Garde Grosse

This was during a family holiday at Vinsobres in the Toussaint autumn break. The family dropped me in Nyons, the local metropolis, from where I followed the GR9 over Garde Grosse, the mountain which overlooks the town, then made my way back to the campsite via Mirabel, following the D185. The starting point of the walk was the Pont Roman in Nyons, a bridge over the river Aigues that was built between 1341 and 1409 ("Roman" meaning Romanesque rather than Roman). Apparently it is regarded as the second best preserved bridge of its kind in France.

It was a chilly morning, especially in the shadow of the mountain, so there was still a heavy dew on the grass as the sun just got to it.

The GR9 follows a small road out of Nyons, climbing gently and giving some nice views of the hill.

Soon the route left the road and began to climb more steeply through thick woods. There were frequent views across the valley to the Montagne des Vaux, the hill to the north of Nyons.

This side of the hill was still mostly in shadow and still quite cool, while Nyons and the Montagne des Vaux were basking in beautiful autumn sunshine.

The path followed a zigzag route up the steep hillside. About halfway up the summit suddenly came into view up above - there was still quite a climb ahead.

The GR9 doesn't actually lead to the top of Garde Grosse but passes within 15 minutes of it. At the crest of the ridge there was an impressive view south of the massive whaleback of Mont Ventoux, which at 1909m is by far the highest mountain in the area. You can drive right to the summit, something which we had done while on holiday 4 years earlier, on a very windy day.

From the summit of Garde Grosse itself there were more views in every direction. This is looking south west over the route I was planning to follow to get back to the campsite.

Looking west you could see the river Aigues disappearing off into the hazy distance. The campsite is visible on the north bank, with the village of Vinsobres not far beyond. Somewhere in the haze is the river Rhône which the Aigues joins near Orange. There was a path marked going off the summit in this direction which I considered following, but since I didn't know where it was going to take me I decided not to risk it. The danger was that it would simply curve back to Nyons leaving me with a depressing walk home along the main road.

Northwards lay Nyons, with the Montagne des Vaux behind, and further off the Montagne de la Lance. I had climbed this hill during our previous stay at Vinsobres - the GR9 follows a route right over its summit. In fact it was the first hill I ever climbed in France.

Perhaps the most impressive view from the summit was eastwards, where you could see the Alps far in the distance. I think the row of jagged peaks on the horizon was probably the Massif des Ecrins. Naturally, there was the usual clutter of constructions on the top of the hill, centred around a telecommunications pylon. As is so often the case in France, I could have driven up in the car if I'd been so inclined...

Another view of the Alps

I had lunch sitting on a rocky outcrop looking south, then set off back down the way I'd come, to rejoin the GR9 where I'd left it. At this point it was following part of the tarmac road, but not for very long. It was soon off onto a fairly steep path down the south side of the mountain.

This side of the hill had very different vegetation from the north side, where the woods were dense, mostly oak trees. Here on the sunny side the woods were open and mostly pine, giving it a much more Provençal feel. It also meant I could see where I was heading fairly well - the col de la Croix-Rouge where the D185 reached its highest point.

It didn’t take long to find my way down, despite one point where I lost the GR paintmarks and had to scout around for a while before picking them up again. The main point of interest at the col was a small but apparently well-frequented church, the Eglise Saint-Martin. We all drove up here the next day and had a picnic lunch sitting on the church steps. I’m not sure why this somewhat out-of-the-way church should have been used much, but there was a thriving cemetery beside it which may have been one reason. This was the view back up the hill.

There was a convenient water-tap by the cemetery gate. There was no sign to indicate whether the water was drinkable or not, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and filled my water bottle. I’m still alive to tell the tale, so I assume it’s in general drinkable!

This was the point where I left the GR9 to its own devices. From here it continues southeast over the hills, over the east ridge of Mont Ventoux, through Apt and over the Montagne du Lubéron to arrive at the Pont de Mirabeau, the nearest section to the south that I had already walked. Meanwhile I turned off down the valley of the Rieu Sec, following the D185.

It was a very quiet road and a pleasant walk, although fairly long - about nine kilometres in all back to the campsite. There was a little white “milestone” at every kilometre telling how far there remained to Mirabel. A few leftover bunches of grapes still hanging on the vines by the roadside provided a welcome afternoon snack.

Once past Mirabel I was onto a much busier road and I hurried on to cover the last short distance back as quickly as possible. By this time my legs were feeling like they’d had enough for the day.

Finally I tramped across the Pont de Mirabel, an ugly structure of iron girders spanning the river Aigues just by the campsite. Something tells me that this one won’t still be there in 600 years time being vaunted as “the second best preserved bridge of its kind in France”. I was now pretty close to the chalet where we were staying, but had a depressingly long walk to finish off all round the perimeter of the campsite to reach the main entrance. Once back I joined the rest of the family for a relaxing swim in the heated indoor pool - luxury!