Roussillon

Roussillon sits on one of the largest ochre deposits in the world, sands stained by iron oxides in shades from pale yellow through orange to deep red, quarried industrially until synthetic pigments took the market in the twentieth century. Every building in the village is rendered in those pigments, so the walls range from cream to blood red depending on the mix. The Sentier des Ocres is a marked path of about thirty to fifty minutes through the abandoned workings, past eroded pillars and gullies in banded colour. Nearby, the old Usine Mathieu at Roussillon shows how the sand was washed and refined into pigment.

What you actually see

• The ochre cliffs - eroded pillars and gullies in banded red and yellow.
• The pigmented village - every facade rendered in local ochre.
• The Sentier des Ocres - a marked trail through the old workings.
• The pigment works - the washing and refining process explained nearby.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the colours are strongest in low morning or evening sun. The trail closes in wet weather and in winter. Summer is hot with no shade.

Honest expectations

The ochre dust stains shoes and clothing permanently, and light-coloured footwear is a mistake. The trail is short and paying visitors sometimes expect more. Parking is charged and fills.

Nearby

Gordes lies west; Apt is southeast.