Merindol: Pic de Faiendre – Rochers de la Croix de Fer - Top of Petite Luberon – Going East.

Pic de Faiendre.

This is perhaps one of the wildest areas of the Luberon, at least on the southern side. You start deep into the Luberon and you will cross a biological reserve, which means you should use extreme caution and not walk outside the small trail. It’s also perhaps one of the most “montagneuse” areas of the Luberon. You really feel you are in the mountains. The views are just fantastic, already after 15 minutes’ walk! No wonder it became our favorite Luberon walk from the first time we made it in 1999.

Pic de Faiendre seen from East.

Merindol was also the setting of the most bloody 5 days during April 1545 in the Luberon. Totally 3 thousand people were massacred and 6 hundred sent to the galleys by the French army. Merindol castle was violently dismantled, along with every single house in the village (up on the hill from to-days village). The responsible were the Catholic aristocrats from Aix who saw the increasing number of Vadois people (they had Protestant tendencies) in the Luberon as a potential threat. The first part of the trail described here is in fact an old Vadois trail over the Luberon to Menerbes.

When you approach Merindol from the east on the main road, drive on to the main round about, but don’t turn right into the village of Merindol. Drive on for another 300 meters and turn right into a small lane which you follow along. This will in time take you down to the small road that you follow all the way up through the mountain valley to a place called La Font de l’Orme (Maison de Forestiere). Park at the large car park here.

Take the main route straight north, through the picnic area and further into the Combe de l’Euse valley (yellow markers). But you only follow this deep valley for 10-12 minutes. Then you see a medium large cairn on your left and you take the small trail on the left here, but you take almost immediately right again on this tiny trail that winds its way up this side of the valley. After another 35 minutes, you reach a small plateau and a large cairn. On the map, the trail simply turns back down the other side, but we want to continue straight north towards Pic de Faiendre.

You have now actually 2 options; walk straight north towards the peak as described below or the easier and slightly longer trail that takes off 45 degrees to the left only some 50-100 meters north of the big cairn. This route is well marked with cairns so I highly recommend it and it takes you first over to the opposite side with some fantastic views along the way. Then the trail turns back and joins the route to Pic Faiendre at the T-junction described below.

Now to the direct route: At the big cairn, you see the trail continue along the ridge upwards towards the peak, and try to keep directions for the actual summit. Don’t take too much to the left, but keep on the middle ridge in the beginning, and you will soon see the trail marked with small cairns. About 10 minutes before the summit, you reach a T-junction. Take right here and follow for a while along the eastern side of the peak. Then at a small cairn, take the path that turns sharply left and around the southern side of the peak again. Follow it on to the western side and pass the actual peak. You are now at a small cairn just north of the peak.

Now the trail continues north along the ridge, but it’s well worth to take a 15 minutes  break on the actual peak with a fantastic 360 degrees view. You will see Les Appilles, Montagne de Victoire and of course the Durance valley. Turn back slightly and take the small trail on the western side of the peak, just above the one you have come on. This takes you around to the southern side, where you simply climb up to the summit.

Effective time walking from the car to the summit is a good hours walk, and you have now another 40 minutes’ walk to the ridge of Petit Luberon (the old ridge road). You continue the small trail along the ridge and it will finally zigzag its way up to the plateau. Here you follow small cairns till you meet a small track road 10 minutes before the main road and you follow this road in north eastern direction in the beginning and you will meet up with the road that goes all along the ridge of Petit Luberon.

Take right and walk eastwards along this road for about 30 minutes till you have a signpost at La Croix de Fer at 673 meters for Merindol and La Font de l’Orme. If it’s hot or you want good shades for your lunch, picnic under one of the large Cedre trees that you find here. Otherwise take the yellow marked trail to the right for Merindol, and after just 10 minutes you could lunch with a 360 degrees view next to a large cairn.

You continue following the yellow main trail along the ridge, but after another 10 minutes descend, the yellow path takes a quick 90 degrees turn to the right, down into the long valley. I prefer to stay up in the highlands as long as possible, and I therefore continue the path straight ahead. This is an unmarked path that quickly takes you up onto the ridge just ahead (don’t take the left turning that comes almost straight away), and which you follow for about 1 hour until you join the GR6 & 97 at Jas de Bourdillon. This has now become quite a large trail which is easy to follow (stick to the main trail). Great views all the way!

At Jas de Bourdillon, you simply join the GR route and follow the red and white markers back to the car (takes about 45 minutes). There are 2 places, however, you should pay particular attention when the GR-trail leaves a track road. But make sure you follow the red & white markers, and you’ll be ok.

Basic information:

Duration:       6h (Group of 14 and incl. 1h lunch)

Distance:      13 km.

