Sunflower Books : Landscapes of EASTERN PROVENCE: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Eastern Provence, 1st edition (2002); updated 02/11/08

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Updates for walks and car tours (drives) in eastern Provence and the Côte d'Azur given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

Touring: The Michelin maps 81 and 84 have been replaced. The two maps needed now are Nos 340 and 341.

Nuisances: A user writes of encountering a wild boar on Walk 32 near Encastel. We have never seen any in France, although they are quite commonly encountered on walks in Corsica. Obviously give them a wide berth - we doubt that a Dog Dazer would be useful. (The authors)

Timetables: Timetables for all TAM buses are now on the internet: www.cg.06.fr, Click on 'transports et routes', then 'lignes' and select the line you want and click 'valider'. For rail timetables, see www.ter-sncf.com. For the Train de Pignes, see www.trainprovence.com but note: we have been unable to access this web site lately. (Sunflower, 02/04)

Walk 1: There is now good yellow PR waymarking. (Authors, 1/04)

Walk 2: Aspremont is now served by Nice TOWN bus 62. This means that if you have one of the multi-day passes, you can travel all the way to Aspremont on your pass. The first bus leaves from the Magnan bus stop at 12.15... Fondalin is reached in 35min (not 25min), so add about 10min to all following times, making the walk 3h30min. (Authors, 1/04) + Alternative walk: At 1h05min: The Piste des Morgues does not go to the summit ­ it joins a tarmac road, the D214. At 1h25min: You cannot reach the north side of the fort! We searched both clockwise and anticlockwise for half an hour, inside and outside the main walls, but found only dead ends, barbed wire or sheer drops. (Although you can walk around much of it, the 'grassy moat' is derelict and overgrown.) We had to return to Aspremont by the same route as we had come up. (User, 11/08)

Walk 3: This is a terrific walk - Peillon is a must-see village. The route from Peille is well way-marked through the woods now and is much easier than it must have been when the book was first published- just follow the yellow flashes. NB There is no longer a log bridge across the Farquin Stream (2h15min), but this wasn't a problem as there was no stream running either (April 2006)! (User, 4/06)

Walk 4: It's 1h40min to below the lighthouse, not 1h30min, but the overall time is unaffected... Before reaching the Plage de Passable the route skirts the Lido apartments on a road... At the bus stop on the D125 you can take a short-cut: take the alley just to the right of the bus stop: this drops down to Av Séméria, which you follow against the traffic flow back to the port. (Authors, 1/04) ... In March the lighthouse was closed to the public. (User, 3/04)

Walk 5: At the start: There are several barriers! You will find the right direction on the square white pillar, which points across the road for 'Mal Infernet'. At 30 min: We walked in September and the Mal Infernet was only a trickle. The 'glassy pool' was rather murky and not at all inviting! (Nevertheless this is still a beautiful walk.) At 1h10min: It is very difficult to spot where 'the GR leaves the track'. The narrow path and the bridge are almost completely hidden by undergrowth and trees on the near bank, and the path on the opposite bank is not visible at all until you have crossed. However it is then clearly defined. At 1h25min: At the Col d'Aubert there is actually a crossroads of paths, but the instruction to turn left is correct. (User, 11/08)

Walk 6: At 1h10min: The wide track bears left and the GR branches off to the right (staying alongside the railway) several hundred metres before the railway goes into the tunnel. At 1h30min: At the Col de Théoule, the footpath to Esquillon goes south east (or more accurately SSE), not south west. (There is presumably a straightforward misprint in the book.) This path (as described) eventually widens into a track, and finally into a new tarmac road, before you reach the road junction. At 2h +: There has been a lot of property development in this area in recent years, and this slight detour skirts round above it. We believe the original route is now covered by roads and buildings. On the 'balcony footpath' you eventually find tarmac underfoot again, but soon (just before reaching a road junction) take a sharp left uphill on a wide stony track, the Boulevard des Alpes, signposted Pointe de l'Aiguille and Théoule. Follow this until it curves to the west and you see a signpost on the left with a wooden barrier opposite. Straight ahead is signposted Circuit de l'Aiguille (not Pointe de l'Aiguille) but the arm that should be pointing right is missing. Turn sharp right downhill past the barrier, and after a couple of minutes you come to a small open space with an area map. From here, follow the zigzag path down towards the coast, turn left on the tarmac road at the bottom, and follow this down to the D6098 (formerly the RN98). Turn right and walk about 100m up to the brow of the hill, where steps on the left take you down towards the rocks of the Pointe de l'Aiguille. Now follow the coastal paths, taking whichever branch is nearer to the sea. At one point, where straight ahead is signposted only RN98 (and again the right arm is missing!) turn sharp right down a path to the Plage de Pradeyrol. From here you can walk along a promenade to Théoule. (User, 11/08)

