The Fort and some old neighbourhoods in Six-Fours les Plages

There are plenty of possible starting points. We opt for the car park in the Font de Fillol district, near the secondary school, at the junction of the Font de Fillol ring road and the Traverse des Prés. If necessary, the nearby Intermarché car park is another possibility.

(S/E) We set off to the left, along the Rocade de Fillol, towards the Intermarché, crossing the car park after passing the Pontillot canalised stream, just below the petrol station.
At the roundabout, which you reach via a small staircase, cross over and take the cycle path along Avenue de la Mer towards the town centre.

(1) After 50 metres, turn left onto the pedestrian access road which leads to a small street that climbs for about 100 metres and joins Chemin de Catalan. Follow this road to the right and then take the first left onto Rue Aussel.

(2) At the end of this straight street (100 metres), in the hamlet of Aussel, turn right at the end of the small square into an alleyway that climbs and leads to Rue des Goélands after 50 metres. Turn right onto this street. After 100 m, you will reach Rue des Bengalis, which you take to the left, then immediately to the right onto Rue des Pinsons, then very quickly to the left onto an alley that leads to Place de la Meynade.

Cross this square and turn right onto Rue des Mouettes, which after 50 metres narrows to an alleyway lined with a rocky embankment and leads to Chemin de Catalan. Go up this road on the left just long enough to turn right onto the small Rue Catalan. Turn left in the middle of the hamlet of Catalan to come out directly opposite the path that leads to the fort, to the left of the gate of a beautiful property.

Climb this rocky path (Chemin de la Heath) for about 200 metres until you reach a track that you follow to the left. This track runs around the hill of the fort like a balcony. Follow it for about 1.25 km until you come to a barrier that blocks access from another track leading up from the Négadoux district. At this barrier, continue along the track on the right and climb up past some large rocks on the right, above which you can see the fort.

Climb for almost 500 m until you reach the paved road. Turn right and head towards the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre aux Liens. If it is open, you can visit it.

Go around the church on the left and go down a narrow street that leads to a small cemetery on the left, which you can visit and which offers a wide view of the Six-Fours business park, Ollioules and the heights of Sanary.

Go back up and continue to the car park in front of the fort entrance, which offers a beautiful view of Six-Fours, La Seyne and the bay of Toulon.

Continue along the road (Montée du Fort) and descend to a bend on the left and an esplanade where there is a ruined hexagonal tower offering beautiful views of Six-Fours (the Brusc, Coudoulière and Lones districts) and Sanary.

Continue downhill to the junction with the access road to the collegiate church. Turn right at a beautiful iron cross and just below it you will find an oratory.

(3) Go down in front of this oratory and take the rocky path which, after 200 m, joins the road at a junction with the Traverse de Saint-Jean. Continue past the houses and take the small road that climbs slightly to the left.

After 100 metres, this road turns into a dirt track. 150 metres further on, there is a path leading to a ruined tower. Take this path and you can walk around the tower, which appears to be an old windmill.

Return to the track and 70 metres further on, you will find a path that descends to the right between holm oaks.

(4) Take this rocky path, which leads to the top of Carraire de Julien. Go down this road and after 150 m, you will find a narrow street on the right.

(5) Follow this lane to cross the Cautelier neighbourhood, passing between old village houses.
You will come out onto Chemin Julien, which you follow to the right heading west to reach Montée du Fort. Go down this road and take the second right (Rue des Orchidées), then left at the crossroads (Rue du Stade)

(6) Turn right between the sports field and the buildings, passing through a gate onto a footpath that runs alongside the stadium. After the stadium and another gate, pass a pleasant little square and continue to the street (Circular du Stade), which you descend alongside the Reynier secondary school on your right.

You will come out onto Avenue De Lattre de Tassigny, which you take slightly to the left to cross and find a small lane opposite that will take you to Avenue Vincent Picareau. Follow this to the right towards Place des Poilus, where you will find the passage under the town hall (La Traverse de Reynier) to reach Rue de la République.

Follow this street to the right for 50 metres and, after a raised square on the left, turn left up the small Rue Victor Hugo. After 80 metres down this street, opposite the gates of numbers 18 and 20, turn left at a right angle, then right. You will come out into an open space where, opposite a house with royal blue shutters, you will find an old threshing floor that has been converted into a relaxation area. You are now in the heart of the Reynier district.

(7) You can take advantage of this small round square (!) to take a break, then head south and cross the cluster of buildings, including a retirement home, to reach Rue de Bouillibaye. Turn right and after 400 metres you will come to a roundabout, where you turn left onto Avenue Laennec for 400 metres, before finding the entrance to the small Rue Curet Haut on your right.

(8) We turn into this small street, where we walk past an old industrial building on our left, whose walls are reinforced with metal X-bars. Here we enter the hamlet of Curet Haut. We pass Traverse de Curet Haut on our left, pass a yellow house and, after a right-hand bend, the street gives way to a footpath that winds between fences and hedges, leading to a picturesque block of houses. Cross this block, following Rue de Gassen (named after the hamlet) until you reach Avenue du Brusc.

Turn left and 50 metres further on, you will find the Traverse de Curet Bas on your right.

(9) Take this crossroad, which takes you through the hamlet of Curet Bas, which has also preserved the authenticity of its old village houses.

At the end of the road, after passing a car park with height restrictions, turn left, then right onto Rue Curet Bas, which you follow for 250 metres. Then turn right onto Traverse des Prés and pass Collège Font de Fillol to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

To my knowledge, there are no water points on this route, but as you're in the town centre on the way back, there's no shortage of cafés!
In terms of equipment, a good pair of trainers is more than enough, as nearly 70% of the route is on tarmac.

The route description above is a little long, but it's very easy to find your way around using the excellent map of Six-Fours, which is available from the Tourist Office.

I have included the names of the hamlets you will pass through in the route description so that walkers can take note of the preserved historical features of these hamlets, which still link Six-Fours to its village past.

Along the path that circles the fort, you will notice here and there a few remains of low walls or ruined buildings, which are the rare vestiges of the village that once occupied a dominant position on this hill. This village was razed in^{the 19th} century to build the majestic fort of Six-Fours, now occupied by the French Navy's communications services.

The ruined hexagonal tower just below the fort and the mill located before the point (4) on the small pass of Malespine are part of the remains of the old village, but fortunately the superb Saint-Pierre Collegiate Church and the small cemetery next to it have been preserved.

The collegiate church is open to visitors. You can find out more in the following brochure:
https://www.ville-six-fours.fr/wp-conten...

It has recently undergone interior restoration and now features beautiful new modern stained glass windows.

From the top of the hill where the fort stands, you can enjoy extensive panoramic views.

The return journey through the town and the old hamlets of Cautelier and Reynier, then Curet Haut, Gassen and Curet Bas, although urban, is not boring and allows you to pass through neighbourhoods that have retained their village spirit and see a threshing floor, a preserved remnant of an ancient agricultural activity.