Boumandariel local loop

de fr

This local loop in Boumandariel, located in the southern part of the Martigues coastline, allows you to discover a natural heritage with exceptional flora and fauna.

Details

n°3195701
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.66 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 53 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 54 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 52 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Boumandariel local loop
View from the Boucle de Boumandariel cliff

Description of the walk

Park in the car park near the Boumandariel boat launch.

(S/E) Head towards the end of the car park, turn right and further on, on your right, take the stairs leading to the Tamaris plateau.

(1) Follow the blue-marked trail towards Port des Tamaris. Turn left onto Chemin des Tamaris, walk along Anse des Tamaris and its small harbour. Then climb the stairs to the Sainte-Croix plateau.

(2) Descend on your right towards the chapel. At the end of the plateau, at the small beach, turn right towards the footpath and walk past a small car park on your right. When you reach the Chemin de Sainte-Croix junction, continue to the left, walk past a second, much larger car park and you will come to a roundabout.

(3) Continue straight ahead and take the Voie Verte. Walk up the footpath that runs alongside the pine forest.

(4) At the roundabout, cross the RD49 departmental road carefully using the pedestrian crossings, then turn right towards "Les Rouges". Next, pass to the right of the D.F.C.I barrier and follow the blue-marked path on your right. Take the next descent slowly.

(5) Once you reach the crossroads at the bottom of the descent, turn right onto the path that runs alongside the Grand Vallat reed bed and the Boumandariel pond.

(6) At the end of the path, carefully cross the RD49 departmental road (no protected crossing), head towards Grand-Vallat beach on your right, then turn left at the end of the bridge. Walk along the edge of the Anse de Boumandariel quarry and take the stairs to see it from above.

Then walk along the seafront and the Four à Chaux cove, staying as close to the shore as possible to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Car park near the boat launch
  2. 1 : km 0.35 - alt. 3 m - Port des Tamaris
  3. 2 : km 1.29 - alt. 16 m - Descent to the chapel
  4. 3 : km 1.95 - alt. 25 m - Roundabout
  5. 4 : km 2.96 - alt. 42 m - Roundabout, RD49
  6. 5 : km 3.85 - alt. 5 m - Crossroads, start of the Grand Vallat trail
  7. 6 : km 4.7 - alt. 3 m - RD49
  8. S/E : km 5.66 - alt. 4 m - Car park near the boat launch

Worth a visit

(S/E) On the Tamaris plateau, you can discover the remains of a Gallic village dating from the 6th century BC. The coastal location allowed the local population to take advantage of the food resources of the sea and the inland areas, as well as Greek and Etruscan maritime trade.

(1) The mooring area and light equipment at Anse des Tamaris is one of the sites dedicated to welcoming pleasure boats during the summer period. It is a natural shelter for boats, protected from prevailing winds and currents. You will come across a German radar station dating from the Second World War. This station consisted of two giant Wurzburg Riese Fuse 65 radars and two Freya FU MG 80 radars.

(2) The old 12th-century chapel was built by Benedictine monks from the Saint-Genest de Jonquières priory, who dedicated it to the Holy Cross.

(5) The Grand Vallat reed bed and the Boumandariel pond are home to many interesting plants, such as the broom reed (peatland), and animals, such as the coypu (swamp beaver).

(6) The sandy beach at the quarry protects the reed bed downstream: it is a wetland where reeds grow, providing shelter for a wide variety of fauna including mammals (coypu), amphibians (southern tree frog), birds (moorhen and water rail), reptiles (viperine snake) and aquatic insects (diving beetle and water strider).

In the Anse de Boumandariel quarry, Lower Aquitanian formations are exposed. These lie unconformably on white Urgonian limestone banks with a 30° dip to the south.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
nathou13220
nathou13220

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Starting point: This is the Tamaris boat launch car park.
The route is well marked (blue) all along the loop.
An easy parish specific to Brittany, ideal for families with young children.

Machine-translated

adefayard
adefayard

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, accompanied by locals who shared some historical facts with us.

Machine-translated

ValPatPont-royal
ValPatPont-royal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent views of the Mediterranean at the start and end of the walk, very pleasant.
Very convenient and easily accessible car park.

