Le Sentier des Ocres at Roussillon (The Trail's Our Thing)

Rous%201.jpg
The beautiful, unique village of Roussillon

We think Roussillon is the most unique village in the Luberon. It's colors are distinctive-- various shades and combinations of reds, browns and yellows, resulting from the building materials that came from the earth. The village is built on a high hill between the Luberon mountains and the Vaucluse Plateau along the world's biggest vein of ochre, a mineral that was once mined extensively in this area for its colors. Other ochre villages in the Luberon are Gargas, Villars, Rustrel, and Gignac. Roussillon is by far the best known, and because of it's exceptional and very colorful environment, today it's an appealing location for artists and photographers. The buildings all draw on the various colors and shades of ochre, accented by other colors for doors and shutters. The places is magical-- and as a result, it's a major attraction for tourists. We prefer to go early in the day, in the evening or on the off-season.

Although ochre is no longer an active industrial pursuit in this area, the old quarries have resulted in some distinctly unusual landscape-- part natural and part the result of man's work. We've enjoyed walking and hiking in the Colorado Rustrel, a large ochre area northeast of Apt. And we've come to Roussillon many times before to wander up the streets to the lookout point up above the church and have a good meal. But somehow we had never managed to visit Le Sentier des Ocres, a walking trail through the old ochre quarres of Roussillon. That was our destination today.

Rous%203.jpg
Entering Le Sentier des Ocres

We arrived about 10:00 am and parked in the visitor parking lot up by the old cemetery. There's a small charge for parking and also a two euro charge for admission to the trail. Given the amount of work that's evident in developing and maintaining the site, we certainly support the investment. There are two different trails-- an easier trail that takes about 30 minutes, and a longer trail (1.3 kilometers) that we took. The sign says the longer trail takes about an hour, which allows plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings. If you visit, be sure to wear the right shoes and be prepared to get dusty!

The route begins with the Chaussée des Géants or Giants’ Causeway and then wanders through several large ochre quarries. We especially liked the "aiguilles des fées" (fairy needles), vertical spikes of ochre that lead to massive cliffs.

The colors in Roussillon, and especially on Le Sentier des Ocres, are truly amazing, especially on a clear summer's day like today. The Mistral wind had left the sky perfectly clear, a bright compelling blue.

We arrived in Roussillon before the crowds, but when we left at 11 am, the parking lot was packed with cars and the little streets were bustling with tourists. We briefly visited a shop at the top of the hill that sold ochre powder for painting and staining.

Once again, let the pictures share something of our experience:

Rous%202.jpg
The view toward the northeast from Roussillon (to the Monts de Vaucluse).
And if you know where to look, you can see the front side of the Falaise de Lioux.