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The Provence Long TrailThe Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon
Nights: 10 (or you can choose a 7-night version)
Starting point: Les Sables d'Ocre (2*), Roussillon. Most bedrooms have either a balcony or terrace overlooking the gardens or the outdoor pool. Dinner is included at a nearby restaurant. Day 1: start your day by exploring the nearby ochre mines with their startling array of colours that are also visible in the handsome houses of the village, perhaps one of the most beautiful in all of France. One of the best ways to see the coloured rock formations is by walking along the Sentier des Ocres trail (pay locally). If you have time, we also suggest a gentle circular walk across wide-open fields that afford good views of the hill-top villages of Gordes and Joucas. (10km, 3hrs) Accommodation: Les Sables d'Ocre, as above. Day 2: setting out from Les Sables d'Ocre, you head to the Calavon Valley along extraordinary ochre paths. You cross the river by means of the Pont Julien, a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge, and continue over the other side of the valley, ascending gradually on paths that follow the route of an old Roman road lined with cherry orchards and vineyards. The views as you approach your destination, Bonnieux, show clearly how its houses clamber up the hillside, seemingly one on top of the other. (10km, 3.5hrs) Accommodation: Le Clos du Buis (inn), Bonnieux. This is a high-quality guesthouse (chambres d'hôtes), with a swimming pool and accommodation every bit as charming as the village itself. If this is unavailable, we use the Hotel le César, which boasts excellent views over the valley. In both cases you stay on a bed and breakfast basis, with several restaurants from which to choose for dinner (pay locally). Day 3: from Bonnieux, pastoral lanes and tracks lead through quiet cherry orchards, olive groves and open expanses of wild herbs and other low shrubs. You then walk along the top of the wild and magnificent Aigue Brun Gorge before joining a dramatic mule path which zigzags down to the bottom of the gorge. (11km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Auberge des Seguins (2*), near Buoux. Popular with walkers, this is by far the simplest of the hotels on the holiday. Nevertheless, the secluded location in the Aigue Brun Gorge is excellent - in some bedrooms the cliff forms one of the walls! There is a small outdoor pool. Day 4: our circular walk leads along seldom-used paths overlooking the Aigue Brun Gorge before ascending to the grassy crest of the Luberon for a breathtaking 360-degree panorama. From the crest, a steady and easy descent through a valley brings you back to the gorge, passing by the Fort de Buoux which is well worth a visit (pay locally). (12km, 4.5hrs) Accommodation: Auberge des Seguins, as above. Day 5: your route to Saignon is short but very varied. Initially you walk along the bottom of the Aigue Brun Gorge, passing through a hamlet which clings to the rock. You then turn northwards across archetypal Provençal landscapes, passing numerous lavender fields to reach Saignon. (9km, 3.5hrs) Accommodation: Auberge du Presbytère (owner Jean-Pierre de Lutz has chosen not to be classified, but the hotel is worthy of 3* status), Saignon. Located right in the centre of this pretty village by the fountain and ancient wash-house, the Presbytère has been converted from three adjoining houses and exudes character - bedrooms (some of which have a small balcony) are individually decorated, with terracotta or wooden floors, beamed ceilings and wicker and antique furniture. The Provençal cuisine is excellent. Day 6: continuing east from Saignon, you have a choice of three routes: a short, easy walk through cherry orchards and expanses of wild herbs; a more strenuous walk which starts with the hugely rewarding ascent of panoramic Mourre Nègre (‘Black Mountain’), the highest peak in the locality (1,125 metres), and ends along a usually dry riverbed that has been sculpted into strange shapes; and a moderate option which avoids Mourre Nègre. (5km, 2hrs or 15km, 6.5hrs or 9km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Lou Caleu (2*), near St Martin de Castillon. This traditional French auberge has been converted from an old stone farmhouse. The two focal points are the outdoor pool, which is very welcome on a hot summer's day, and the restaurant, which serves excellent regional cuisine. Day 7: today starts with a transfer to the quintessentially Provençal town of Céreste, after which you ascend gently to the ridge above the town. Here, an ancient trail leads along the crest, offering excellent views down into the Aiguebelle Valley and to the massif which you followed from Ménerbes. You pass through the delightful village of Montjustin and then descend through oak woods to Reillanne. (10km, 3.5hrs) Accommodation: Auberge de Reillanne (2*), Reillanne. Converted from a fortified manor house, Madame Balmand's much-loved auberge offers spacious, rustic bedrooms, good country cooking and plenty of space to sit and relax in the pleasant gardens. Day 8: this is a long walk, but makes a fantastic end to your holiday. Walking under some of the clearest skies in all of France, you cross the Largue Valley and rolling hills to the village of St-Michel-l’Observatoire, named after the nearby observatory. You then continue across timeless countryside – which is markedly different to that which you explored at the start of your holiday – to Forcalquier. (17km, 7.5hrs) Accommodation: Bastide St-Georges (3*), Forcalquier. A superbly styled and beautifully appointed hotel 1km from the town centre. Each bedroom is individually decorated with plenty of elegant touches and boasts its own terrace overlooking the garden and the outdoor pool, which is surrounded by olive trees. Day 9: spend your last day exploring the atmospheric medieval streets of Forcalquier, and admiring the panoramic views over the undulating countryside afforded by the citadel which crowns the town. Another option would be to enjoy a circular walk to the west of Forcalquier – our route skirts the lake there, leading through light woodland of oaks, as well as delightful sections of wilderness, before returning via the medieval gardens and priory church of Notre Dame de Salagon (pay locally if you choose to visit). (12km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Bastide St-Georges as above. Recommendations for extra nights: Auberge du Presbytère (Saignon). Take the Train and break your journey for a night in Paris on the way, staying at one of our favourite Parisian hotels. Read one traveller's experiences in her personal travel diary. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Prices & travel
Recommended destination airport: Marseille > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
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Beneath
the dense forest and bare limestone cliffs of the imposing Luberon Massif
lies a sunny, undulating plain. Here, between the Alps and the Mediterranean,
you are in the very heart of Provence, where the Côtes du Luberon
vineyards thrive in the warmth, their light wines the ideal accompaniment
to the delicious regional cuisine flavoured with rosemary and thyme. Our
walk is a discovery of the quintessentially Provençal villages
that crown the rolling hills to the north of the massif. Characterised
by narrow streets, crumbling châteaux and fortified, honey-coloured
houses, they bask in the glorious sunshine, affording sweeping views over
the surrounding landscapes. As you journey east, you walk from the vineyards
and orchards beneath the Petit Luberon to the bulkier form of the Grand
Luberon, with options up the panoramic slopes of the massif, before finally
turning north towards increasingly open countryside.
Cliffs frame beautiful woodland 