Ascent:         500 m

Difficulty:      Moderate

Start/finish:   Merindol/La Font de l’Orme

Map:             IGN 3142 OT (1cm=250 m)

GPX-file:       Merindol2 (link to free download from list)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/2974353

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map. It should be added that if you download the GPX-file from VisoRando, you will get the direct route to the top of Pic Faiendre. If you download the GPX-file (Merindol2) from this web-site, however, you will get the easier route to the top.

If you have problems with this VisoRando link, download the GPX-file from above and import it to VisoRando or other application.


TET:
2020 February, Bjorn. Lunch at 12.20 (10 minutes from the Crete road)

Merindol: Les Falaises de Canteduc and Pic de Faiendre.

This is perhaps one of the wildest areas of the Luberon. You start deep into the Luberon and you will cross a biological reserve, which means you should use extreme caution and not walk outside the small trail. It is also perhaps one of the most “montagneuse” areas of the Luberon. You really feel you are in the mountains. The views are just fantastic, already after 15 minute’s walk, with the winter morning sun warming you all the way up. Very good winter route also, but make sure you start early to make sure you have the daylight till the end in case you get lost.

Walking in the morning sun up to Pic Faiendre. 

This particular walk takes you out to the big plateau Canteduc surrounded by big cliffs on 3 sides. To continue the walk downhill on one of its sides takes a very steady foot and you should not have problems with vertigo. So quite a few stop here for lunch and return back the way they came up.  Equally important to mention is the problems of navigation in these parts. You really need to download the GPX-file from this site on your telephone (use free apps like VisoRando or Viewranger) to find your way without too much hassle.

On the top of Pic Faiendre.

When you approach Merindol from the east on the main road, drive all along to the main roundabout, but don’t turn right into the village of Merindol. Drive on for another 250 meters and turn right into a small lane which you follow along. This will in time take you down to the small road that you follow all the way up through the mountain valley to a place called La Font de l’Orme (Maison de Forestiere). Park at the large car park here.

Take the main route straight north, through the picnic area and further into the Combe de l’Euse valley (yellow markers). But you only follow this deep valley for 12-15 minutes. Then you see a medium large cairn on your left and you take the small trail that winds its way up this side of the valley (after a few meters on this trail, turn right). After another 35 minutes, you reach a small plateau and a large cairn.

On the map, the trail simply turns back down the other side, but we want to continue straight north towards Pic de Fayendre. You see the trail continue along the ridge upwards towards the peak, and try to keep directions for the actual summit. Keep on the middle ridge in the beginning, and you will soon see the trail marked with small cairns. About 10 minutes before the summit, you reach a T-junction. Take right here and follow for a while along the eastern side of the peak. Then at a small cairn, take the path that turns sharply left and around the southern side of the peak again. Follow it on to the western side and pass the actual peak. You are now at a small cairn just north of the peak.

Morning fog over the Durance Valley (Mt. Victoire behind)

Now the trail continues north along the ridge, but it’s well worth to take a 15 minutes break for water on the actual peak with a fantastic 360 degrees view. You will see Les Alpilles, Montagne de Victoire and of course the Durance valley. Turn back slightly and take the small trail on the western side of the peak, just above the one you have come on. This takes you around to the southern side, where you simply climb up to the summit quite easily.

First glims of the western cliffs of Canteduc (left).

Effective time walking from the car to the summit is about 1h 10 min, and you have now another 45 minute’s walk to the ridge of Petit Luberon (the old ridge road). You continue the small trail along the ridge and it will finally zigzag its way up to the plateau. Here you follow small cairns till you meet a small track road that you follow in north eastern direction in the beginning. You meet up with the road that goes all along the ridge of Petit Luberon pretty soon.

Southern Cliffs of Canteduc.

Take left and walk westwards along this road, but only walk for about 8 minutes to the 714 meter point (there is a yellow signpost), and take left here. This is where your navigation aid should come into play. The path will be difficult to see in places and there could be far between the cairns marking the way. You should head straight down towards the forest where a tree is marked. Here a small trails take you further. The most practical advice further will be to keep slightly to the right till you get to the cliff edges. It’s easier to walk along the western cliff edges.

Starting down the southern cliffs of Canteduc.

After about 25 minutes walking from the road you end up on a large plateau with fantastic viewpoints all along the cliff edges and from the plateau itself. Continue to the next plateau and this is what’s called Canteduc. (You can see from the GPX-file that we took a 25 minute’s walk around all the cliff edges of this final plateau.)

If you have decided to continue the walk down below the plateau (the alternative will be to return the way you came), the exit path is to the left as you “enter” the second large plateau. You will have a small path with some cairns, and you need to make sure you don’t miss the path. It takes the best part of an hour just to get down and walk “around” the cliffs below till you finally leave the last cliff behind you and continue down on the mountain ridge itself.

Leaving the last cliffs behind.

