We have used the village of Castellar north of Menton as a starting point for many hikes, such as the Mont Carpano loop.
This time we wanted to start from Menton along the GR 52 trail, then back along a trail beginning in the Vallon de l’Orméa. We had marked the waypoints on our last hike.
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| Start from Menton |
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| GR52 start in Menton |
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| Menton seen from trail |
We parked in Menton-Garavan and headed to the Garavan railway station, and found the first signpost of today’s itinerary behind the station. However, the numbers on the rather new posts were different from those on our map (Nr 1 was 420 on the map etc). The white/red markings were frequent and easy to follow as we first ascended along stairs and narrow streets. We walked under the A8 motorway, and after a short stretch along roads, we were on the rocky and rather steep trail to Granges St-Paul.
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| GR52 still in Menton |
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| GR52 now more sauvage |
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| GR52 higher above Menton |
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| Near Granges Saint-Paul |
We reached a dirt road named Piste des Granges St-Paul and forked left heading northwest towards Castellar. The GR 52 continued straight to Plan de Lion. After about 2 km we came to the outskirts of Castellar. At signpost #414 (Menton par Balmetta et le Baousset) we forked left and soon entered a delightful path in a verdant valley. Now yellow-marked, the descent became steeper as we approached the A8. Pay close attention here to the markings as the trail exited a road and dove into a pedestrian tunnel under the motorway.
We came to the upper neighbourhoods of Menton, and passed a pony club. There were no markings anymore, but the direction was evident. Passing several beautiful villas with panoramic views, we walked past the cemetery before reaching the old town.
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| Signpost#414 return trail |
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| Return trail to Menton |
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| Menton Garavan |
Climb: 510 m
Distance: 10,4 km
Duration: 3h 45 active time
Map: Nice Menton Côte d’Azur 3742 OT
This tasty lactovegetarian dish is often served as mezze, apéro in Eastern Mediterranean countries. It can also be served as a simple supper if supplemented by some good country bread, a green side salad, and perhaps some feta or goat cheese.
I have replaced the typical Eastern Mediterranean herbs and spices with herbes de Provençe and Piment d’Espelette.
2 servings
About 250 g cherry tomatoes
About 250 g white beans in a glass jar
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Herbes de Provençe
½ tsp. Piment d’Espelette
100 ml white wine
2 tbsp. black olives
To serve:
4 tbsp. fromage blanc 0% fat or thick Greek yoghurt
Basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 190°C, roast
Rinse the cherry tomatoes. Spread 1 tbsp. olive oil in the bottom of an oven-proof sauté pan. Add the cherry tomatoes and mix until well coated with olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large thick- bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 10- 12 minutes.
Deglaze with white wine and let reduce a few minutes. Add the Provençal herbs and Piment d’Espelette.
Rinse the white beans under running water and add to the saucepan. When the cherry tomatoes are well collapsed and a bit coloured, add them to the saucepan and mix.
Spread the fromage blanc or yoghurt on the sides of 2 bowls. Divide he cherry tomato mixture in the centre and decorate with basil leaves.
In one of our early blogposts, we
described a loop hike from Èze Village to Fort de la Revère.
As the village attracts a lot of visitors, a large underground parking was
recently opened after years of construction.
We planned to redo the hike to the fort combined with a loop in la Simboula.
The village was already bustling with tourists on a sunny autumn weekend but
we had no problems in finding a spot in the new parking house.
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Ascending above Èze
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Trail above Èze Village
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Break near fort de la Revère
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| Viewing Cap Ferrat |
We walked along the Moyenne Corniche a few hundred meters to signpost #645
where we forked left, passing several houses and signposts #646 and #647.
Climbing quite steeply in places, we crossed the Grande Corniche at
signpost #648.
We came to a crossroads at signpost #650 where we forked right and soon
came to the paved road (#651) south of the fortress. La Maison de la
Nature was opposite us. You never get tired of the panorama from
here!
