Ancestral paths starting from Bar-sur-Loup

A very pleasant wooded hike offering beautiful views of the gorges and the Loup valley. The ancient paths used to connect the villages, the buried Canal du Loup on which we walk, its former railway line dating from before 1900, and its terraces bear witness to a commercial and agricultural past from another era.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.77 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,266 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,257 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,739 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 748 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on Avenue des Écoles, at the entrance to the village.

(S/E) Go behind the restaurant, cross the road, Amiral de Grasse (D2210), and enter the village via Rue montante Vaugrenier. Then take Rue Santoun and pass under the porch to arrive at Rue Sarrazine. Rue Pierre de l'Encan and Rue de la Placette will lead you to the Church of Saint-Jacques le Majeur. Inside are two 14th-century works of art.

(1) Walk past the town hall on your right and continue along Avenue de Yorktown until you reach the fork further on, where you will see marker 20.

(2) Continue left towards Pont du Loup, Chemin de Bessurane. Walk past the cemetery and continue straight on to the 16th-century Saint-Claude Chapel .

(3) Continue straight ahead on the wooded Bessurane path, which once led to Pont du Loup.

(4) At this crossroads, near the Riou de Gourdon, turn right and join the old railway line, now paved, which closed in early 1950.

(5) Turn left, cross the Gourdon Viaduct over the stream of the same name, which is 120 metres long and 28 metres high. Watch out for traffic.Continue straight ahead until you reach marker 3.

(6) Turn left onto the steep path known as Chemin du Paradis. This magnificent paved slanting street once linked Gourdon to the Vallée du Loup.

(7) At marker 4, continue straight ahead towards Canal du Loup on the GR®51. The canal is buried underground and the path is flat. Arrive at marker 18.

(8) Turn right towards Bar-sur-Loup on the GR®51. The path immediately passes under a huge rock. Continue to marker 18a.

(9) Cross the road, taking care with the traffic, and continue straight ahead along the canal until you reach a cairn. There is a chain to climb over and you must continue along the flat canal.

(10) About twenty metres before a 4 m x 4 m cement slab, take a path on the right that winds through a number of small terraces. At the Aqueduc du Foulon, which is a large pipe one metre in diameter, turn right onto the cement structure. At the private property, turn left to rejoin the Chemin de Bouscarle 300 metres further on.

(11) At this bend in the road, take the track on the right. At marker 22, continue straight on towards Bar-sur-Loup to reach the intersection at marker 18a, which you passed earlier.

(9) Continue straight ahead towards Bar-sur-Loup on the paved Chemin Bouscarle. Be careful of traffic. Continue to the first path on the left.

(12) Turn left onto the Chemin de Sainte-Anne uphill. At the top of the hill, turn right onto the Chemin des Chênes, which is paved for a few metres.

(13) At this bend, on the right, follow a metal railing, which will lead you to a narrow path descending to the village of Le Bar-sur-Loup. Walk past a chapel and burial ground. The path ends at a car park.

(14) Walk past the town hall and to the right of the keep, a large square tower. Take the stairs on the right, called La descente du Château. At the bottom of these stairs, take the narrow streets on the left that lead back to the D2210. Cross it carefully and join the (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 955 ft - Parking on Avenue des Écoles
  2. 1 : mi 0.15 - alt. 1,102 ft - Église Saint-Jacques le Majeur (Le Bar-sur-Loup)
  3. 2 : mi 0.27 - alt. 1,076 ft - Fork
  4. 3 : mi 0.47 - alt. 1,109 ft - Chapelle Saint-Claude (Le Bar-sur-Loup)
  5. 4 : mi 1.07 - alt. 883 ft - Crossroads of trails
  6. 5 : mi 1.2 - alt. 840 ft - Old railway line
  7. 6 : mi 1.41 - alt. 810 ft - Trail-road junction, marker 3
  8. 7 : mi 1.92 - alt. 1,430 ft - Trail junction. Marker 4
  9. 8 : mi 2.85 - alt. 1,368 ft - Trail junction, marker 18
  10. 9 : mi 3.72 - alt. 1,378 ft - Road-trail junction
  11. 10 : mi 4.05 - alt. 1,378 ft - Crossroads of trails
  12. 11 : mi 4.43 - alt. 1,739 ft - Bend in the road suitable for vehicles
  13. 12 : mi 5.08 - alt. 1,188 ft - Crossroads
  14. 13 : mi 5.42 - alt. 1,237 ft - Start of trails
  15. 14 : mi 5.57 - alt. 1,109 ft - Town hall
  16. S/E : mi 5.77 - alt. 955 ft - Parking on Avenue des Écoles

