is ill-defined at this point, but just head generally northwest.". (User, 9/04) + The Sentier Botanique is now waymarked in yellow (not blue). The Roc des Bancs route is still marked blue, but waymarking is faint. The path from the bergerie is not marked by paint now, but by cairns. The same fire restrictions apply as on Walk 6, see below. (User, 9/07)

Walk 6: Due to fire scares, there is now restricted access to the Dentelles. I had to phone the tourist office in Gigondas every day to see if the walk was open. If I had walked on a 'closed' day, I could have been fined (700 Euros!). The number I had to call was 04 88 17 80 00. (User, 9/07) [Editor's note: This restriction may only apply in high summer; we have never found the Dentelles closed - but we have never been in July/August]

Walk 7: Clarification at the start of the walk: follow the road signposted to Uzès, passing to the right of the church and going along Avenue d'Alba and then Rue des Ecoles. At the school (on your right), turn left on Rue de Palezieux. After the road bends right (still the D192, signposted to Uzès), take the first left turn; on your left is the Lavoir de Font d'Izière (5min; yellow waymarks)... As you pass the Hotel La Bégude St-Pierre (closed in Feb 2008), turn right into its car park and continue straight off the car park on a track. Pass the ruined Chapelle St-Pierre (30min). Ignore a track to the left just past the chapel; your way becomes tarred and rises. When the lane curves left, go uphill to the right on a cart track. Ignoring turn-offs, rise to where a couple of houses are in front of you: bear left and then, almost immediately, turn right on a level track which becomes tarred almost at once. Pass a smallholding on the right ... (John and Pat, 2/08)

Walk 8: There is no longer a dam at La Baume (a victim of the floods in autumn 2002?). (User, 9/04) [Authors: this is certainly possible, as we last checked the walk in May 2002.]

Walk 9: The boar-hunting takes place on Wed/Sat/Sun. (User, 10/07)

Walk 11: Just after the 1h30min point, it is NOT the Château at Barbentane that you can see above the trees, but the Tour Angelica; dating from 1365, it's the keep of the former castle. (John and Pat, 2/08)

Walk 12: At the start, walk up the road from the lake for a couple of minutes, until the (rerouted) GR6 turns left on a level earthen forestry track marked AL113. Keep on the road for another 150m/yds, then turn left uphill on a stony track marked AL112. After 12 minutes, a PR path waymarked in yellow goes off to the left: ignore it... The rerouted GR also now takes the descent route we use in the book ­ so you will have red/white flashes for company. (John and Pat, 2/08)

Walk 14: The walking route at the start is wrongly shown on the map. You want to be starting on the SOUTH side of the cemetery. With the walled cemetery on your left, take a stony track straight ahead (east), ignoring the track curling left round the cemetery. There are two GR signposts here; follow the one for 'Eyguières, Lamanon', ignoring the route to the right for Eygalières and Mouries. (Pat & John, 2/08).

Walk 21: I did this starting from Rieisse and took lunch in La Malene, which we
felt worked better. It was surprisingly quiet at La Malene out of season.
And the sun was shining, and it was pleasantly warm. (User, 10/04)