The Ochres by bike

The ochre sands result from a deep chemical modification of green marine sands. About 100 million years ago, green sands emerged and were altered under a hot and humid climate which transformed into ochre sands. It is from these sands extracted in underground quarries or open-pit mines that ochre has been operated. Warning, sampling of ochre sands in the natural environment is prohibited!

Through washing, then decanting in large basins, to drying, crushing and baking, a large scale of natural pigment was made, with a variety of colours. Developed in the late 18th century, the industrial process for making ochre pigment reaches its high point in the 1920s. Today, the Société des Ocres de France still operates a quarry in Gargas and produces 1200 tons of ochre per year.

They can shelter animal species such as bats or birds. These places are very rare and extremely sensitive to disturbance because they are used as a maternity ward for the Lesser horseshoe bat.

This agricultural valley with cherry trees, vineyards and orchards, is opened onto many hilltop villages which are strong calling points in the landscape. The exceptional presence of ochre in the form of richly coloured cliffs and structures with multicoloured coatings are the special features of this territory.

The Little Owl (also known as the Owl of Athena) is a cave-dwelling species needing to find holes in old trees and small rural buildings. During the renovation of the farm huts, it is necessary to either make as little noise as possible or to put a replacement nest box for the owl's reproduction.

The Ochre Conservatory is established in the Mathieu factory. It is an old ochre factory which used to produce about 1000 tons of ochre per year between 1921 and 1963. The washing systems, the town oven and the mills have been restored in order to understand the different stages of ore processing, from extraction to shipping. Through visiting the site and the workshops, discover one of the finest jewels of the industrial ochre heritage, turned into a training centre on ochre and colour!

Present in several forms (oaks, mixtures of hardwood and softwood, pine wood ), forests are essential to the life cycle of many species. Holiday cottages, food supply or reproduction are all roles that increase, with the age of the forest, the presence of dead wood and the mixture of wood species (softwood-hardwood).

With the Gard department, the Vaucluse department is the largest producer of table cherries. The "Burlat" and the "Bigarreau" (also known as the Royal Ann cherry) are the most cultivated varieties in the Luberon. You can consume while fresh in summer or enjoy the main speciality of Apt:: candied cherry. Apt produces more than 10000 tons of candied fruits annually.! Many fruits have been preserved there since the 14th century, a real know-how.! Today, Apt remains the world capital of candied fruit.