The Nesque Gorge

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The Nesque Gorge

The Gorges de la Nesque are a spectacular canyon several hundred metres deep, which cuts through the Plateau du Vaucluse over a length of about 25 km, between the villages of Monieux upstream and Méthamis, at the foot of Mont Ventoux. The Nesque River rises near Aurel, discreetly crosses the Sault plain to Lac du Bourguet in Monieux before entering the gorges that bear its name. The river that carved this deep canyon is now a modest watercourse, reduced to a trickle and almost dry in summer, but it can become a raging torrent after the heavy downpours that sometimes occur in Provence.

The cliffs are dotted with crevices and shelters under rocks called bau or baumes in Provencal. Some of them were occupied during prehistoric times. Le Bau de l'Aubesier is located in the vertical wall opposite the Belvedere, it has revealed many remains of the occupation by Neanderthal man between 200,000 years and 35,000 years ago. The climate was then much colder, the top of the plateau was a cold steppe, life was concentrated in the canyon. Our ancestors fed on elk, deer, horses, aurochs, giant deer (a large deer that is now extinct) and woolly rhinos. During this ice age, the Nesque was fed in the spring by water from the melting of the ice that accumulated on the plateau in winter. It carved this canyon into the Urgonian limestone that forms the Monts du Vaucluse. The karstic massif is dotted with caves and cracks in which the water from the river now drains underground to feed the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.

Castellaras Belvedere

The D942 road runs along the Gorges de la Nesque, built along a ledge on the right bank, it follows the sinuous mountain contours and offers magnificent views over the landscape. Before its construction at the beginning of the 20th century, the high gorges of the Nesque were only served by roads and paths leading to the farms that were established on the plateau. The access roads linking the Comtat plain to the Val de Sault passed to the north through the Col des Abeilles or to the south through Méthamis and Saint-Hubert. It was first planned to follow the course of the Nesque, but the project chosen was to build a road halfway up, with a cornice and four tunnels.

The road is now very popular with cyclists and tourists. It rises gently from Villes-sur-Auzon to its summit, Castellaras (734 m), where the viewpoint allows you to admire the Gorges and the "Rocher de Cire", so called because it was home to many swarms of wild bees. Frédéric Mistral made this magnificent place known, a stele bears verses by the Provençal poet.

About 400 metres after the Castellaras lookout, towards Monieux, the GR9 long-distance hiking trail crosses the asphalted road, a steep path runs along the overhanging cliff to reach the bottom of the gorges where there is a chapel built in a rock shelter, the Saint-Michel chapel. An adjacent hermitage has now disappeared. The Saint-Michel chapel dates from the 12th century, the dilapidated building was restored in 1643 and was a place of pilgrimage until the 19th century.

Notre-Dame des Abeilles

The main access road to Sault is now the main road (D1) built above the Gorges in the 1960s when the nuclear base was installed on the Albion plateau. It passes through the Col des Abeilles (996 m) where there is a modest chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-Consolation. In this remote place lived Father Joseph Thouard (1825-1888), known as the "Good Priest of the Bees". A great connoisseur of plants, he provided care without requiring any fees, and his popularity was such that it is said that Emperor Napoleon III himself came to consult him. A stele honours the memory of eight resistance fighters from Cavaillon, executed on 5 July 1944 in retaliation for the heavy losses inflicted on the German army by the Maquis Ventoux.

La Nesque Voie Verte (The Nesque Greenway)

During the “Nesque Voie Verte” event, the D942 road is closed to motorized vehicles, the Gorges de la Nesque are reserved for bicycles and "soft" modes of transport. It is an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent panoramas offered by the landscape. The road rises from Villes-sur-Auzon (284 metres above sea level) to the belvedere (734 metres) with an average slope of 2.3%, never higher than 4%. The event is organised by the Mont-Ventoux Regional Nature Park, with stands along the route. The stands raise awareness of forest fire prevention, provide information about cycle touring and routes around Mont Ventoux, and introduce the Natura 2000 site. They also offer refreshments and local produce, including honey from the Rucher des Lavandières.

Nesque Gorge photos : slideshow

Practical information and accommodation near the Nesque Gorge

Bed and breakfast near the Nesque gorge on the portal of Provence's guest houses

To see and do in the Gorges de la Nesque

• Walks at the bottom of the Gorges: superb hike but beware of the high level of difficulty, the path is very steep and some sections run along exposed ledges. The path between the belvedere and the river is poorly marked.
• Half-marathon of the Gorges de la Nesque: from Villes-sur-Auzon to Monieux. It is organised by the Ventoux Sud community of municipalities. A bus service takes the runners back to their starting point. Check the dates with the organiser.
• Nesque Voie Verte: the Gorges de la Nesque are closed to car traffic on the day of the event and are reserved for "soft mobility", bicycles and rollerblades.
• Trail des Terrasses du Ventoux: a trail-running event starting in Méthamis; check the dates and routes with the organiser: trailterrasseduventoux.fr
• Trail of Hope from Lake Monieux in May: 21 km.
• The Grand Raid Ventoux offers several routes around the massif, some of which pass through the Nesque Gorge. Check the organiser’s website for the dates and routes of each edition: ventoux.utmb.world/fr
• Timed climb of the Nesque: time trial by bike from Villes-sur-Auzon, 19.7 km for 444 m of elevation gain.
• Cyclo Ventoux Sud: Cyclosportive at the beginning of September from Malemort-du-Comtat, via the Gorges de la Nesque
• Cyclosportive Granfondo Mont Ventoux from Beaumes-de-Venise on the 1st weekend of June, the long route passes through the Gorges de la Nesque.
• Market on the shores of the Lac du Bourguet in Monieux on Sunday mornings from May to August
• Honey sold at the Rucher des Lavandières, at Joëlle and François Pihéry's, inhabitants of the Gorges de la Nesque in the former road workers’ house (on road D942, in the combe du Puits Verrier)

Getting to the Nesque gorge (belvedere)

GPS coordinates 44°02'47'' N - 5°19'56'' E

Location : 734 meters above sea level, 2.5 miles from Monieux, 6 miles from Sault, 11 miles from Villes-sur-Auzon, 22 miles from Carpentras, 38 miles from Avignon.

Explore further with my articles in the Getaways section of the Guest Houses in Provence Portal: Autumn in the Nesque.