Gordes – Les Bories – Abbaye de Senanque – Gordes
An impressive, very varied and sporty hike awaits you. You will pass the most magnificent sights in the area. If you take the whole day, you can also include a visit to the Village des Bories and the Abbaye de Senanque. In any case, you will have a unique experience of nature in the wild, rugged valley of the Sènancole, lined with herbs, olives, junipers and, above all, characterised by huge rock formations. The Sènancole has no water even in winter. In summer it can certainly get very hot with little shade.
Walking time: 3 hours,
Distance: 9 km,
Requirements: Good physical condition and good footwear required. In summer you need enough water!
Starting point: Car park at the entrance to Gordes (red dot on the map)
Route description
We start at the car park at the entrance to Gordes (red dot on the map).
Gordes – Les Bories
From the car park, take the D15 towards Cavaillon out of town and turn right at the first fork into a small road, the Chemin de Granan. Follow it for quite a while between layered stone walls until you come to a T-junction. Turn right here and continue along the road. You will cross the Vallat des Milans, which is probably a dry stream. At the end of the road, a small footpath leads off to the left between the various enclosed properties. There is a hydrant at this point, but you will only see it if you have already passed it and turn round. The path goes left along a property wall and leads downhill. Stay on the path along the wall until the wall and path turn right. Shortly afterwards, you will come to the car park of the Village des Bories.
Village des Bories – Abbaye de Senanque
Follow the road to the right until just before the entrance to the open-air museum and turn left onto a small path. After a short while, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Sènancole valley, where this path will take you. But before that, on the right, under a rock, you can visit a shelter where the maquisards (underground fighters) took refuge several times during the Second World War, in particular on the night of 10 July 1943 when the Germans were searching for the wreckage of one of their planes that had crashed over the Sénanque valley.
Once in the valley, keep right and follow the paths through the dry river valley. At a crossroads, turn left towards Les Boujolles, cross the Sènancole and climb a short distance uphill on an old cobbled path. ome to a stony area where the path forks. Here you take the path slightly uphill to the right. After approx. 750 metres you come to a loop where a path branches off to the right. Turn right here, even if the path markings continue straight ahead. Another 250 metres later, you will come to a cairn where the path forks. Turn right along the path that leads up the slope. There is a long, very steep uphill section. You need to be in good physical condition and wear good shoes. From time to time, you can look back over the wild Sènancole valley, which you will now leave behind.
At the highest point, you will reach the Ferme de la Débroussède. An information board takes you back to the Second World War. Behind the bushes is the former farm of Felix Poncet, who harboured 30 maquisards here in 1943. The underground fighters lived and trained here until the place became too small and too dangerous.
Here you take the road to the right, which winds in a long left-hand bend to the other side of the ridge. Shortly afterwards, you can already recognise the Senanque monastery on the right. At the point where the gravel path turns into a concrete road, a path leaves the path on the right, unmarked. Take it, even if you have the feeling you are going back. Shortly afterwards, there is a sharp turn-off to the left downhill and you walk through a gorge directly towards the abbey.
Abbaye de Senanque – Gordes
You enter the monastery grounds from the rear. The path leads past the building on the right to the car park. After enjoying the beautiful view of the monastery grounds, take the hiking trail at the car park steeply up the slope. This ends after 70 metres at the top on the road. Follow this road for a short distance until you reach the next bend, where a signposted hiking trail branches off to the right towards Gordes. At this bend, you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the Provençal countryside as far as Les Alpilles. Past some bories, a gravel path bordered by layered walls leads you to the D15 before Gordes, where you started the circular hike.
