Time: 6.25h. Up: 470m. Down: 540m.
Distance: 23km. Difficulty: easy.

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Stage 88: Rustrel (415m) to Roussillon (342m)

Click and drag on map above to see area around trail. Click here for large zoomable map.

As has been the case for the past few days, there is much road-walking for the rest of the way, I’m afraid. This is a fairly densely populated region and the French have neither the English tradition of ubiquitous footpaths, nor the obsession with outdoor activity of the Germans, so they tend to make dedicated trails for walkers only in the mountains or in national and regional parks.

The H2H has been pretty successful at avoiding roads for much of the way... but its luck... and yours... has run out. However, for the most part the roads you will walk along are tertiary roads, so there won't be much traffic, and the area is lovely – in other words, there are worse fates.

You pass through a countryside of farms and coppices on your way to Roussillon, (yet another) one of most beautiful villages of France and even more renowned than Rustrel for its ochre quarries, where you'll stay the night.

Route
Today's hike is identical with the GR6/GR97. From Rustrel head west along a succession of minor roads and farmtracks, passing south of St.-Saturnin-les-Apt before striking south to the village of Gargas. From here turn once more to the west for the last few kilometers to Roussillon.

Alternatives: unnecessary.
Maps: IGN-3242OT Apt, IGN-3142OT Cavaillon.

Journal
The House to House blog... stage 88.

Photos
<A couple of representative photos from this stage will be added here after the hike>
In the meantime, click here to go to all of the H2H photos on Flickr.

GPS Track
<To be added during or after hike>

Room and Board Options
Lunch: picnic.
Dinner and overnight: there are a number of restaurants and places to stay at in and around Roussillon (for a complete list, see here).

Getting There and Back
Rustrel: buses go several times a day to Apt from Avignon, Digne, and Marseille, where there are railway stations, and from Apt you can take a taxi the 10km to Rustrel (for taxi and bus information, see here, and for train schedule information, see the SNCF).
Roussillon: take a taxi the 10km to Apt. Alternatively you can take a taxi the 25km to Cavaillon, where there is also a railway station (for taxi information, see here).
ViaMichelin Road Map and Driving Directions: centered on Rustrel, centered on Roussillon.

Background Information and Links
Many and various...


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