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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2887 |
28th September 2014 Hiking - Walking: Le Colorado provencal de Rustrel Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny Max Speed: Distance Covered: Sunday 28th September – Hike ***** Le Colorado provencal de Rustrel - Sunny We had a really nice quiet morning up near the cliffs and had a good sort out in the van, did our exercises and had breakfast in the brilliant sunshine and increasing heat! A few hikers went past but otherwise on our own. We left there about 12 and drove through beautiful Luberon countryside which was very dramatic – very hilly with ravines and cliffs all around. We headed for Rustrel where we had read there was a walk through the Ochre quarries – called, unfortunately, Le Colorado provencal de Rustrel – making it a bit Disney sounding which it wasn’t at all! It was 4 euros to park but no entry fee so a bargain. The car park was really full but we parked under some trees, packed our lunch and set out on walk number 3, the longest at 3 hours and 5km. It was quite a scramble in places as it followed tracks, dry river and waterfall beds and the bottom of ravines. The actual quarries were the most amazing colours ranging from dark burnt reds, through orange, yellow and white. The rock seems to turn to coloured sand as soon as it leaves the cliffs as there were no coloured rocks to pinch as a souvenir! There were several rock sculptures so had to have a go at one:) The Ochre is still mined in other places locally for coloured plaster and art work etc.. There was evidence of railway lines and water pipes from when this quarry was in use. There was a stall selling bottles of the different coloured sand, just like the isle of wight:) We had our lunch off the normal path down a dry river bed and got away from the other walkers. There were quite a few people about as it was Sunday, especially when walks 1 and 2, which are shorter, joined the path. It is definitely a great place to bring your kids – lots of scrambling around, caves, a dribble of a waterfall, tree climbing and stone throwing (which seems to be a favourite pass time for French children as we have observed before!). Hopefully they don’t run about too much and dive off a cliff top into the quarry because the parents don’t appear to be to worried what they are up to! Other people were not a major problem as all equally spaced around the walks. We returned to the van for a much required cuppa after exactly 3 hours:) After a bit of a rest and read we left and drove towards Viens. This tiny little ancient village on a high crag of rock featured in a book Mag read earlier in the year called The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson and this and other villages plus the descriptions of the amazing general area is the reason we headed here this autumn! What a result:) After a mooch round the old streets and squares of Viens we drove back on ourselves a few miles to park up overnight in a cut off the road leading to some fields with brilliant views:) |
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