Only some 150 meters below the 424 meter point the path will join a small forest track road and after another 5-600 meters you will be down at a T-junction on a larger forest road some 45 minutes after you left the last cliff’s edge. Here you could choose either right or left, but we chose walking left and then immediately right in order to have a bit more sun shine on a late November afternoon. After 25 minute’s walk you joint the GR-trail going back to the car park (another 5 minutes).

Basic information:

Duration:       6h (including lunch)

Distance:      11 km.

Ascent:         500 m

Difficulty:      Difficult

Start/finish:   Merindol/La Font de l’Orme

Map:             IGN 3142 OT (1cm=250 m)

GPX-file:       Merindol3 (link to free download)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/2777307

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

Les Borrys (Merindol) - Rochers des Onze Heures

Rochers des Onze Heures

This a very fine introduction to Petite Luberon. Starting at Les Borrys (Merindol) you follow the long mountain ridge between Vallon des Conches and Vallon du Degoutau all the way up to the top of Rochers des Onze Heures (626m). The return down from the Ceder forest on the top of Petite Luberon also follow a long mountain ridge starting off just south of Rochers de la Croix de Fer. Fantastic views all the way with little shade.

The Ridge going up.

From the parking at the top of the village of Les Borrys (147m) you follow the main route going north. You turn left at the 185m point and follow the GR97 up to the nearest citern (234m), where you turn right. After only about 350m you turn left along a track road leading up the Vallon du Pinson (this is the start of the ridge).

You walk up and down along this ridge heading north (in practice you need to use the GPX-file for passing safely around Rochers des Onzes Heures). After having passed Tete de la Grande Usclade on your left, you turn left and you then walk over till you meet a larger path coming up from below. At this T-junction you turn right and start the steep climb up to the bottom of the cliffs of Rochers des Onzes Heures.

Here you take the path that goes right along the bottom of the cliffs (eastwards), but finally goes up on the ridge at a low point. Now follow the ridge westwards until you see the path is changing directions slightly to the right  and will take you right passed a big cairn on a local peak on your right. You have now walked for about 2.5h and you have some nice places around where you can eat lunch. (You have another 3h walk back down to the car.)

The path will soon reach the main forest road along Petite Luberon, and you follow this for about 500m, where you take left and follow a yellow marked path down to 554m point. Here starts the return along another ridge (but first a short climb up the hill) going south all the way to the farm Jas de Bourdillon.

Down on the 303m point, you meet again the GR97 which you follow eastwards back towards the car. At the 224m point, however, I suggest you walk straight on down the Grande Combe. This track road will eventually end up on the road only about 150m from the car.

Basic information:

Duration:       6,5h (including lunch)

Distance:      15 km.

Ascent:         620 m

Difficulty:      Moderate (some easy climbing)

Start/finish:   Les Borrys (3 km east of Merindol)

Map:             IGN 3142 OT – CAVAILLON (1cm=250 m)

GPX-file:      Download from VisoRando-link (see below)

VisoRando Lien:

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte.

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or update through this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/2198290


TET:
June 2019 Bjorn

Les Borrys (Merindol): Vallon du Degoutau – Rochers des Onze Heurs – 6h.

Large deep cave in the Roque des Bancs (a small detour for lunch).

Fantastic walk, recently descoved on VisoRando (tip from a local friend). This ascent to the top of Petite Luberon is the most spectacular I have ever experienced, and the descent was also one of the best. So this makes the walk one of my preferred walks in the whole of Luberon. But it  has its difficulties.

Waiting for the chain going up!

The walk is classified on VisoRando as very difficult, and I must agree in general. The main difficulty is climbing a 6-7 meter almost vertical cliff with the help of a chain that is in place here. You need to be an experienced mountain walker with strong hands to handle the chain. But we are a couple aged 67 and 70 years old and we had no problems getting up on our first attempt at this walk in March 2019.

Last of the 2 chains.

The other main difficulty is simply finding your way. But that is really no problem any longer, as long as you have loaded your portable telephone with IGN-maps and the gpx-file that shows this walk. (I use the VisoRando app.) I can assure you that you will have some difficulties without this! You have the link to map and gpx-file below.

The walk is fully documented on VisoRando (free downloads of walk description, map and the indispensable gpx-file). Just click this link. 

Basic information:

Duration:      6h (including lunch)

Distance:     14 km.

Ascent:        600 m

Difficulty:      Difficult

Start/finish:   Les Borrys (2.5km east of Merindol)

Map:             IGN 3142 OT (1cm=250 m)

Rochers des Onze Heurs

Fantastic views all the way up!

Merindol: Pic de Faiendre, Serre Long and Gorge de Regalon.

Pic de Faiendre, straight on!