Notes

Hiking boots and walking sticks recommended.
No water on the route
Risk of falling rocks at point (8)

Worth a visit

The Church of Saint Jacques Le Majeur will be open to the public during the Tourist Information Office's opening hours, only during the summer season (May to September), on Sunday mornings. Outside this period, please contact the parish on 04 93 42 70 11.

In this building, the altarpiece of Saint James is attributed to the Nice painter Louis Bréa and dates from the 1500s.
An oil painting on wood, called "La danse macabre" (The Dance of Death), is believed to date from the late 15th century, its origins steeped in the legend of the village and the Counts of Bar.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Alag06
Alag06

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is explained very clearly indeed. Much of the walk takes place in the woods, which was very pleasant on such a hot day. There are a few fairly challenging climbs, but nothing too difficult. Some very interesting highlights: the viaduct, the canal, the huge rock at point 8, and the terraced fields.
However, from point 10 onwards, it’s not so good: the narrow path winding through slippery foliage and brambles isn’t very pleasant, and then it becomes a small tarmac road running alongside properties, which is rather uninteresting. Worth doing again, heading straight back down to the village, which is absolutely magnificent and very well preserved.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, User 3586041, for this review
That says it all, hiking buddy, b.

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User 3586041

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely new route that alternates between paths, uphill sections and downhill sections. There are some lovely shaded areas
A car park at the start and a terrace on the square to quench your thirst – what more could you ask for?

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Mireille, for this review
Warm regards, b.

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mireille bordas
mireille bordas

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, fairly busy walk. The walk is easy; the 200-metre climb is done in one go. On the way back, once we reached Bar-sur-Loup, we got a bit lost in the village.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

My dear Daniel, good evening.

Good point, I added to the point (9) "there is a chain to climb over and you have to continue flat on the canal."

Thank you for your advice, which is always relevant and accurate.

I recently followed your route from Monaco to Menton, which was as enjoyable as ever.
I look forward to seeing you soon. Best wishes, your loyal hiking companion, B.

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danielaime06
danielaime06

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely alternative to the well-known routes in the area!
We really enjoyed the diversity of the terrain and the hidden little paths. Thanks to the steep but fairly short climbs (apart from the section of the Paradis path), the hike is very pleasant to follow.

Note: we took sections 9-10-11 in reverse. It wasn't a big deal, but to avoid this, perhaps add to point 9 that there is a chain to climb over and that you have to continue on flat ground along the canal.

Thank you Bernard, we had a great time!

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Emmanuel Nice, for rebuilding this cairn
best regards, B.

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Emmanuel Nice
Emmanuel Nice

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with plenty of shade.
I had to rebuild the cairn at point 10, which had been destroyed by mountain bikes.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, User 11757571, for your review.

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User 11757571

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Hello Valérie,

Thank you for your review.
I understand your disappointment, but if you wanted to do a hike that ends in Gourdon, enter "Gourdon" in the search window, then read the description and look at the map.
Kind regards, b.

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Valerie VANIER
Valerie VANIER

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The hike would have been interesting if it had ended in Gourdon via the Chemin du Paradis.
It was impossible to continue the hike from Pont du Loup.

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rando06480
rando06480

A few corrections to be made to the route description:
at crossing point no. 8: marker 18a instead of 18
at waypoint no. 10: there is a cairn at the start of the path to take on the right
at waypoint no. 12: Chemin de Sainte Anne instead of Chemin Sainte Jeanne
Thank you to the website for making the corrections
Kind regards

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Hello jl1309m
Indeed, a very beautiful hike
Best regards, b.

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