After a break we headed east along the ex-military track with which
followed the precipitous southern flank of la Simboula.
At a crossroads about 1 km from Maison de la Nature we forked left. There
were new signposts showing nature trail options in the woods. We chose the
one to la Simboula where we climbed to the small observation tower with a
map.
The new nature trails turned out to be pleasant and easy to follow, and
child-friendly. Families with small children can drive up to the parking
west of the fortress (Parking du fort de la Revère).
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Entering tunnel in la Simboula
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La Simboula military tunnel
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Route de la Simboula
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La Simboula viewing tower
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Viewing la Tête du Chien
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| Returning to Èze |
We descended back to signpost #650 where we forked right, crossed the Grande
Corniche (signpost #653) and followed a steep paved road with beautiful
residences then a rocky trail before reaching narrow streets just before
Èze.
Climb: 420 m
Distance: 6,3 km
Duration: 2h 40
Map: 3742 OT “Nice-Menton” Côte d’Azur
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Èze la Simboula hike track
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This tasty pasta recipe is full of healthy ingredients: olive oil, cherry tomatoes, whole wheat pasta, shallots, garlic, black olives, pine nuts, and fresh herbs. The not so healthy pancetta is used in a small quantity, like a flavouring, which was typical of the classic Mediterranean diet. This type of cuisine is shown to be the healthiest way of eating.
2 servings
Whole wheat fettucine for 2 servings
Olive oil
100 g pancetta, chopped
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1-2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp. organic black olives
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Some parmesan shavings
Freshly ground black pepper
100 ml white wine
Basil leaves for decoration
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan over medium- high heat. Fry the cherry tomatoes and pine nuts until the tomatoes start collapsing and the pine nuts are getting a bit of colour. Stir frequently.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped pancetta, garlic, shallot, and black olives to the pan. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Deglaze with white wine.
Meanwhile cook the fettucine al dente. Drain and add to the pan. Grind over some back pepper and mix.
Divide the pasta into 2 bowls and the pancetta- vegetable mixture around it. Sprinkle with parmesan shavings and decorate with basil.
Serve with a green side salad for a balanced meal.
Located in the southern part of the city of Hyères, the
western part of the Giens Peninsula is much less inhabited,
with rugged terrain, beautiful Mediterranean woods and several impressive
cliffs. Here, the popular coastal hiking trail (le
sentier littoral) circles along its shores with stunning views from many
parts of the path. While admiring the scenery, it is advisable to stop as some
stretches are narrow, exposed and steep.
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Pines near Madgague Beach
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Heading to beach from Madrague
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View to north from Pointe des Chevaliers
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Western part of Giens Peninsula
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We drove to Madrague where we parked in the
Parking rando Giens (unpaved, potholes). We walked to Rue de Madrague,
forked left (west) and headed towards the beach, passing a camping ground. We
located the first signposts showing the coastal trail which was well marked
with yellow. We climbed to the first cliffs with views to the west and
the nearby Île Longue and Île de la Ratonnière, and Toulon in
the distance.
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Above a cliff in Giens
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| Giens Sugar Loaf |
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Point du Rabat Giens
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We continued south/southwest to Pointe des Chevaliers then above Calanque du
Blé to Pointe des Salis. A few times we descended to small coves with sand
beaches.
We headed east, and after a few steep ascents and descents, we came to Plage
des Darbussières where we turned left and headed back to our starting point
along a dirt road.
Duration: 2h 30
Climb: 330 m (Iphigènie app) , 200 m (Under Armour® Map my hike)
Distance: 6,7 km
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Steep stretch of trail Giens
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Like a scenery from Count of Monte Cristo Movie
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Tagine is a cone-shaped cooking vessel from North Africa as well as the name of the stew that is cooked inside. Lamb is often cooked in tagine together with spices and vegetables. If you don’t have a tagine, you can cook this stew in a heavy pot such as Le Creuset.
