Visit the village of Sauve located in the Gard between Quissac and Saint Hippolyte du Fort on the D999.
Park outside the village at the large shaded car park on the edge of the Vidourle, cross the bridge and follow the yellow markings.
Take the narrow streets and alleys above the village to find the signs indicating the Mer des Rochers, and don’t hesitate to wander through the charming medieval city on the way up.
Follow the markings as they gradually leave the village and emerge onto a limestone plateau embedded in the scrubland.
After a small horizontal portion we come to a sign providing directions; take the right fork (1) - yellow markings - in the direction of “les escaliers" leading to the the heart of the hike, the most spectacular part of the Mer des Rochers where the marked trail leads into chaos, with a sundial that was built on a small promontory.
The trail arrives at a further sign, turn left towards the Aven (2), the path will gradually expand to become a track.
A few hundred metres further on, turn left towards the Aven (3) located soon after on the right.
Remain cautious, the edges of the Aven do not have barriers.
Continue on the path to the next crossroads, then continue towards Roquevaire with the option to do a round trip of 200 to 300 m towards Plan Cabane (4) where several mazets (small buildings) are grouped together.
Returning to the main path, the road will soon pass between dry stone walls and along the side of Castle Roquevaire to finally reach the sign for the Mer des Rochers.
Pass through from point (1) to (2) crossing the chaos and at the end, this time take the direction of “les escaliers" (5); this beautiful stone path leads into the village.
Have another wander through the alleys, archways and other places sheltered by the buildings, and why not rest a while on the terrace of a bar or restaurant and enjoy the cool of the evening.
Mer des Rochers
A journey through both geological time and history, exploring the medieval village of Sauve and the chaos of the Mer des Rochers.
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 5.47 km -
Calculated time: 1h 45 -
Difficulty: Easy -
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Return to departure point: Yes -
Vertical gain: + 55 m -
Vertical drop: - 55 m -
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Highest point: 151 m -
Lowest point: 95 m
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Area: Massif central -
District: Sauve (30610) -
Start/End: N 43.93984° / E 3.952247° -
IGN map(s): Ref. 2741ET, 2742ET -
Description
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 96 m
- 1 : km 0.81 - alt. 151 m - Head to the right
- 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 150 m - To the left
- 3 : km 2.08 - alt. 134 m - Towards the Aven
- 4 : km 2.47 - alt. 137 m - In the direction of Plan Cabane
- 5 : km 4.18 - alt. 134 m - Stairs
- S/E : km 5.47 - alt. 96 m
Useful Information
This walk is to be avoided in the hottest hours of the day, it can be a very nice evening hike after 18:00.
On the Lapiaz take care to stay on marked trails because it is easy to get lost in this type of landscape without clear landmarks.
Remain cautious on the edge of the Aven, explored by Alfred Martel.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
The medieval city: the Mole tower, the Capuchin convent, Hotel de la Monnaie...
Musée de la Fourche museum of rural life.
The creators’ galleries.
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Important note: Ignore the numbers marked on the ground and stick to the VisoRando instructions instead
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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.