Under the umbrella to the Sorgue River

After the first days offered beautiful early summer weather (as you would have expected from this area), it starts to rain on 30 May. To say it in advance : So it will remain in the coming days, almost to the end of our holiday.

In the previous year we have already visited the source of the Sorgue (see here). This year we want to do a circular walk around the source, then at the end of the times yet to experience the natural spectacle.

Our trailhead is the parking lot at the Sorgue, where we could leave our car for 3 €. Just across the road goes uphill to a hostel. We walk now about 1 km, past the cemetery and the youth hostel. At the sign that points to Lauzas, we turn left into the Valley of the Oule. It goes steadily uphill, and it slowly gets wet. - From above -. It begins to rain. Good to have along the umbrellas.
. A first stop is the source of Oule, a hollowed-out rock with a small pond in it. The brook himself is not to see. A German couple joins us. We see that they have the same guide as we do. They are not very sociable and long march before us to get rid of. We are approximately at an altitude of 330 m (at 77 m we left).

La Fontaine de l'Oule

Now a long, sloping path starts up to a height of 670 m. After 3.5 km we have finally achieved a high level, La Pleine. The rain has stopped on the way up, and sometimes even look out the sun. By the way, here we again meet the German couple. Strangely, they are now far behind us. They had lost the way, and when they saw us from afar, they were sure to be on the right track, because we have the same guide.

Ferme de Valenture, an old farm above Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

We enjoy beautiful views of the foothills in west flat. We read that you can look to Cavaillon in fine weather. Today it is somewhat hazy. Now we hike down to a small valley. Even from afar, we see a farm, but that turns out to be empty and decay. As we know now, this farm, the Ferme de Valenture, will be renovated gradually. He is well protected.

Well, we soon reach the outskirts of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. We have covered about 13 km. But we make the trip to the source yet. And are extremely disappointed. We thought, after the snowy winter and wet spring, the source must also be rich in water. But the surface of the water source pond was barely visible. Nevertheless, the Sorgue has sufficient water by the many secondary sources. The weather had also kept very well, so that we could go in the same place as last year, and eat and drink something.