Ras el hanout is the spice mix for lamb tagine. The organic French rase el hanout I am using is made of ground cumin, ginger, black pepper, fenugreek, mild red pepper, stare, clove, and cardamom. The spices can vary from one mix to another so if you cannot find rase el hanout in your shops you can make your own mix from scratch.
Lamb tagine is usually served over couscous but I have replaced it with chick peas and more vegetables. I have even included avocado strips for the presentation as inspired by a photo in a French magazine presenting new Parisian restaurants. This makes the stew healthier and more modern. The tagine is also cooked more quickly by using lamb leg instead the traditional lamb shoulder.
2 servings
2 slices of lamb leg, tranches de gigot, cut into chunks
2 tbsp. olive oil
1- 2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots
1 parsnip
1 avocado
1 jar of chick peas, about 200 g net
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. ras el hanout
½ tsp. Piment d’Espelette or other mild chilli powder
2 tbsp. raisins
2 tbsp. black olives
About 200- 250 ml chicken stock
Peel the parsnip and wash the carrots. Cut them lengthwise into thick strips and cook in water in a saucepan until soft. Drain, cover and keep warm until needed.
Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pot and brown the lamb chunks on all sides. Reduce the heat, add the shallots and garlic and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes. Add the spices, raisins, and chicken stock and stir. Add the drained chick peas and tomato paste. Stir and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Just before serving, add the black olives.
Wash and peel the avocado. Cut into thick strips. For the presentation, divide the tagine on the middle of the plates into a kind of cone-shaped heap. Divide the carrot, parsnip, and avocado strips on the heap.
The Bergians Plateau south of the Village of Beuil offers a
variety of landscapes: Alpine meadows, woods, ancient hamlets, pasture areas.
Some of the old houses seemed to be secondary residences while others were
permanently occupied. There’s a marked trail circling Bergians which can be
reached by itineraries from Beuil, Les Launes or along an ascending trail from
the D28 road.
We chose the latter option and parked next to signpost #68, our starting
point. There’s a vast parking between the road and the
Cians River (huge terracotta-coloured boulders near the riverbed).
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| 2.Above D68 road |
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2. To Bergians from #68
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3.Verdant forest trail to #56a
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| 4.Bergians Soutran |
We climbed along a good trail to signpost #56a and forked left, starting the
loop clockwise. After a short climb, we reached the first hamlet named
Bergians Soutran (lower Bergians according to
https://beuil.fr/circuit-des-bergians/ ). There were yellow markings here
and there to show the trail. We forked left before the last houses (Image 4), entered
a nice forest trail and headed west. The well-used trail soon forked left
while the one on the map continued straight. But the terrain there was
ingrown and wild boars had been messing around. We followed the beaten
unmarked trail, and came to a wide forest track shown on the map. We
followed it, first southeast then northwest, and soon reached signpost #57a
on the map, 57 on the signpost. There was a large herd of cattle roaming
nearby.
We were now in open terrain with a 360° panorama. We continued a bit as
not to disturb the livestock, found a good spot for our picnic
before continuing to Bergians Soubran (the upper Bergians). We came
to Collet de Guérin at 1639 m, another signpost with #57.
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5.Soon after Bergians Soutran
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6.Hamlets in Bergians
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7.Cattle in Bergians
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8.Western side of Bergians
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9.Return trail forking left
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10.Cians River Valley
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We headed east along a dirt track leading to a nearby house, walked right
behind it before continuing along a path to signpost #55 where we crossed a
paved road. After a few hundred meters we started to descend rapidly and
passed a place named Rétouria with some houses.
We came to the beforementioned paved road again (Signpost #56), crossed it and saw our
descending trail next to a house by the road, with an opening in the fence
(forked sharply left, image 9).
We reached sign post #56a, closing the loop and descended back to our
starting point.
Climb: 410 m
Distance: 7,1 km
Duration: 3h 10
Map: 3640 OT Haut Cians Valberg
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