Coming from Toulon via Six-Fours Centre, at the large roundabout after the town centre, take the exit for Sanary – Les Lones – La Coudoulière – Les Playes (D 559): this takes you onto Avenue de la Mer. Follow this road down to the roundabout near the Intermarché supermarket, turn left towards La Coudoulière – Collège Font de Fillol, then turn right at the roundabout after the Intermarché car park. (Font de Fillol bypass) and carry on to the La Coudoulière roundabout, where you turn right onto Avenue du Cap Nègre, then turn immediately right into the tree-lined car park, between the stadium and a block of flats.
If you’re coming from Sanary via the coast, stay on the coastal road until you reach its highest point, where you turn left at the traffic lights towards LEP – Maison du Cygne (Avenue du Cap Nègre). Continue for about 600 m and turn into the tree-lined car park on the left before the roundabout. It’s best to go round the roundabout first and then come back to enter the car park on the right. Please note that there are other small car parks on Avenue du Cap Nègre to choose from.
(S/E) From the stadium car park, cross Avenue du Cap Nègre towards the blocks of flats, turn left, then turn right onto Avenue de la Coudoulière (which is actually a dead end) to pass between the entrance to the residential complex on the right and that of the vocational college on the left.
(1) Just past the school, turn left into the shaded car park of the Maison du Cygne and turn right down the path leading to the Maison du Cygne. Enter the courtyard through a highly stylised metal gate vaguely resembling a swan. The entrance to the exhibition rooms is in the courtyard.
After visiting the house and any exhibitions, if there are any, walk round the fountain-washhouse situated beneath the covered courtyard to reach the gardens; at the far end of the garden, a passageway leads to the park, where you can admire a very large pine tree and a few sculptures, and follow a path that leaves the grounds through a gate onto Avenue de la Coudoulière. Turn left towards the residences of the Domaine de la Coudoulière, walking alongside a wall built of tiles. At the end of the path, go through a pedestrian turnstile and continue straight on towards the harbour, passing under a large portico.
Cross the seafront avenue, then enter the harbour, passing the harbour master’s office until you reach the jetty car park. Turn right, walking either along the beach or alongside the rock revetment, to reach Roches Brunes beach.
As the coastal path, which used to start here, is fenced off following a local rockslide and (for some unknown reason) has not been repaired, there are two possible scenarios:
- either the sea is very calm, in which case you can walk across the rocks at the end of the beach until you find a clear area where you can climb back up onto the coastal path at a wooden barrier, and continue along this path to point 2;
- or the sea is rough, in which case you can head to the Maison de la Mer, behind the beach, go round it on the right and climb a flight of steps up to the Parc de la Méditerranée, where you turn left to follow the shoreline, passing first above the day-care centre buildings, then past a café and an electric car ride, until you reach point 2:
(2) You are now on a small headland offering a sweeping view of the southern coast of Cap Nègre. In front of you, a narrow, poorly defined path leads down to the shore. Take this path and walk along the basalt plateau at the foot of the cliff, as far west as possible, to view the rocks of the cape (two superimposed basalt flows).
Then retrace your steps.
(2) Take the path that leads halfway up the slope towards the Cap Nègre battery, passing through a profusion of prickly pears. At the end of this path, reach the platform on which the small fort is built. The fort houses permanent exhibitions and is open to visitors.
After visiting the fort (if you wish), walk as far as possible towards the tip of the headland to view the basalt flow plunging into the sea from above. Then, take the path overlooking the northern coast of the headland. As the coastal path, which used to continue just below the first property overlooking the coast, is now cut off (allegedly for safety reasons…), head back up to take the road leading back towards Avenue de la Corniche de la Coudoulière. After passing through a gate near a rubbish bin area, turn left.
(3) You’ll soon come to the gate of the Cap Nègre Marina on your left; go through the pedestrian entrance to reach the seafront, 200 metres further on.
You will then rejoin the coastal path; take this to the right, passing successively along small beaches and over rocks.
(4) After rounding a small headland where the path is well-maintained and secured by a sturdy handrail, look out for a flight of steps on the right leading up towards Avenue de la Corniche; leave this for now and continue along the coastal path until you reach the vicinity of Port Méditerranée, which was accessible a few years ago but was fenced off due to harbour works when we were last there. After admiring the rocks, turn back.
(4) From there, head back up to Avenue de la Corniche.
Take this avenue on the left and walk past Port Méditerranée.
(5) Turn right onto the Chemin des Hoirs, which runs alongside the Pontillot stream. Just past the Sainte-Thérèse Chapel, turn right onto a path that crosses the Pontillot and runs alongside the Chemin des Hoirs for about 250 metres.
This path rejoins the Chemin des Hoirs directly opposite an industrial building. Pass a private access road on your right which climbs straight up towards the west and continue for about 30 m.
(6) Just past a double garage, look for a dirt track on the right beneath a grove of pine trees. Follow it to a small clearing, which you cross to the right until you reach a dirt track. Take this track and continue straight on, between a housing estate on the left and private residences and car parks on the right, until you emerge near the fire station, which you walk straight past until you reach Avenue du Cap Nègre.
Turn left onto this avenue and follow it for about 600 m until you reach the stadium car park on your left (S/E).