Machine-translated

User 16968812

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In good weather and on weekends and public holidays, this path is very busy. There are also areas facing the sea where you can picnic, so it's a walk to do again when there are fewer groups around!

Machine-translated

medaral
medaral

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route, despite the fire that has disfigured the countryside where the hike takes place. It's such a shame!

Machine-translated

Jeanne
Jeanne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, but it's a shame that the access point to the hike is very poorly signposted, causing you to waste a lot of time.

Machine-translated

Edtheviper
Edtheviper

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy to do out of season as it is crowded from June to October. Plus, it will be too hot in summer as there are few paths where you can walk in the shade

Machine-translated

Martine30
Martine30

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk along the coast. However, as soon as you move away from it, it is a shame to see the devastation caused by the recent fires that ravaged the Martigues area. Nevertheless, it was a very good day.

Machine-translated

cyclotrain
cyclotrain

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Very high visitor numbers on this Sunday afternoon along the coastal section
the trail crosses large areas that were burned in 2019, making the landscape gloomy
Part of it runs alongside a road and is therefore noisy
Therefore, it is of moderate interest under these conditions

Machine-translated

maoell
maoell

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, Yesterday, 30 August, two friends and I went hiking. Our first challenge was finding the Boumandariel launch site. We didn't see any signs, so we asked people three times. It was the last person, who was on a bicycle, who actually showed us where it was. (I should note that I/we encounter this problem almost every time we set out on a hike, and as a result, we waste a lot of time searching). Are there any tips to simplify this problem?

As we approached the descent to the sea in search of the S/E, we 'discovered' the apocalyptic spectacle of the devastation caused by the gigantic fire. The smell of burning and smoke is still present, and we were deeply saddened by it.
Our journey along the coast road was quickly cheered by the beauty of the sea, the colours, the waves and the vast expanse of light. The extent of the damage is clearly visible, but as we progressed towards Tamaris and Sainte Croix, the landscape regained its splendour. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the FIRE BRIGADE on their extraordinary hard work, courage and risk-taking, and we humbly say THANK YOU.

We changed our objective and continued our hike along the BOUCLE de la COURONNE corniche n° 763277; we went to the semaphore and returned to the starting point, still along the corniche. As a result, we did not do passages 3/4/5/6 or 6 to S/E of Loop No. 3195701 of Boumandariel.

We really enjoyed this magnificent route, and the weather was much better than the day before, making it an exceptional day. The sea was quite rough in some of the coves. We ended the afternoon on the small beach at CARRO and swam in invigorating water at 19°C. Thank you. I RECOMMEND IT

Machine-translated

Titico13
Titico13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant little hike to occupy part of the afternoon, combining the seaside and pine forest.

I recommend exactly the same route as Jojokapic. Although the recommended car park is free, it starts with the most beautiful part (the seaside with views of Marseille on one side and the Couronne lighthouse on the other) and continues on to the less attractive part (from point 2 to point 4, which runs alongside the road, which is very busy on Sundays).
Opt for the Sainte Croix car park, which is paid from 1 May to 30 September, to finish by the seaside. And have a drink in the area.
Alternatively, you could do the walk in the opposite direction.

The route is very well marked in blue with "Tour de Boumandariel" signs in some places

Machine-translated

jojokapic
jojokapic

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I would advise anyone interested in doing this walk to start from the car park at Ste Croix cove. This allows you to begin with the section along the road and finish with the section along the coast.

Machine-translated

gg13500
gg13500

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, varied loop with magnificent scenery.

Just one comment: between points 3 and 4, we cut across the paths (on the right, black and dotted lines on the IGN map) to reach the roundabout, which allowed us to walk along wooded paths rather than along the road.

