April 21, 2022
A hike to Crestet
We planned for a three night stay here in Vaison, with two day rides weather-permitting. We’ve had our run of blue skies for awhile though, and today rain is in the forecast. Tomorrow is looking fair again but after that we appear to be in for two or three seriously wet and windy days - wet enough that we wouldn’t want to bike.
Rather than risk being trapped in Vaison for five nights (not that that would be so terrible, really), we both wake up with the same thought - let’s cut our stay here a day short and leave tomorrow while the sun shines. We raise this idea with our very agreeable hosts this morning, they give their consent to letting us shorten our commitment, so we have a new near-term plan. Tomorrow we’re off to Montélimar for a two night stay where we can sit out the expected worst of the days and then think again. Montélimar is one the train line, so if it’s still raining cats and dogs we can hop a train up the river to Valence.
So that’s the future. What’s the plan for today? It looks like with luck we could stay dry until one or two, so a short bike ride is an option. Rachael has a better idea though (as usual), and has found an attractive hike for us up to Crestet, a hillside village that sounds worth the trek. And on our host’s recommendation in the afternoon we’ll borrow a couple of umbrellas from the stand by the door and walk over to the Roman ruins.
It’s an overcast but pleasant morning when we walk out the upper end of the old city. Within about four blocks we’re out of town and enjoying the magnificent views. It feels like the perfect plan for the day.
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It’s not a long or difficult hike to Crestet - just shy of four miles, modestly uphill the whole way. For the first two we’re on rough asphalt following Chemin des Fontaines, a single-lane track that brings us a car maybe once every fifteen minutes or so. After that we’re on dirt and rock the rest of the way, walking through an oak forest with trunks blanketed in moss and ivy. About half-way up we get our first brief look at Crestet at the crest of the ridge ahead, but it quickly disappears again as we round a bend.
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This travel article helped convince me to join Rachael on this hike rather than take off on my own for a ride I’d also been considering. It describes how to arrive by car and park it below, and says to be sure to climb all the way up to the top of the village for the magnificent views. Arriving by foot, we arrive at the top and our first views are stunning.
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We decide to wander through the village on our own and meet back at this point in about a half hour. I head down one steep, twisting narrow stone lane and she another. Rachael is thinking she’ll walk further beyond on the extension I’d mapped for her if she wanted more distance; but she never escapes this captivating village. Ten or fifteen minutes later she calls me on the phone, checking to see where I am to make sure I make it down to the lower level of the village where she is because it’s so incredible. I suggest that she hang up, because I’m hearing her voice two ways - she’s about thirty feet away, just around the corner.
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All in one photo!
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We spend about a half hour walking through the village, finding one delight after another; but when we feel a few sprinkles it’s our cue to climb back to the top and head to town. It’s still four miles off, so we want to get a move on before it gets too wet.
The weather surprises us though. For about a mile and a half it lightly sprinkles on us, but then backs off again; and by the time Vaison’s ruined castle comes into view we’re even starting to see patches of blue in the sky.
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We head back to the room to shower and then walk down to a nearby sandwich shop for a lunchtime snack before walking across to the Roman ruins. No need for umbrellas after all, because the weather continues to improve all day. And the Roman ruins are impressive and worth a visit, but if I had to choose I’d take the climb to Crestet instead.
As it turns out we’d have been perfectly fine with a bike ride today; and there are many tempting options around. Looking back at the end of the day though, we’re both really glad the forecast was so off; otherwise we’d have taken that ride and not known what we were missing.
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The rains finally do come. They must have begun just minutes before we leave the restaurant after dinner. It’s lightly misting and pleasant as we walk back up the glistening, ancient stone street to our room. We stop and look down at the Ouvèze river that splits the town, listening to the weird croaking of frogs and birds below and marveling to be standing on this old bridge that’s been in almost constant use for two thousand years. There’s no one else out this evening and except for the electric lights it’s easy to imagine it being many centuries in the past. I stop for a photo of the illuminated cathedral as we climb up through the medieval city, but Rachael chastens me to hurry up. The rain is quickly coming on and causes us to hustle the last few blocks back to our room.
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