One February not long ago, we hiked to Mont Ours from Ste-Agnès. We now decided to do a loop hike passing through three cols above the village: Col de Verroux (935 m), Col des Banquettes (736 m) and Pas de la Piastre (935 m). It turned out to be another great winter experience in the mountains so near the Mediterranean coast.
As before, we parked at the village entrance (about 600 m elev.) and headed towards Col de Verroux along the well-signposted (#441, 442, 444, 445) trail. After a brief descent to Peyre Grosse (a few houses), we ascended above Ravin de Verroux eventually joining an ancient military track before the Col.
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| View east from Ste-Agnès |
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| Trail leaving Ste-Agnès |
From Col de Verroux (signpost #446), we forked left and followed a quasi-horizontal dirt track on the southern flank of Mount Ours and Pic de Garuche, heading west. We had super views as far as to the Mediterranean, Cime de Baudon, Bausson, and Ste-Agnès.
We reached a crossroads at signpost #472 and merged with the trail from Mont Ours. We descended along the rather steep trail towards Col des Banquettes, passing the bunkers located just above the Col. Last year, we hiked back to Ste-Agnès along the narrow but paved Route du Col des Banquettes, the shortest option. This time we ascended to Pas de la Piastre, a more interesting option. The old hiking signpost at the col had disappeared but the start of the steep trail was well visible between two dirt tracks. The trail was marked with yellow signs and was easy to follow in the woods to Pas de la Piastre.
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| Pointe Siricocca and Mont Ours |
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| Trail after signpost#443 |
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| Ravin de Verroux |
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| Old military track near Col de Verroux |
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| Col de Verroux |
From Pas de la Piastre under Cime de Bausson (1087 m), we had a great view down to Ste-Agnès, with a glimpse of the coastline at Menton. From here, we descended rapidly back to our starting point.
Duration: 3h 45 active hiking time
Map: “Nice-Menton” Côte d’Azur 3742 OT
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| Cime de Baudon |
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| Path south of Col des Banquettes |
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| Hike track from Ste-Agnès |
For this recipe, you will need very thin chicken or turkey escalopes. Thin; store- bought escalopes should be placed between two sheets of aluminium foil and rolled to make them even thinner.
If possible, choose grilled and salted pistachios for the stuffing. Peeled pistachios can also be grilled in a dry frying pan with some salt added.
2 servings
2 very thin chicken or turkey escalopes
Olive oil
100 ml white wine
A handful of peeled pistachios and pine nuts
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ small courgette, finely chopped
A handful of baby spinach leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried Provençal herbs
Kitchen string
Preheat the oven to 180° C, roast.
In a mortar, crush the peeled, grilled and salted pistachios and pine nuts with a pestle. Chop the courgette into small pieces.
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sautè the courgette, shallot, and garlic for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the pistachios, pine nuts, and some black pepper. Add the spinach and continue cooking for a few minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Divide the stuffing on the escalopes and roll them. Tie the rolls with string.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the rolls on both sides until golden. Place the rolls in a small oven- proof dish and pour the white wine around them. Transfer to oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve with rice mix and green beans.
In search of new, less visited routes, we wanted to explore the possibility to ascend from the village of St-Blaise (320 m) to Mont Cima (878 m). We have previously climbed to Mont Cima along the popular trail from Aspremont (500 m).
The north face of Mont Cima and Inarte is mostly forest-covered. There are both marked and unmarked trails on the slope. We had studied the area on maps and it should be possible to find a route to Mont Cima.
Starting from the village centre, we ascended along stairs, crossing the main road M14 three times. We walked past a small Eco museum by the road and first climbed along Chemin d’Amandier, then along a trail to signpost #826 where we took the right-hand path (Le Castel; La Gipasse) and ascended further to signpost #825. We forked right almost 180° and soon came to le Castel, ruins of a small castle perched above St-Blaise. The signposts from St-Blaise do not directly guide you to Mont Cima.
Still continuing along a marked trail (yellow), we now headed south west in the woods, quasi horizontally, along a very good path which merged with dirt track that runs along the mountain slope. We forked left, and walked along the dirt track about 500 m to a bend (arrow on the map; image). Here, we forked right and started to ascend along an unmarked trail. The trail had nevertheless some markings for mountain bikers. We climbed quite steeply to a crossroads under Mont Inarte, turned left and came to a small clearing east of Inarte. We continued southeast, and soon reached the familiar hiking path to/from Mont Cima.
You never get tired of the panorama from Mont Cima. It is 360°, from the Riviera coastline to Mercantour summits. There are orientation tables on the mountain top.
We descended along the same trail. There are many spots on this trail that offer great views to Nice hinterland as well as high peaks in the distance.
Climb: 600 m
Distance: 8.2 km
Duration: 3h 50 active time
Map: 3742 OT Nice Menton Côte d’Azur
This recipe is inspired by a lunch that we recently had in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The sardine fillets were stuffed with a typical Niçoise vegetable mix: mangold or spinach, shallots, garlic, black olives, tomatoes, and basil. All vegetables were chopped into small pieces and sautéed in olive oil before stuffing. The sardine fillets were then roasted in the oven.
They were served with panisses, chickpea flour cakes, and some extra vegetable mix as a side.
The dish was so tasty and healthy that I decided to try it at home. The following recipe is my twist of that terrace lunch.