Machine-translated

Bob Timmerman
Bob Timmerman

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, alternating between forest paths (shade!) and trails along the sea. Best done in the morning because from now on (June) it gets too hot in the afternoon. Not many people in the forest, a few more near the sea. But there, it was mainly people going to sunbathe on the beach, despite the ban!
Thank you, Visorando

Machine-translated

Foxie09
Foxie09
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice route with hills and sea views.
Followed the route in reverse to avoid the steep descent on a stony path.
Don't hesitate to extend it a little to the east by following the botanical trail, passing in front of an aqueduct terminus and then running alongside the railway line, which was not very busy that day at least.
Return along the road but on a separate path.
Then the shores of the Mediterranean. Very beautiful, view of the bay of Marseille, very clear waters... dreamlike!
Obviously, there were people there, but otherwise the hills were quiet.
GPX track without any problems.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Circular La Couronne

Visorando member
Boucle de La Couronne
↔4.04 km ↗+18 m ↘-18 m ◔1h 10 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
An aperitif (or after-dinner) walk on Couronne beach, allowing you to visit the Cap Couronne lighthouse.

Walking The Côte Bleue seen from above from Sausset-les-Pins

Association / Club / Walk leader
La Côte Bleue vue d'en haut depuis Sausset-les-Pins
↔12.20 km ↗+170 m ↘-123 m ◔4h 00 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Sausset-les-Pins (Bouches-du-Rhône)
This is a very pleasant hike, with around a third of the route along the coast, which is very relaxing. The rest of the route is on very passable paths. The elevation gain is very modest: 160 m over a distance of 13 km. There is just one slightly tricky section on rocks for about ten metres, but it's nothing too difficult. It is located in the highest part of the walk, dominated by a cross. There is a beautiful spot for a lunch break with a panoramic view of Sausset-les-Pins. The view is impressive on a clear day.

Walking Loop of military remains at La Couronne

Tourist office
Boucle des vestiges militaires de La Couronne
↔10.63 km ↗+122 m ↘-113 m ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
The military remains of La Couronne – Carro are located on the ridge and along the coast. These structures, built by the German army in 1943-1944, are arranged in a more or less strategic manner on these sites. A walk to discover them reveals exceptional panoramic views of the Mediterranean and the hills of this unspoilt area.

Walking La Couronne stone circular

Tourist office
Boucle des carrières de pierre de La Couronne
↔11.81 km ↗+60 m ↘-52 m ◔3h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
This tour of eight stone quarries in La Couronne, three inland and five coastal, provides an insight into the scale of the quarrymen's work over the centuries, reveals traces of exploitation, attempts to distinguish differences in extraction strategies and shows which periods of activity can be identified.

Walking From Carro to Bonnieu via Les Auffans and the military ruins

Visorando member
De Carro à Bonnieu en passant par les Auffans et les vestiges militaires
↔12.14 km ↗+101 m ↘-101 m ◔3h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
This pleasant and fairly easy circular will allow you to discover the hinterland of Port de Carro and La Couronne, in particular the ruins of part of the "Mediterranean Wall" erected by the Germans during the Second World War, as well as the coastline, which has been barely altered by the Ponteau power station.

Walking Circular botanical loop of the Carro Plain

Tourist office
↔4.15 km ↗+14 m ↘-14 m ◔1h 15 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
The Carro Plain Botanical Trail offers unique and educational walks to discover all the natural beauty of the Côte Bleue. The Carro Plain is of major floristic interest, largely due to the presence of a unique substrate (Miocene molasse deposits or Burdigalian calcarenite). It is home to, amongst other things, eight protected species of vascular plants.

Walking The Amandier caves

Visorando member
Les grottes de l'Amandier
↔11.60 km ↗+343 m ↘-350 m ◔4h 40 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
Starting from Saint-Julien-les-Martigues, head towards Chemin du Trou du Loup (GRP®2013) to discover several magnificent caves on the heights of L'Amandier, which are curiously absent from IGN maps and hiking guides. A pleasant route, mostly on steep paths through the forest and along the valley floors.

Walking Saint-Julien les Martigues

Visorando member
Saint-Julien les Martigues
↔12.70 km ↗+273 m ↘-273 m ◔4h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône)
A circular route starting from Saint-Julien les Martigues that passes by an old windmill, then overlooks the large water reserve of the Canal de Provence in the forest before reaching the Vallon de Valtrède. Expect to encounter many wild goats along the way.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.