Fort de la Grande Maye

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike; the initial slope is quite steep, so being in good physical condition is a must. The rest of the walk is straightforward, with gentle slopes thereafter. The descent along the road is quite long. You may come across cows along the way.

We completed the hike in 6 hours without really taking any breaks, but without trying to go as fast as possible (and without cutting across the switchbacks).

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The view from the Fort de la Grande Maye is absolutely stunning; in fact, I stayed there for a while. I think the walk is lovely, though the main military track leading up to the fort is a bit long. I enjoyed the climb up the steep path to the Fort de la Croix de Bretagne even more, which is why I came back down the same way I went up rather than taking the suggested route.

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Date of your route : Dec 23, 2016
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Well... no need for a GPS...After a quick glance at the IGN topographic map, we can see that it is theoretically possible to take three bearings (if you want to use the outing to practise compass navigation), allowing you to link the point with an altitude of 2014 to Fort de la Maye by taking plenty of shortcuts ‘straight up the slope’ (perpendicular to the contour lines!!).Any ‘experienced’ hiker knows they’ll need to compensate for the slope and pace themselves with regular switchbacks to avoid the rigours of the slope where vegetation and/or scree alternate—or worse, snow—which amounts (in terms of time saved) to roughly following the route of the path shown on the map.....In conclusion, it’s you who are hiking like seasoned pros, and I would have followed the same route as you!
An interesting and original video, thank you for sharing.
Kind regards,

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Hello
Over very short distances, there is little difference.
But here the hairpin bends are particularly long.
As a general rule, to reach a summit, you gain altitude more quickly by taking the shortest route.
When climbing to the Izoard chalets on ski touring and cutting across the road’s hairpin bends, you overtake those ascending via the road.
When hiking, for the same elevation gain, the time taken will be shorter on the shortest route, even if the pace is slower.
Here’s the proof.
We completed this route in 8 hours, as stated in the video credits, whereas the software’s estimated time is 8 hours 50 minutes.
Usually, we exceed this time by between an hour and an hour and a half on other routes.
We’re not into speed and performance. We always climb slowly, making plenty of stops to film.
However, it is not actually necessary to cut across the switchbacks; you can simply follow the route marked on the map.
I added that this option is reserved for experienced hikers, as you obviously need to be fully proficient in GPS navigation and off-trail hiking.

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Date of your route : Dec 22, 2016
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
Please note that the advice to ‘cut the laces’ may not necessarily be the wisest: it encourages erosion, spoils the landscape with a network of tracks resembling a spider’s web, and the time saved is often minimal in the end.
Kind regards,

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