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Depart from the car park below the Chateauvallon theatre.
Take the track to the Ruins of Destras (1). Leave the track and take the narrow path to the right over the small bridge. At the 1st branching off, take the right.
At ref. point 232: it's possible to take the GR51, the marked trail on the right which passes by the 'télégraphe Chappe' (the Chappe semaphore tower), but we preferred to take the track in the middle so as not to miss the viewpoint at the Château du Diable.
Branch off to the right for the Croupatier, up to ref. point 500. A large cairn which marks the path to the Grotte du Croupatier (caves).
No major problems for continuing onwards: Rouvière Plane (509m), Cap Gros (575m).
Return to Rouvière Plane. Make sure you don't miss the small hidden path just before the big platform (ruins of a building).
Marvellous Vallon des Bagnards or Vallon de la Grille (gate), the gate which you will reach at point 456.
Return via a big track. Ref. 430 descends via the "Chemin du Gaz" (Gas Path). You will arrive above Chateauvallon.
The route zigzags back down to the car park.
Baou des 4 Auros
A hike in the outskirts of Toulon where you get a 360° view of the amazing countryside. A big meeting place for spies who monitor Toulon harbour.
Technical sheet
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 11.26 km -
Average duration: 4h 50 -
Difficulty: Moderate -
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Return to departure point: Yes -
Vertical gain: + 569 m -
Vertical drop: - 564 m -
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Highest point: 571 m -
Lowest point: 117 m
Photos
Description of the walk
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 117 m - Car park under the Chateau V auditorium.
- 1 : km 1.01 - alt. 168 m - Village Le Détras (Ruines)
- 2 : km 1.96 - alt. 233 m - Col de la Barre de Taillan
- 3 : km 2.59 - alt. 269 m - View of the Château du Diable - Arche d'Alliance
- 4 : km 7.14 - alt. 566 m - Cap Gros/Baou de Quatre Ouro
- 5 : km 9.72 - alt. 434 m - Descent via the Chemin du Gaz
- S/E : km 11.26 - alt. 117 m - Departure car park
Practical information
No specific equipment required, except for good walking shoes.
In the nearby area
Don't miss the Château du Diable, the Chappe semaphore tower and the Croupatier caves.
Reviews and comments
4 / 5
4.2 / 5
4.8 / 5
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : May 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
A parish specific to Brittany with beautiful views. Best done in spring as some parts are not sheltered. The last descent is steep and not the most pleasant.
Done with 2 dogs of 10 and 20kg with no problem.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : Jan 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Superb walk in glorious weather. Sublime panoramas, first on the south side, then on the north, with an imposing 360° view from the summit of Cap Gros.
This is not a particularly difficult hike, but it can be a bit strenuous for those with little training due to the profile and the very stony nature of the terrain. On the way back, for example, it may be a good idea to avoid the very steep and slippery "gas" path that leads to Chateauvallon. There are several possibilities.
In any case, I highly recommend this hike, which should of course be done in good weather to make the most of it... using the GPS on the Visorando app.
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of walk : Nov 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Pleasant walk, lovely viewpoints all the way up to the 360° panorama at Cap Gros, splendid!
However, we didn't find the view of the Château du Diable 🤷
The GPS route and the description lack precision, however we got there.
At the end, we left the gas descent and crossed the forest on our left.
The level of difficulty is correct, we completed the walk in 3 and a half hours, covering 14 kms (perhaps due to the search for the path) with a lunch break and photo stops.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions.
Enjoy the walk.
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of walk : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
There are some very pretty viewpoints along the way, but it's impossible to follow the route as advertised without a GPS, especially at the end of the route, and the descent to the car park via the Chemin du Gaz is rather perilous.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : May 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Very nice, easy walk with lovely views
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Magnificent walk with beautiful views
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Apr 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
A very beautiful walk with magnificent, very different views of the wild hinterland and the more populated Toulon.
Very few people in April and superb weather, but the heat must be more intense in summer...
This massif is dotted with paths, and we often consulted the map, which is essential to avoid getting lost.
High boots are recommended as the paths are quite stony.
Thank you and well done!
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Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of walk : Oct 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
We did this walk on a sunny day, with magnificent unobstructed views from Cap Gros all the way to La Ciotat.
It's a pleasant climb with no difficulties and beautiful views.
Watch out for the Gaz path on the way back: it's very steep and slippery.
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Sep 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
We also did this walk on a beautiful day in the other direction, and enjoyed it so much that the 360° view from Cap Gros is splendid. There were no major difficulties other than the climb.
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Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of walk : May 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No
Having read the comments about the descent on the gas line, we did the hike in the other direction. The descent became a steep climb, but without any technical difficulties. A lovely walk with the bay of Toulon everywhere in sight and a beautiful 360° view of Cap Gros. Little or no difficulty. Thanks for sharing.
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Feb 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
very nice circuit, remarkable viewpoints, some difficulties due to the many stones, especially in the vallon des bagnards. we recorded a distance of 18 kms.
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Sep 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
With Visorando, we have done difficult tours that were easier than this one. The descent into the scree of the Chemin du Gaz at the end of the walk was particularly difficult (fortunately, there are many small paths to the left of this slope that lead back to the theatre and the car park at the start).
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Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
This was a lovely tour on a day when the mistral was very strong.
At hill 232, 30 metres to the west, a small path, not very inviting at first, enabled us to discover the grotte du patrimoine (heritage cave), very recently cleared.
However, we didn't go to the Croupatier cave, which we found dangerous to access in this wind. Magnificent views throughout the hike.
The descent along the Chemin du Gaz is really tough, but fortunately about halfway down we found a path on the right that took us back to the bottom of the car park.
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Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Very nice walk and superb panoramic view at the top of Cap Gros.
The description could be improved:
- at WP 1, the path to take corresponding to the track is not the one directly to the right of the bridge as the description implies, but it leaves to the left of the track just after the cistern.
- A WP could be added to indicate where to take the "gas path".
If you follow the track, however, there are no problems.
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