Lavender around Sault and the Albion plateau

Sault above the lavender fields

The houses of Sault overlook an agricultural basin at the foot of Mont Ventoux. From the edge of the village, fields fill the foreground, with wooded hills beyond. The road towards Aurel runs alongside the crops, while those to Saint-Trinit and Ferrassières climb towards the Albion plateau.

Allow for several stops to enjoy the scenery along the way. A village above flowering rows, a lone tree or a stone hut offer different views within the Sault countryside. The fields also change in appearance according to their exposure, the variety grown and the progress of the harvest.

Fine lavender and lavandin

The Sault area is known for its fine lavender, also called true lavender. Sunshine, limestone soils and the coolness of the uplands suit this plant, whose essential oil is valued in perfumery for its delicate fragrance. Lavandin is also grown here: the plateau’s fields do not all contain the same plant.

Lavandin is a hybrid of fine lavender and spike lavender. It yields more essential oil and is used in soaps and other scented products. To tell these plants apart, talk to a grower: ask which varieties they cultivate, how they harvest them and what their crop is used for.

The roads of the Albion plateau

Towards Saint-Trinit, Ferrassières and Revest-du-Bion, lavender grows alongside cereals and woodland, with isolated farms dotted across the landscape. Stones cleared from cultivated land provided material for low walls and the huts known here as bories. These mortar-free buildings served farm work long before they became photographic subjects among the lavender fields.

The borie at Ferrassières is a reason to stop along this route. Around its stone vault, lavender rows follow the lie of the field; further away, the crops give way to woodland. The roads continue towards Banon and Simiane-la-Rotonde, towards the Montagne de Lure.

Ferrassières celebrates lavender

On the first Sunday in July, the streets of Ferrassières host the lavender festival. Organised by the Eurolavande association, it is a chance to meet the people who grow and process the plant. Stalls bring together bunches, dried flowers, essential oils and handmade products; conversations with growers add to a walk through the fields.

Sickle-cutting and distillation demonstrations introduce the skills of the harvest. Depending on the edition, the programme also includes walks and workshops. These festival photographs were taken in 2025: among the market stalls, a still helped explain how the plant becomes essential oil.

Inside the still, steam passes through the flowers and carries their aromatic compounds with it. It is then cooled back into liquid. The essential oil separates from the floral water, known as hydrolat. Some of the harvest follows a different route: once dried, it is made into bunches or flower sachets. These uses explain the range of products available at the festival.

Sault’s big gathering on 15 August

Sault’s lavender festival is a major summer event in the lavender-growing area. Every 15 August, growers, craftspeople and visitors gather at the Bois du Deffends for the market, distillation demonstrations and Provençal entertainment. The French sickle-cutting championship honours a skill that mechanisation has largely replaced in the fields.

Run by the Lavandes en Fête association and its volunteers, the day combines a parade, meetings with lavender growers and a country lunch beneath the oaks. It offers a way to continue exploring lavender after flowering: by this date, many fields have already been harvested.

Aurel, a village of painters

Aurel has been home to several Provençal painters, including René Seyssaud, who set up a studio here in the 1930s. In 1955, Pierre Ambrogiani moved into a teacher’s accommodation and used an empty classroom as his studio. Beyond Aurel, Montbrun-les-Bains extends the outing towards the Baronnies, with its fountains, the stone-paved lanes of the old village and the buildings of its spa resort.

Choosing when to see the flowers

July is a useful guide when planning this outing, but it does not guarantee that every field will be in bloom. Altitude, varieties, weather and cutting dates shift the timetable from one field to another. Before setting out, ask about the current flowering conditions rather than relying on a fixed date.

Morning and late afternoon give the lavender rows more definition. When the sun is lower, shadows highlight the furrows and the rolling ground.

Further afield towards Ventoux and the Baronnies

From Sault, the road to the summit of Ventoux leaves the farmland and climbs through the forest. To the southwest, the Nesque gorges offer a different landscape of cliffs and roads along the hillsides; the Nesque area is also an option for a place to stay.

To the north, the lavender fields of the Baronnies continue the journey into the valleys and hills of the Drôme. For another outing around this crop, the Valensole plateau offers different perspectives, with its village, almond trees and large lavandin fields.