Walk 9: In May 2008, we found no electrified fences; but we did manage to go wrong close to the beginning of the walk. The path descends from the chapel, and soon reaches the stream, at which point it is crucial to turn sharp right (as shown on the map) and not to follow what looks like the obvious way ahead (in fact slightly left), which leads to an exciting path up the ridge the other side of the stream - one of those much easier to go up than down. It might be worth including a warning about this... Between the Ravin de Cabrolles and Monti, the text refers to a newly-bulldozed track. There are now several such tracks, and one just has to follow one's instincts as to which is the right one. Until things have settled down a bit it will be difficult to give precise instructions. Despite our false start and uncertainties before Monti, a perfect walk for that part of the country. (User, 5/08)

Walk 10: It's nice to start this walk in Menton and end at Cabbé. (User, 3/04)

Walk 11, Short walk: At the end of this walk the path splits before the farm of St-Gervais, with no indication of which to take. Take the upper path through the buildings. The lower leads round under the buildings, where four savage dogs are kept. (User, 2/03)

Walk 13 (and Short walk): There have been some signposting changes at the start. From the Parking supérieur, head east on the stony track behind the barrier (a continuation of the track on which you parked). Pass a track up to the right signposted 'Cime du Pisset'; then, at a Y-fork (with sign 421), where the track curves right, keep ahead on a stony path. Cross a bridge and arrive at Chalet Vidron (30min), where you will now find signpost 422. Walk below the chalet for a view of a tiered cascade, with Mt Pelago on the far side. From here following signs 'Refuge de la Cougourde, Pas des Ladres'. As you climb in zigzags, watch carefully for the cairns! Soon you'll hear the river and arrive at the Pont de Pierastrèche (55min). For the main walk, cross this bridge and follow 'Lac de Trécolpas, Pas des Ladres, Refuge de la Cougourde' (sign 423). For an alternative to the Short walk described in the book, cross the bridge and, from signpost 423 follow the red- and white marked GR52 to the left. You descend at the right of the tiered cascade seen earlier, then the GR bends left in front of a scree and drops to opposite the Chalet Vidron. Coming to a Y-fork a good 30min below the bridge, where you can see a (private) chalet ahead through the trees, fork left on a wide grassy track, over a bridge. At another fork four minutes later, where the same chalet is seen to the right, go left. In seven minutes, with a restaurant ahead, go left at sign 419 ('Chalet Vidron', etc). Rise to a crossing track - the track from the Vachérie du Boréon. Go left towards the Vachérie and pass to the right of it, rising up a stony path to the Parking supérieur (1h55min). (Authors, 2/03) + Description of the walk excellent - but for accuracy's sake, the refuge is gold-varnished timber (not canary yellow), with a weathered silver-grey timber roof. (User, 1/06)

Walks 14 & 15: Still 3 feet of snow at Easter this year so we couldn't do them (no crampons!). (User, 4/06)

Walk 14: As described, but a little harder than we thought, due to the steady height gain and being very rocky underfoot. (User, 1/06)

Walk 17: At the start: The castle is visible from the car park / bus stop, but it is not obvious from there that the village centre is up the same road. It would help if the guide said "walk up towards the castle"! There is also a much larger car park up there. Incidentally, just over the far end of that car park is a good picnic spot with fine views.
At 1h40min: The waymarks are now yellow, not magenta. You come almost immediately to a T-junction of small paths, with waymarks going both ways, which is not mentioned in the book. Turn right here.
At 2h20min: The apiary has gone. (User, 11/08)

Walk 23 (Car tour 5): After turning left on the D226 to Lac d'Allos, we were only able to go 6km, then the road was closed with a new barrier. At the right of the barrier and along the roadside there are parking places. From here the road winds downhill for 15min to another barrier, at the entrance to the National Park, by a cascade. There is a sign on the turnpike saying that this closure will be in force every year between October 15 and June 15. This extends the walk by just over 5km in each direction; we took 90 min to get to the 'official' start of your walk and 70 min back down. You can follow the asphalt road or the signposted route that leaves, then rejoins it. (User, 8/02) [Authors' note: This is a pity, and will deter most walkers. Moreover, we've been there in gorgeous weather in May and late October, with no problem driving to the 'official' start. Southern France had atrocious weather in 2002, and we wonder if the sign/barrier/etc really will be a permanent feature for six months of the year. We would suggest that, if you are in the area, it would be worth driving up to see if the road is open. These users also said that they were there in early April and needed snowshoes. Note what we say about walking in the Mercantour and high mountains on page 61.]

Walk 24: From the Y-fork at the barn (1h10min) the text should read: take the fork to the left of the barn and walk down the overgrown path to the stream bed. Climb from the bed for about a minute and take a faint unmarked path going off to the right. After 10 metres, the path is distinct and there are yellow waymarks on the trees. (User, 7/08; Pat & John: he is right!)

