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The most common access point to the village of La Cadière is from the roundabout at exit 11 of the A50 motorway, between the villages of Le Castellet and La Cadière. Follow signs for "La Cadière d'Azur", pass the La Cadiérenne wine cooperative and go up the D66; when you reach the town, follow the signs for "Stade Municipal" until you reach the street called Chemin du Stade. About 200 metres after the start of this street, park on the right in a parking area that can accommodate about ten cars.
(S/E) Continue along this street until you reach a crossroads leading to Chemin du Peyneuf on the right.
(1) Turn right onto this road, which climbs for a few dozen metres before descending quite steeply until you come to a forest track with a metal barrier on the left.
(2) Go through the barrier and take the forest track, which soon turns out to be a wide dirt path that is very pleasant for walkers or mountain bikers. This track descends continuously, dominated at the beginning by the steep cliffs of the edge of the Cadière plateau, and almost always with a view of the Cadière plain and the heights of Saint-Cyr.
After a long stretch under pine trees, you will walk alongside vineyards stretching out on the gently sloping right. First you will come to a beautiful residence at the top of a cul-de-sac, then further on the track ends with the entrance to a private property on the left and a road leading down to the south-west on the right.
(3) Take the road downhill to the junction with another road, which you take on the left heading south. The road first runs alongside vineyards, then crosses a pine forest, before arriving at the top of a hill at a crossroads, just after which, on the left, there is an overhanging rocky embankment supported by two concrete pillars.
(4) Turn left towards the housing estates and follow the road to a semi-detached housing estate at the top left.
(5) Turn left onto the access road to this housing estate and you will find the pedestrian access to the path leading to the plateau on your left. Take this path which climbs through heath on limestone rocks. If you look at the rocks, you will see that they are made up exclusively of clusters of rudists - see photo.
(6) At the first major crossroads, turn left to climb towards the edge of the plateau. After a hairpin bend to the right, the path runs along the edge of the plateau, offering beautiful views of the plain and La Ciotat bay through the pine trees. You will reach the football pitch.
Go around it on the left and continue along the ridge at the edge of the plateau, this time in a much more open area offering superb views from the village of Sainte-Anne du Castellet on the right to the Gâche hill on the left. At the highest point is a small cubic monument.
The path passes in front of a pretty chapel, just before a group of three water towers. Pass between these and the first villas and you will come to the road (Chemin du Stade) with the stadium car park under the pine trees opposite.
(7) Turn left onto the road. In a large right-hand bend, notice the well-preserved ruins of a mill at the top left, among the pine trees.
(1) Continue straight ahead until you reach the car park where you started (S/E).
at point 5. The properties along the hiking trail are often splendid too.
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