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Park at the Huveaune springs car park in Nans-les-Pins. The route is well signposted.
(S/E) Leave the car park towards the village centre. Walk past the supermarket to reach the pretty Place Dedieu, cross it and walk up Cours Général de Gaulle, passing the Tourist Office on your right. At the end, take Grande Rue on the left to reach the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, passing in front of the church.
(1) Continue left onto Chemin de l'Orge, which is part of the GR®9A trail. Follow it for a long way, passing an oratory and then the abandoned buildings of a former sanatorium. At the intersection, follow the yellow markings straight ahead. A little further on, if you turn around, you will have a beautiful view of the remains of the castrum of Vieux Nans.
(2) At the equestrian centre, turn left down Chemin des Rois, which runs alongside the stables. At the Sermax factory, turn right onto the tarmac road and continue for about 300 metres.
(3) Leave Chemin des Rois, which climbs uphill, on your left and continue right on the main track, which is not particularly interesting. Between May and July, you can see red helleborine, a beautiful flower that belongs to the orchid family. This flower is protected . You will come to a clearing on the left, just before fire hydrant no. 61 on your right.
(4) Cross diagonally to join the path furthest to the left, which leads into the undergrowth. Follow it until you reach the sign indicating the entrance to the Biological Reserve, with the old return path on your right.
(5) Take the path on the left that follows the river along the cliff edge. Walk along the tufa basins, passing several signs. Make a short return trip to the first viewpoint, then continue up the main path to the footbridge.
(6) Cross and climb a few metres to the left to see the resurgence that marks the source of the spring. Descend, leave the footbridge you have already crossed on your right, cross a second footbridge over the river and turn right. Follow the Huveaune down the Castelette valley until you reach a fork.
(7) Leave the footbridge on your right and ignore the path that climbs to the left. Continue straight ahead until you reach a forest path, then follow it to the right.
(8) Go over the waterfall and, immediately afterwards, take the small path on the right that descends towards the river and follows it as closely as possible before turning left and returning to the forest path. Turn right, then right again at the crossroads a hundred metres further on.
(9) Turn right again to reach a ford on the Huveaune: depending on the water level, you may need to remove your shoes. Just after the ford, turn right and walk for about 100 metres.
(10) Take the forest path on the left. Walk about a hundred metres, then turn left again onto the small path that climbs up to the ruins of Mantelette. Halfway along the path, you will see a green dot on your right: a beautiful view of Sainte-Baume. Continue and rejoin the forest path with old vines on your right.
(11) Continue in the same direction until you reach a cistern on your right, then follow the path opposite, ignoring the one that descends to the left. Continue along the balcony path, pass the foot of Vieux Nans and reach a crossroads.
(12) Go straight ahead to begin the descent: remember to look to your right to see the castrum from another angle, and the beautiful olive grove at its foot. Come out onto Chemin du Cimetière, go straight ahead to the reservoir.
(13) Leave the reservoir on your right and take the path that descends to your left and leads to the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, where you will rejoin the starting route.
(1) Turn left, then right a few dozen metres further on to follow Boulevard de la Mecque. When you reach the junction with Route de la Sainte-Baume, turn right to return to the car park (S/E).
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