La Petite Colle above Mazaugues

Four roads converge at Mazaugues, depending on whether you are coming from Plan d’Aups, Saint-Maximin, Tourves or La Roquebrussanne.

Coming from the latter, you arrive directly at the village’s main car park, which serves the swimming pool, the school, the local police station and the Ice Museum. This is the car park we will choose.

(S/E) From the car park, cross the Route de la Roquebrussanne to reach the Ice Museum and from there join the^GR® at the top of the Grand Rue.

(1) The path following the^GR® continues along the extension of the Grand Rue and begins with a steep climb through woodland.

(2) Pass the entrance to a flat grassy area on your right, at the end of which stands the old castle that you will visit on the way back, and continue along the path. This joins a track.

(3) Take this track to the left until you reach a fork.

(4) Ignore a path branching off to the right. Shortly afterwards, our track joins another track that starts from the nearby Route de la Roquebrussanne. Head up this track to the right, crossing a car park used by hikers who have chosen to start their route from here. Continue along this track heading south-west. At a left-hand bend, on the right, is the start of the climb to the ridges via the^GR®. Ignore this climb, which we will use in the opposite direction on the return journey, and continue along the track, now heading south-east.
After a wide hairpin bend and after passing a cistern (MZS 01), the track descends into a valley between a hill on the left and the ridges on the right.

(5) At the lowest point, you come across a very faint path coming down from the heights on the left and heading off to the right along the bottom of the Thuya valley. It is possible to take this path which, after a stretch of over two kilometres at the bottom of this deep valley with its dense, stifling vegetation, winds its way back up to the junction with the cistern (elevation 747).

- For this session, we preferred to stay on the Piste du Caucadis to ‘trace’ a route in Nordic walking style, especially as this track is pleasant and bright and much more open than the path at the bottom of the valley.

(6) At the MZS 13 cistern, leave the track on your left heading towards the Agnis plain and further on towards Signes, and leave the junction of the path ascending from the Thuya valley on your right; continue straight ahead uphill.
Continue along this track until you reach the wide-open area on the ridge.

(7) Pass the path on your left that continues along the ridge towards the south-west and the Mourre d'Agnis, and take the^GR® on your right along the ridge.

(8) Ignore the path on the right that heads off horizontally and stay as close as possible to the ridge.
Soon the^GR® begins a descent through a forest of holm oaks down to the bottom of a pretty little valley.

(9) This valley, although it is not immediately obvious, marks the start of the Caramy catchment area, which begins to collect its first waters here. Continue first level, then downhill – a descent that is often difficult as it is very rocky: here, the path is easier to climb than to descend.

(10) As you approach the Piste du Caucadis, which you climbed earlier and which is on your right, stay on the path to rejoin the outward route further on.

(4) Resume the track on the descent.

(3) Here, it is possible to turn left onto the track which leads first to the Source du Caramy, then to the hamlet known as "Le Clos du Château", before joining the castle path.

- Saving this option for a future visit, we chose to follow the reverse route of the outward journey.

(2) Turn left onto the flat grassy area, where a lovely path leads to the castle ruins.
Walk amongst the ruins, then enjoy the view of Mazaugues from a viewing point set up in front of the chapel, and head down the winding path that leads back to the village.

(11) The path leads onto a small road; turn right towards the village.
Not far from here on the left, there must be a wash house, the existence of which we were unaware of and which we therefore did not see. However, just at the entrance to the village, you pass a pretty three-tiered fountain.

Walk down this narrow street (Rue des Cyprès), which leads to a square with a beautiful fountain.
Then head towards Avenue de la République and on to the car park (S/E), where there is also a fountain.

This hike was completed in mid-April 2022.

There is no water along the route, except in Mazaugues itself.

Two-thirds of the route, on forest tracks, are not difficult, nor is the section along the ridge, where the path is very pleasant. The main difficulty lies in the descent before and after point (9), which requires proper equipment (boots and poles).

Mazaugues is nestled on the northern slope of the Agnis mountain. As a result, it is a very cold place in winter, and the village’s history is closely linked to ice production. Visit the Ice Museum and the imposing Pivaut ice house. Nearby, the Grand Gaudin stream, which flows through a gorge, is also well worth a visit.

Due to Mazaugues’s geomorphological location, water is omnipresent here, and you can admire a large number of fountains and wash houses. This is also where the Caramy river rises, and just north of the village lies the Saut du Cabri site, where the Caramy flows through a spectacular gorge.

Finally, to the north there are also old bauxite mines, which can be visited as a complement to a trip to the Gueules Rouges museum in Tourves.