Explore Western Provence with a Cicerone guidebook - Sample Route

From the car park, go up behind the yellow signpost to an information board about the Col du Cayron and wooden signpost indicating ‘Sentier d’accés au Dentelles’. Following blue splashes, head up this clear sunken path with some wide man-made steps going steeply up through pines and boxwood towards the serrated crests of the Dentelles Sarrasines.

Down on the left is an attractive valley of vineyards with a television mast beyond on top of the Crête de St-Amand. The path goes up fairly steeply, getting rocky as it gains height, until it reaches a signpost at a T-junction [1]. Take care: this signpost is not easy to see as the signs have disappeared and the only one left indicates Col du Cayron, the path you came up! There are blue splashes indicating right and left here which is confusing (15mins).

Turn right and continue on this narrow rocky path, following the intermittent blue splashes carefully. There are two short rocky scrambles as the path nears the sheer cliffs of the Dentelles Sarrasines (40mins).

Continue below these incredible rock formations on the main path which eventually reaches the end at a tall cliff. Beyond the cliff the path bears right (blue splash) and goes through thick boxwood. It is important here to follow the blue markings carefully and go straight. If you bear down right you could find yourself on a nasty scree slope. There are lovely open views of the plain dotted with villages as you make your way down to meet the unpaved road at a clearing with pines called the Rocher du Midi (1hr 10mins).

The track curls round the end of the Dentelles (heading south west). Do not turn down right towards Gigondas (there are blue markings here also) but continue to the Col d’Alsau where there is a signpost indicating where the steep shortcut joins the road. At the col there is a parking area with a new wall to the left [2] (1hr 30mins).

Continue past the parking area following sign for Tour Sarrasine to another signpost saying Col d’Alsau 445m just after a right-hand corner. Turn up left on an equally wide road for a few minutes. Where the road goes left through the gates of a domaine called Clos Bois de Menge, continue straight on a narrow path up steps, marked by blue dots and yellow splashes, steeply uphill through stunted trees and bushes and later over patches of scree. There is a charming vine-covered valley down on the left with the Dentelles Sarrasines behind so the route has done a complete loop – the jagged peaks of Grand Montmirail are looming ahead with Mont Ventoux on the skyline behind.

Be careful to keep to the path with the blue dot and yellow splashes. Ignore a path down right and continue straight. At a fork bear up right following the blue dots (you are now out in the open). At subsequent forks bear up right (blue dots) as the left paths descend into the valley. The path starts to descend to what looks like a low bushy pass just below a high rocky crag, to reach a T-junction [3] (1hr 50mins). Here there is a shorter route option which goes north of the ridge ahead and down into the Vallat de l’Aiguille before joining the main route on the road to the Domaine de Cassan.

At the T-junction continue down, ignoring a path up left with blue dots/yellow splashes. There are occasional yellow splashes as the bushy path winds quite steeply down, reaching a narrow road just below a small clearing where there is a noticeboard. Here there are no blue splashes (2hrs 15mins).

Turn left down the road. This is a beautiful unspoilt valley with the wooded slopes and the rocky crags of the Dentelles to the left and rows and rows of vineyards. Passing a large house to the right, the road continues gently down through occasional pine-woods.

Take the second smaller road up to the left [4], opposite a low cliff over on the right. There is a blue cross, yellow splash, and a round sign saying 8T. This is the last blue marking to be seen for a while – continue following yellow splashes (blue markings appear later but the yellow are more frequent).

At a fork turn down right and cross over a ford to reach the larger road again (you can go up left but this is a longer way round and not really worth it). Turn left and cross the Salatte River into the village of Lafare, passing a hotel on the right.

Turn up left (yellow splashes) at a road junction with a sign for Dentelles de Montmirail (3hrs 15mins). This is a lesser paved road (heading north) which crosses the Salatte river again. After the bridge across the river, watch for an orange splash left indicating a shortcut avoiding part of the road. Go up left at the first intersection (right reaches the road earlier). Rejoin the road and continue upwards with the Grand Montmirail over on the left. The Chapelle St-Christophe is visible high above on a rocky knoll. Continue till you reach a hairpin bend to the left by a ravine [5] (3hrs 30mins).

Look carefully for a narrow path marked with blue and yellow splashes bearing right; to the left is a miniature gully which you should avoid. Follow the blue dots carefully on a path up through bushes (one short climb over a rock) and over patches of scree. At a junction keep left to rejoin the road beside a telephone pole, just before a small parking area (3hrs 50mins). If you go right at the junction you will rejoin the road earlier and should then walk up round a left hairpin. You are now near the Chapelle St-Christophe.

Walk gently up the paved road (heading north-west), past [6] where the shorter route via the Vallat de l’Aiguille rejoins from the left. Continue through vineyards towards the large buildings of the Domaine de Cassan, suppliers of Gigondas and Beaumes de Venise wines. This is a good opportunity to indulge in some dégustation gratuit (free tasting) – the wines are highly recommended and it is worth tucking the odd bottle into your rucksack!

A few minutes later bear to the left towards Col du Cayron (4hrs 15mins) where the road deteriorates. You are entering a valley (heading west) with the rocky peaks of the Dentelles Sarrasines on the left. Initially there are vineyards both sides of the road and then woods with a cleared area (probably for another car park) as the road goes steadily up to the large parking area and the start of the walk at the Col du Cayron (4hrs 45mins).