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Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3072
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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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