Walk 26: After the 10min-point the route is freshily waymarked with yellow flashes... The view from the cliff is really beautiful, but there is no cultivation by Scaffarel in the south; it's all woodland or scrub. What is beautiful is the view of the innumerable cliffs and the Gorge de la Galange. You only see cultivation about 15min later, after you have rounded the southern rockface... At the 1h20min-point only the outside walls of the stone hut remain. A new path has been made and signposted about 10min before the hut. It goes right (north-northeast) and is signed with a wooden post. This path (15mn up, 10min down) runs over slightly sloping rock slabs just along the rock face, and one has a breathtaking view into the Coalomp Valley and the mountains beyond. At first the route is well marked, but not in the later stages - so you have to look about to find the best viewpoint; the best views are, naturally, in the far southeast corner, but you have to be very careful; the drops are sheer... The path climbs to the Pas des Portettes, the highest point of the walk - not only the highest point, but the most beautiful as well, with a massive rock arch. After you pass through it, turn round, since it is even more impressive from the far side. After just a few meters downhill we follow the path round a bend to the right. The path is easy to find and now very well marked, so that the rest of the text isn't really needed. Instead you could say, further down you pass several springs gushing out over the path, which can be wet at times (I wouldn't go as far as saying 'mucky streams'). All the dark blue triangles have been replaced. And the path is no longer so narrow as you suggest... I have two more comments to make about this walk: 1. It is immediately noticeable that the rock formations on this walk are not the bright limestone encountered everywhere in provence, but dark brown sandstone - a very interesting natural phenomenon. You should mention this and say why. 2. As the guide rightly says there are large and small groups of chestnut trees along the route. At other times pine predominates, as one would expect on sandy terrain (sandstone!). Of course chestnuts were not indigenous here; they are a sign of long-past cultivation, and that's why there are ruined stone huts near these groves (I saw at least two examples). Sweet chestnuts were cultivated in Provence for both their fruit and wood. I think there were many chestnut groves here once, but since they are no longer cultivated, the much faster growing pines are wiping them out. You should also mention this. (User, 02/04)

Walk 27: I wasn't much impressed by this walk. I think two more interesting alternatives are:
1) to walk from Aiglun up to the mighty walls of Mont St-Martin (see map) - this is an Eldorado for climbers and it's fascinating to see them 'hanging' there. The climb only takes half an hour and passes by the interesting Grotte Obscure ('Dark Cave').
2. climb from Aiglun towards the east, with a beautiful view of the mountains in the south and east and down into the Esteron Valley. After about 30min of steep climbing northwards in zigzags - where the terrain changes from woods to scree - there are textbook examples of wind-sculpted ancient oaks. Before you get to the top (signpost 76a) there are attractive rock walls. From the high point there is a fine view north and northeast towards Sigale. Now the way descends a bit (first northwest, then north) for about 15min to signpost 75c (passing signpost 76 en route). From here you do left (southwest) on a very narrow but good path for about half an hour, until you are above the Mont St-Martin climbing wall referred to above. Ths is where the path ends, with a fantastic view into the walls of the Clue d'Aiglun. You have to go back the same way, but its no hardship!
It's possible to do 1) and 2) in the same day of course, as long as you arrange it so that you don't have the sun in your eyes - that it's not already in the west when you are above the climbing wall. (User, 02/04)

Walk 28: There is now a metal barrier, not boulders at the start of the track where the walk begins There is an orange paint mark opposite the path up to the chapel above Ville One of the 'three Kings' has disappeared - blown up by Castellane council. It was the central figure - a 100ft-high statue of the sect's founder. (The Authors, 1/03)

Walk 31: There is now a minibus between Point Sublime and the Chalet de la Maline (20min each way). For information see www.Transverdon.com or phone 04 92 77 14 20 or call in at the brasserie 'Lou Cafetié' in La Palud. Price 13 euros round trip. (Sunflower, 2/05) + Description generally excellent, but there is a smaller scree just before the Guegues scree, with several braided paths before it. I would stress that the path runs more or less level, with no climbing at this stage. The walk was much easier than we were expecting. After the ladders, the rest of the walk is quite straightforward. (User, 1/06) + I've just returned from Provence and I would like to change the up-date for walk 31. There is now a coach leaving from Castelane (08.00) and visits the nearby campsites before stopping at Pont Sublime (08.45). The coach runs between April and September, timetables are available at tourist offices. The day that we walked the Gorge the bus company put on three coaches because of the large numbers of walkers. This was a friday at the beginning of May. The fare from Pont sublime to Chateau Maline was about 3 euros. If you arrive early at Pont Sublime there is plenty of parking space. At the end of the gorge (Samson car park) go to the far left of the car park and follow the GR4 back up to Pont Sublime. (User, 06/07)

Walk 32: See 'Nuisances' above.