Day 5: On the ridges of Lure

The mountain of Lure is a high place of pilgrimages! The pilgrimage is primarily religious, from the moment when the monks founded the Abbey of Notre Dame de Lure there in the 12th century. Then the pilgrimage is astronomical, as noted, already in the 17th century, the Belgian Godefroid Wendelin, precursor of modern astronomy.

In the 18th century, the mountain welcomed herbalists who came to harvest aromatic and medicinal plants to make traditional remedies, then, in the following century, Piedmontese found refuge there to exploit the wood by transforming it into charcoal.

In the 1930s, Giono, a French writer, made the mountains a place of intellectual pilgrimage! He receives his thinker friends there and likes to be inspired by the landscapes and inhabitants of Lure.

Crests of Lure and Pré du Fau hike
Level: Easy
Duration: 2 hour
Type: Buckle
Length: 7 km
Elevation gain: 386 m
Start / Finish: Station de Lure, Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues

More informations: https://www.rando-alpes-haute-provence.fr/randonnee-pedestre/crete-de-lure-et-pre-du-fau/

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Lure mountain
Lure is an area offering remarkable biodiversity protected by several labels. Over the 15 km as the crow flies between the banks of the Durance and the ridges, there are 1 plant species. There are the Azur butterfly from the Croisette or plants such as fritillaire dauphinoise and bedstraw.

Here, geology, climate and pastoral practices have shaped the landscapes. The vegetation had to adapt, forming immense expanses of dry lawns, refuges for rare and protected species. Over the decades, the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices has resulted in the gradual closure of these open spaces and the decline of certain species.