Hiking Trail: The Courens Plateau

Climb the southern slope for some breathtaking views of the plain of Comtat Venaissin and the Dentelles de Montmirail massif.
Starting point: Place du Marché, Beaumes-de-Venise. Walk around the edge of the cemetery and join the D21. Turn left towards Chapelle Saint Sébastien, then right towards Chapelle Notre Dame d’Aubune, a real gem of Romanesque architecture, with its mediaeval garden. Walk around the chapel, turning left immediately after the gate, onto the little path leading up the hill. When you reach the plateau, walk to the right until you come to the Pierre du Diable (a huge rock that towers above the chapel of Notre Dame d’Aubune). Just before the breach, take the little path on the right signposted in blue, towards Chapelle Saint Hilaire. After the chapel, walk along the edge of the vineyard to your right. At the end of the vines, you will see Le Castellas, a ruined castle currently being restored, on your right. Follow the track and, just before the road, turn right onto a small path through the undergrowth. Where the path crosses the forest track, take the path opposite (don’t go through the gate). At the road, turn right then right again after the vineyard; opposite, climb to the left to some steps that will take you back to the village.

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