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The "Au fil de l'eau" hiking trail starts in the centre of the village of Varages. The signpost is on the wall opposite the Faience Museum. The car park at Place de la Libération is accessible via Rue de la Paix (D554).
The circuit is a 4.5 km loop. The centre of the "8" is located at the bridge/tunnel of the old Nice Meyrargues railway line, now EuroVelo 8.
It is marked in blue. At certain intersections, there are directional markers, directional arrows and "road crossing" danger signs. The little fox on the educational signs along the route also provides directional information.
(S/E) From the car park, walk up Place de la Libération to Rue de la Paix. Around the square is the media library/tourist information point and the faience museum.
Cross the road at the traffic lights and take the small Rue Jean Aicard (also known locally as Rue du Four) opposite. Then take the first left onto Rue Victor Hugo.
You will arrive in front of the town hall and the Fontaine des Quatre Saisons fountain. Take the passageway that runs alongside the town hall on the right. You are at the entrance to a staircase: the Descente des Moulins. Go down the stairs until you see the educational sign 1 on the right above you. Climb the steps to reach it, then pass under the arch, enter the ruined mill and discover the waterfall. Continue along the path, following the "thread" of water under the tuff cliff, and rejoin the path below the Descente des Moulins. Continue to the right.
(1) The "Traversée de route" (road crossing) danger sign and the "Chapelle Saint-Pothin" signpost indicate the rest of the route. Cross the D35 and go down the few steps behind the road embankment. Turn left and follow the road on your left. At the bend in the road and the bridge over the Varages stream, walk along the side of the road. Follow the sign for "Chapelle Saint-Pothin" and take the first road on the right after the bridge, Avenue de la Gare.
(2) Just before the property (former railway station), at the signpost for Chapelle Saint-Pothin, turn left, then immediately left (180°) to go up onto the bridge (tunnel of the old railway line).
Follow the blue signposted path, the paved slanting street. Pass the information board 2 at the oratory, the dry stone wall and the rain water reservoir carved into rock in the olive groves. Turn right at the cross in the dry stone walls to reach the Chapelle Saint-Pothin.
Around the chapel, there is a hermitage and an old castle wall. The view is magnificent over the village of Varages, its tuff cliff and the Bessillons in the background. A heritage signpost entitled "Laissez-vous conter Varages" (Let Varages tell its story) on the chapel and a landscape information panel (signpost 3 on the circuit) invite you to discover the history of the village. Benches are also provided for a rest in the shade after the climb.
Go around the chapel, passing between it and the wall. Be careful not to get too close to the wall. Continue along the Chemin de Saint-Pothin, marked in blue. Pass the information panel 4, which focuses on the Château de La Verdière. Then take the first path on the right (Chemin du Plan d'Envaou). Follow it northwards towards the old railway line, now the EuroVélo 8 cycle route.
(3) Turn right onto the old railway line (EV8). The path runs partly alongside the Eau Salée (on the left). You will come to information panel 5 in front of an old troglodyte fort, then information panel 6 after the old Varages station and before the tunnel of the old railway line. Go through the tunnel.
At the tunnel exit, cross the road (D35) and continue straight ahead. You are still on the old railway line. Information board 7 is located on the river bridge. After the bridge, turn left and head back up towards the village via the Trulets neighbourhood.
(4) At the signpost indicating the village, turn left onto the picturesque little path that follows the water. Follow the blue markings, step over the water in places, climb the steps and you will soon arrive at information board 8.
"If this section of the circuit is impassable (people with reduced mobility, high water levels), do not turn left at the signpost, continue straight ahead towards the village, the two paths rejoin higher up."
Go up Rue Pierre Curie to Place de l'Église.
(5) In front of you is the retaining wall of the church car park, the presbytery and the school. Walk along the wall on your right, follow the blue signs and take the first street on the right, Rue Jean de La Fontaine. Follow the stream and you will come to a wash house opposite the school. At the end of the street, cross the road (Avenue des Alliés - D35) and enter the Parc de l'Enclos. This is one of the stops on the "Laissez-vous conter Varages" heritage trail. There is an exit on the other side of the park, on Avenue de la Source. There is another wash house here.
The Place de la Libération and the car park where you started are a little further down on the left behind the Jean Lantaume community hall (S/E).
Before heading back, you can walk up Avenue de la Source to discover La Foux (the spring) where the stream originates, or explore the village of Varages, its museum and heritage trail. See "During the walk or nearby".
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