Tour of the Plaine de Fos

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk, varied landscape. Not very busy. We met a hunter. Great for autumn.

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I didn't see any private property or no trespassing signs.
Otherwise, it was an easy and pleasant walk.
The description is a little confusing at the end, but as the general direction is clear...

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I had gotten into the habit of coming here for a quiet walk on days when the Sainte Victoire area was too crowded (weekends and public holidays in spring), but everything comes to an end: signs indicating private forest property and prohibiting access to the ridge have appeared at point 1; clearly, only the DFCI track seems accessible, which is of limited interest.
i can no longer see any possible walks in the countryside around Meyreuil, where everything seems to be private property...

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Date of your route : Feb 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's surprising to find a completely natural trail on this hill in Meyreuil; neither the local council nor the FFR (French Cycling Federation) offer an official route... you're probably riding on private property, but there are no signs prohibiting access. I've done it twice: once starting from Pont-de-Bayeux and once from the cemetery. There are more people on the DFCI track than on the ridge path, where I didn't see anyone. A great discovery!

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Date of your route : Feb 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

2 comments:
- the cemetery mentioned in the guidebook is the new cemetery, not the old one that you see when you arrive on the Gardanes side.
- if you start after a meal, it is better to start from No. 317 because the slope is gentler than from the new cemetery

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Date of your route : Feb 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Only the beginning of the hike is difficult, along the road for about 500 metres.
The rest is very pleasant with magnificent views of Sainte-Victoire.

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Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, peaceful stroll in a green setting

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Date of your route : Feb 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty hike in the woods with a view of Sainte Victoire. Very windy once you leave the forest, but sheltered from the wind once you re-enter. Very easy. Done in 1.5 hours with a 19-month-old baby in a baby carrier. We parked as indicated in the comments at 317 Route de Martina, at the start of the hike, without having to walk on the road, which is not safe (no pavement or barrier) if you park at the cemetery. We came across a few people, but it was very reasonable.

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Date of your route : Jan 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short route accessible to all, ideal for getting some fresh air near Aix and being back by 6pm!

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Date of your route : Feb 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A nice, quick route for when you're short on time.
It's great for Nordic walking, with wide paths and not too much elevation gain.
Thanks lorenzotess for sharing!

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Date of your route : Sep 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A walk to do if you don't have much time as it's very short, but otherwise pleasant and relaxing...

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Date of your route : Aug 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Same comments as above:
- park at 317 Route de Martina
- follow the main road after the villa (point 5)
Easy and pleasant route with lovely views. The only downside is the noise from the road at point 4. No one else around except for a few mountain bikes until point 4. Ideal for families (done with two children aged 2 and 4).

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Date of your route : Jun 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short, easy hike through the woods with lovely views of Sainte Victoire.
Point 4: the round rock sticking out of the ground is not very big.
Points 4 and 5: after overlooking the villa on the left, it is not necessary to take the path on the left that runs along the fence; it is better to stay on the main path as the fork in the two paths mentioned in point 5 is not easy to find.
Finally, it is best to set the start and finish of the circuit opposite No. 269 on the Route de Martina.

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Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this easy and original hike.
We saw two green lizards, our first ever! And heard the first cicada of the year!

I agree with the comment below: we parked in the small dirt car park just in front of the gate, which was much safer than parking below on the road. There is space for six cars.

The first half of the hike is very easy and suitable for bikes, even for children (up to the white slabs) - about 40 minutes on this section.

The second half (which comes back along the ridge) is less suitable for bikes and is a little hillier for those who have difficulty walking. We also didn't really like the view and the noise from the motorway, or the villas built very close to this nature area (not to mention the bullet casings...)
We missed stage 5, but luckily from the ridge there is a path that descends steeply to the right, 20 metres before a "fire station" (a green wooden hut from where hunters can fire their guns).
About 60 minutes.

All in all, it took us 1 hour and 50 minutes (2 adults, 1 child aged 7 on foot and a dog).

Thank you for helping us discover this forest!

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Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We arrived at 4pm and went straight to the dirt car park (opposite 317 Route de Martina), which was much easier as we were the only ones there. The walk was lovely, easy and shaded. Next time we'll bring chairs so we can spend some time in the shade (there are some good spots in the first half of the walk) and listen to the peace and quiet and the birds. Point 4 is easy to recognise if you don't stop at the passages that look similar. In the last quarter of the route, we hesitated a few times but didn't get lost.

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