サン＝ジャン＝ル＝センテニエのおすすめウォーキング＆ハイキングルート

Road at the edge of the cliff. Remarkable view.

Saint-Pons was one of the oldest and most important strongholds of the Barony of Aps. Located at the foot of the Coiron, the village was fortified from the 14th century. One can still imagine, depending on the shape of the town, the location of the defensive wall. It is possible to park on the street to go hiking.

The chapel, nestled against a neck, was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century to fight against Phylloxera. The volcanic plateau of Coiron is an ancient massif since the lavas have been dated between 6 and 8 million years approximately. Strombolian cones have been seriously damaged by erosion. Some have been completely destroyed and we can only observe today the lower part of the chimney, in the form of large lava pellets, the necks or veins sometimes a kilometer long, the dykes.

The Coiron plateau presents a typical landscape of natural meadows in bocage, maintained by breeders producing meat of recognized quality.

The volcanic activity of Coiron has developed at the level of two types of buildings: Strombolian volcanoes and explosion craters called maars. The volcanic plateau of Coiron is an ancient massif since the lavas have been dated between 6 and 8 million years approximately. Strombolian cones have been seriously damaged by erosion. Some have been completely destroyed and today we can only observe the lower part of the chimney, in the form of large lava pellets, the necks (Sceautres, Roche Chérie...), or veins sometimes a kilometer long , the dykes. The basalt flows have a particular structure due to their cooling: the lower part is cut into prisms or organs.

Difficult climb

The start is in the wrong place (currently private land). It is better to continue for 100 meters on the Route de Villeneuve and park the car on the right in the residential area. here the route streets.

This basaltic plateau was actually home to two castles, one on the eastern slope and the other on the western slope. The eastern castle has disappeared, leaving the tower of the western castle balanced on the edge of the rocky plateau.