This is perhaps one of the most wild areas of the Luberon, at least on the southern side. You start deep into the Luberon and you will cross a biological reserve, which means you should use extreme caution and not walk outside the small trail. It’s also perhaps one of the most “montagneuse” areas of the Luberon. You really feel you are in the mountains. The views are just fantastic, already after 15 minutes walk! No wonder it became our favorite Luberon walk from the first time we did it in 1999. It could well take an hour more than the 6h stipulated if you get "taken away" by all the nice views! It is also a very good walk for winter time because 90% of the walk is well exposed for the sun and you have quite good shelter for the mistral wind most of the time.

Merindol was also the setting of the most bloody 5 days during April 1545 in the Luberon. Totally 3000 people were massacred and 600 sent to the galleys by the French army. Merindol castle was violently dismantled, along with every single house in the village (up on the hill from to-days village). The responsible were the Catholic aristocrats from Aix who saw the increasing number of Vadois people (they had Protestant tendencies) in the Luberon as a potential threat. The first part of the trail described here is in fact an old Vadois trail over the Luberon to Menerbes.

Pic de Faiendre

When you approach Merindol from the east on the main road, drive all along to the main round about, but don’t turn right into the village of Merindol. Drive on for another 250 meters and turn right into a small lane which you follow along. This will in time take you down to the small road that you follow all the way up through the mountain valley to a place called La Font de l’Orme (Maison de Forestiere). Park at the large car park here.

Take the main route straight north, through the picnic area and further into the Combe de l’Euse valley (yellow markers). But you only follow this deep valley for 12-15 minutes. Then you see a medium large cairn on your left and you take the small trail that winds its way up this side of the valley. After another 35 minutes, you reach a small plateau and a large cairn. On the map, the trail simply turns back down the other side, but we want to continue straight north towards Pic de Faiendre. You see the trail continue along the ridge upwards towards the peak, and try to keep directions for the actual summit. Don’t take too much to the left, but keep on the middle ridge in the beginning, and you will soon see the trail marked with small cairns and some blue painted dots here and there. About 10 minutes before the summit, you reach a T-junction. Take right here and follow for a while along the eastern side of the peak till the path turns sharply back again. Now you follow the blue dots back all the way to the western side of the summit and follow on around the western side of the summit till you reach a small cairn just north of the peak.

Now the trail continues north along the ridge, but it’s well worth to take a 15 minutes water break on the actual summit with a fantastic 360 degrees view. You will see Les Appilles, Montagne de Victoire and of course the Durance valley. Turn back slightly and take the small trail on the western side of the peak, just above the one you have come on. This takes you around to the southern side, where you simply climb up to the summit.

Effective time walking from the car to the summit is about 1h 15min, and you have now another 45 minutes walk to the ridge of Petit Luberon (the old ridge road). You continue the small trail along the ridge and it will finally zigzag its way up to the plateau. Here you follow small cairns till you meet a small track road that you follow in north eastern direction in the beginning. You meet up with the road that goes all along the ridge of Petit Luberon pretty soon.

Take left and walk westwards along this road and walk the 30 minutes over to Bastidon du Pradon, and take left here. This is a small house that acts as a shelter for everyone that needs it. You could lunch here in the shade or walk on for 10 minutes for great views of Luberon. You simply follow the GR 6 southwards and all the way back to the car. This will take almost 3 hours.

The first section out on one of the ridges takes you very near the areas where there still might be Bonelli eagles nesting, and the views in all directions are fantastic. This must be the most spectacular descent from the Luberon! Back down in the valley, you enter the Gorges de Regalon and follow it southwards till the GR-trail turnes you left. You will get a good idea of the Gorges even though you miss the main part of the Regalon. Follow the GR-trail back to the car.

In winter time, you may want to avoid the shaded Gorges de Regalon. In order to get the 90% exposure to sun as promised earlier, you need to choses a different return route when you are down from the mountain. When the GR6 trails meets the fire road down in Vallon de la Galere, the GR6 turns right along this road. For maximum sunshine, you want to turn left here and follow this road all through its bends till the road eventually meets up with the GR6 (use the map). It will take you about the same time as through the Gorges de Regalon.




Basic information:

Duration:    6h (including 1h for lunch)
Distance:    16 km.
Ascent:        600 m
Difficulty:   Moderate
Start/finish: Merindol/La Font de l’Orme
Map:           IGN 3142 OT (1cm=250 m)
GPX-file:    Merindol1.gpx      (Link to free download)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/3145445

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

If you have problems with this VisoRando link, download the GPX-file from above and import it to VisoRando or other application.

TET:
April 2019  Bjorn  (via Gorge du Regalon)

April 2022 Bjorn, via Gorge du Regalon. 9.30 - 16.30 (1h lunch). Pic Faiendre 11h, Route de Crete 11.40-12.10.

Lunch: Bastidon 12.15 - 13.15. Enden på Serre Long 14.00, Nede på hovedvei 14.50, Venstre-krysset langt nede i Gorge de Regalon 15.30, bilene 16.30.