From the starting point by the road, head north towards the mouth of the valley and then to the gorges following a winding track. (1) After a slight rise, bear right as soon as possible to walk along the riverbed. Follow the riverbed to a section equipped with a ladder and follow on.
From this point on, follow the waymarks (blue dots). You'll reach the first site of a mill's ruins very quickly, then continue through the bottom of the gorge. The route is very easy, since following the riverbed, you can't get it wrong. The walk continues past a succession of cauldrons, cairns and mills.
(2) After a fairly large sinkhole filled with water, the walk seems to come to an end at the remains of the last mill. Look carefully to the left, along the wall. The old penstock shaft is still there with a length of rope to help you crawl through and reach the top of the mill. The path continues past some dammed-up ponds and to a secondary road. The pretty village of Murs comes into view and is the finishing point of the walk.
The sequence of features in the gorge:
- moulin des Grailles
- moulin Cabrier
- moulin Jean de Mare
- moulin du Puits de Cata
- moulin de la Charlesse
- moulin du Dévissé
- moulin des Étangs
- barrages des Étangs
The walk starts near Gordes (listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France) and passes through the Véroncle gorge to Murs and its castle.
A very pleasant, energetic walk in the ravine of the Véroncle gorges, discovering the remains of old mills from different periods along the way.
There are a few ladders and ropes, and an old sluice shaft that cannot be avoided.
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Activity: Walking
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Distance: 5.83 km
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Calculated time: 2h 30
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Difficulty: Difficult
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Return to departure point: No
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Vertical gain: + 303 m
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Vertical drop: - 10 m
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Highest point: 502 m
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Lowest point: 206 m
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Area: Monts de Vaucluse
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District: Gordes (84220)
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Start: N 43.915875° / E 5.228356°
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End: N 43.951216° / E 5.242313°
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IGN map(s): Ref. 3142OT
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Description
Waypoints
- S : km 0 - alt. 206 m - Véroncle (rivière)
- 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 223 m
- 2 : km 3.85 - alt. 420 m
- E : km 5.83 - alt. 502 m
Useful Information
N.B. There is a risk of getting wet feet in places.
No equipment needed.
The sluice shaft may obstruct some hikers.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
Gordes Village, which is listed as one of the most beautiful sites in France (close to the starting point) and Murs at the finishing point, with its castle and old centre, are worth a visit.
Reviews and comments
5 / 5
4 / 5
5 / 5
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 26/06/22
Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Some tricky ascents / decents which requires some upper body strength. We’ll worth the time spent. The gorge is lovely and has historic interest.
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 20/05/19
Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Great walk and views. The problem is getting back to the car. We hitched to gordes and then walked down the road to our car.
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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.