2 servings
6- 8 sardine fillets
1 tbsp. dried bread crumbs
Olive oil
2 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
8 black olives, pitted and chopped
About 8 basil leaves, chopped
2 large store- bought panisses
2 tbsp. almond flakes
Wash the spinach and tomato and chop them into small pieces. Peel and chop the shallot and clove of garlic. Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat and sauté the vegetables about 5- 10 minutes turning occasionally. Add the chopped olives.
Preheat the oven to 210° C roast. Place the panisses in a large oven- proof dish and sprinkle with the almond flakes and some olive oil. Start roasting the chick-pea cakes; they need about 5-10 minutes longer than the sardine fillets.
Clean and dry the sardine fillets. Fill them wit the vegetable mixture and place them in the same oven- proof dish with the panisses. Sprinkle the sardine fillets with the breadcrumbs and some olive oil, place the dish back to the oven and roast for about 10- 12 minutes. Cover the remaining vegetable mixture and keep warm.
When the sardines are cooked and the almond flakes on the panisses are golden, remove the dish from the oven and divide on the plates. Divide the extra vegetable mixture on the plates and decorate with basil.
For this dish, choose organic carrots that do not need to be peeled. This is a great spring recipe when new carrots arrive and oranges are still in season.
2 servings
6- 8 organic carrots
2 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
Olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 orange
About 250 g pork fillet, chopped into chunks
100 ml white wine
1/3 chicken stock cube, crumbled
2 tbsp. crème fraîche 15% fat or cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
Wash the carrots, cut into large chunks and cook in boiling water 15 minutes. Drain the water, add the orange juice and ginger, cover and cook about 20 minutes until the carrots are soft. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. crème fraîche, and some black pepper. Mix and press into a purée.
Meanwhile warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Sauté the pork chunks until golden on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and continue sautéing for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the crumbled chicken stock and pour in the wine. Grind over some black pepper, mix well and let simmer until the pork is cooked.
Divide the carrot purée into bowls and place the pork on top. Decorate with chopped parsley.
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| Gourdon and Pic de Courmettes |
We decided to ascend from Bar-sur-Loup to Gourdon via Bois de Gourdon and descend along Chemin du Paradis.
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| Bar-sur-Loup mairie |
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| Chemin de St-Michel |
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| GR51 west of Bar-sur-Loup |
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| Towards Bois de Gourdon |
We parked by the D2210 road below Bar-sur-Loup (≈300 m) and climbed to the village square. From there, we headed southwest along Avenue General de Gaulle then Chemin de Saint-Michel. At signpost #21 in front of a small chapel, we forked right and started to climb along Chemin de Bouscarle, passing the last residences. We temporarily merged with the GR51 and followed it to signpost #23. There we forked right, climbed along a forest path to the D3 road and crossed it. We walked past a small parking and signpost #17, and continued along a dirt track 250 m, where signpost #16 guided us to a forest path. We were in Bois de Gourdon which mostly consisted of oak trees.
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| Bois de Gourdon |
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| Haut Montet seen from trail |
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| GR51 under Gourdon |
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| Chemin du Paradis below Gourdon |
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| Chemin du Paradis GR51 |
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| GR51 above signpost#5 |
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| Missing bridge over Riou de Gourdon |
We ascended a bit more, now straight north to signpost #15, and merged with the same dirt track. At about 790 m, this marked the highest point of the hike. From here, the itinerary followed the dirt track; we descended along it to signpost #14 where we forked right (east) to a paved road (Chemin du Naouq), and walked to Gourdon (740 m), already visible in front of us.
It was a sunny and warm autumn day, and restaurants and shops in the village seemed busy. After a brief stop, we headed back to Bar-sur-Loup. We descended steeply along the familiar Chemin du Paradis trail, also GR51. At signpost #4, we forked right, still following the GR51 trail. The old narrow iron footbridge over Riou du Gourdon had disappeared, and a new one was under construction. Fortunately, the stream bed was dry and could be crossed.
At signpost #18 we left the GR51, forked left and descended back to Bar-sur-Loup.
It turned out to be a great loop mostly along good trails, dirt tracks and paved roads. The rocky trail down from Gourdon always requires surefootedness and some gymnastics was needed to cross the bridgeless stream bed.
Climb: 540 m (about 30 m less if you start from the main square)
Map: 3643 ET Cannes Grasse Côte d’Azur
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| Bar-sur-Loup Gourdon loop |
Small spelt or einkorn wheat, le petit épeautre, is an ancient grain which was popular in Northern Provençe. It has less gluten and more protein than modern red wheats. Its nutty taste makes it a good base for salads. In France, small spelt can be found in organic shops. It cooks in 45 minutes and can be frozen in batches. This is a tasty spring salad when green asparagus is in season.
2 servings
100 ml small spelt
6 organic green asparagus
A handful of baby salad leaves, mesclun
8- 10 radishes, sliced
2 soft-cooked eggs
A handful of organic parsley
A few basil leaves
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Vinaigrette of olive oil and red wine vinegar
Cook the small spelt in boiling water for 45 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
Peel the asparagus stems, discard the tough ends and chop into about 4 cm long pieces. Microwave about 3 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool.
Cook the eggs for 6 minutes, let cool in cold water and peel.
Wash and slice the radishes.
Wash and dry the parsley. Chop it finely and mix with a little olive oil and black pepper into a purée.
Divide the small spelt on the plates. Top with salad leaves and asparagus. Sprinkle with some vinaigrette and parsley purée. Decorate with radish slices and place a soft- cooked egg in the middle. Sprinkle with some chopped basil.
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