The Old Napoleon Road from Saint-Vallier to Escragnolles

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In the foothills of the Alps, along the Siagne trail, set off to discover the historical trail of Napoleon in March 1815, from Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey to Escragnolles.
Archaeological evidence also suggests that this route along the Siagne has been in use for thousands of years, as dolmens, burial mounds and rock shelters have been found in the immediate vicinity.

Details

n°3066941
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 658 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 665 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,085 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 586 m
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Photos

Old Napoleon Road

Description of the walk

By car in Saint-Vallier, take the old Route Napoléon towards Chapelle Sainte-Luce, which you should then leave on your right and continue along the Chemin de la Siagne to the cistern car park.

(S/E) Take the path on the left that descends to join theGR® 510 at marker 80. Follow it to the right towards the Chapelle Saint-Jean. Cross the Vallon de Bramafan stream, pass marker 82 and then head to the Chapelle Saint-Jean.
Stop here to visit the chapel and its old mill on the banks of the Siagne.

(1) Then continue along the path, cross the old bridge and head due north up the stony path, which is quite steep; pass the Vieux Pont and then the houses of Léchen. Leave the wide path on your right and continue left on the GR®. Reach marker 84, a crossroads of paths.

(2) Keep to the right on theGR®, continue on, pass marker 91, and further on reach the Chapelle Saint-Martin, a Romanesque chapel now in ruins.

(3) Stay on theGR® heading due west; this is the historic old path taken by Napoleon and his troops. Follow the right bank of the Vallon de Saint-Martin stream at a distance. Reach the first houses of La Colette, running parallel to the N 85 (New Napoleon Road), and reach the end of the climb here.

(4) Leave theGR® here and turn left heading due south, following the forest track along the ridge. You will reach the junction marked with signpost 85.

(5) Take the track on the left, head downhill and reach the junction marked 86.

(6) Leave the track here and turn left onto the path leading to the ruins of Rouyère mentioned at marker 87.

(7) Continue left along the path after the ruins to descend towards theGR®510. Follow this path, ignoring the turnings to the right or left, to return to the junction marked by signpost 84, which you passed on the way out.

(2) Turn right and follow the route taken on the way there in the opposite direction.

(1) At the Chapelle Saint-Jean, you can follow the road to reach the cistern car park more easily (S/E) without having to tackle the final steep climb.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 717 m - Cistern car park
  2. 1 : km 1.96 - alt. 604 m - Saint-Jean Chapel and its mill
  3. 2 : km 3.74 - alt. 720 m - Crossroads of the circular loop, marker 84
  4. 3 : km 5.35 - alt. 928 m - Saint-Martin Chapel
  5. 4 : km 6.49 - alt. 1,039 m - La Colette, running parallel to the N85
  6. 5 : km 7.2 - alt. 1,085 m - Marker 85
  7. 6 : km 8.58 - alt. 992 m - Marker 86
  8. 7 : km 9.15 - alt. 857 m - Rouyère marker 87
  9. S/E : km 14.33 - alt. 717 m - Cistern car park

Notes

Pack a few cereal bars or dried fruit, as well as a water bottle, in your rucksack.

Worth a visit

(1) Saint-Jean Chapel and its old mill on the banks of the Siagne.
(3) The ruins of the Saint-Martin Chapel.
Between (3) and (4), the well-preserved route cleverly makes use of the rock’s natural contours, with its low walls, kerbs and cobblestones. It was partially restored in 2014 up to the site known as ‘La Colette’.
Here you are, of course, on the very road that Napoleon took.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
User 12525375

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in Haute Siagne, following in the footsteps of the Route Napoléon. We had a bit of trouble finding the car park at the start (the access road is a bit tricky to find and 3 km long), and the route description was a bit vague in places (luckily the app works well)

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zacbru
zacbru

This hike is a classic that I did every time I visited the area between 2005 and 2019. I am fascinated by the climb up the old Roman road, with its winding terraced path. Don't miss the breathtaking view at the start of the gorges and the Audibergue towering above. You can see the hamlet of Le Baïl and its waterfall.

I always stop off at the Chapelle St-Jean and the Chapelle St-Martin.

To avoid fighting for the few parking spaces at the cistern, you can park near the Baume Obscure, or start from the village of St-Vallier and enjoy the south-facing plateau. Watch out for cars!

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ejlhomme
ejlhomme

Thank you. It's been corrected.

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Twinnings
Twinnings
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk above the Siagne.

Just one comment: the start is very poorly signposted.
Instead of saying that you should “leave the Chapelle Sainte-Luce on your right to reach the cistern car park”, it would be simpler to say: continue along the Chemin de la Siagne to the cistern car park.
The paths have names – it’s easy to follow them!

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marthum
marthum

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this superb and very interesting walk. It’s worth noting that St Martin’s Chapel has now been restored and offers a cool retreat when it’s hot! The narrow path between points 6 and 7 (markers 86 and 87) is steep and in poor condition due to bad weather, so walking poles are recommended. And after the ruins of La Rouyère at point 7, you should take the narrow path that leads into the forest, not the wide track to the left across the meadow.

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SERENITA
SERENITA
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the footsteps of Napoleon on his return from Elba

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