The Vallon de la Gaillarde in the Petites Maures

A walk through the Var forest ending in a forest of mimosas. Lovely views of the sea.

Details

5174153
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.70 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 173 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 176 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 166 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 11 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Coming from Saint-Aygulf, just at the start of La Gaillarde beach, turn right into the La Gaillarde residential area, go to the end of the tarmac road (about 1 km) and park in front of the cemetery.

(S/E) Go through the gate and, following the tarmac road, take the La Gaillarde F236 track, climbing steadily to the pass.

(1) At the fork, leave the track on your right. Continue straight ahead along La Gaillarde on the La Gaillarde F236 track.

(2) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, heading north-west, on the same track until you reach the pass.

(3) When you reach the pass, take the Petites Maures F1 track, which descends in a hairpin bend to the right until you reach a small pond.

(4) Go through the gate on the left and continue along the same track, which climbs more steeply for a short distance.

(5) Leave the Petites Maures F1 track and take the historic path on the right.
'An alternative route is possible by continuing along the track, which continues to climb and, via a path on the right, rejoins this route before the junction of the loop (additional time and elevation gain of approximately 50 m) but does not pass through the mimosa forest.'
- The historic path descends gently to the ruins of Roqueyrol.

(6) After the ruins, there are two options:
- take the path on the left, described in this description, which offers a more beautiful view.
- or take the shorter path opposite.
In both cases, part of the path is quite steep.

Further down, about 40 m, where the two routes meet, cross a forest of mimosas, which is superb in February.
After this forest, take a concrete ford on the right to reach the fork you passed on the way there.

(1) Then turn left to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 14 m - La Gaillarde trail
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 21 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 2.07 - alt. 150 m - La Gaillarde track F236
  4. 3 : km 2.97 - alt. 152 m - Unnamed pass - Petite Maure trail
  5. 4 : km 3.16 - alt. 133 m - Petites Maures trail
  6. 5 : km 3.64 - alt. 162 m - Historic trail
  7. 6 : km 4.05 - alt. 141 m - Ruins of Roqueyrol
  8. S/E : km 5.7 - alt. 13 m - La Gaillarde trail

Notes

The track and path are very passable, with few stony areas.

Worth a visit

At (1), to the south-west, there is a beautiful view of the Saint-Tropez peninsula.
Between (2) and (3), beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea, Saint-Raphaël in the distance.
Between (5) and (6), there is a forest of mimosas, which are magnificent in February.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Franc718
Franc718

A very pleasant hike, even in August, with beautiful views and very passable paths
BUT be careful, we encountered wild boars on the historic path that descends to the ruins of Roqueyrol (there is a water hole at the edge of the path)

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Ry33
Ry33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy and very pleasant hike. Beautiful panoramic views.

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CHAPPELON
CHAPPELON

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike taken during the mimosa blossom season
Superb!

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Montier
Montier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Valley covered in mimosa flowers
Superb views of Aigulf Cove and Gaillarde Bay
Steep slope on the upper part

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Jeanpetitquidanse
Jeanpetitquidanse

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I couldn't get the app to work, so I couldn't track my hike along the route. Difficult to use. I don't know how it works...

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Guignol
Guignol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well signposted. Easy route. Very beautiful scenery, especially if you take the alternative route, which offers exceptional views.

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emma41
emma41

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

For our week of hiking, we did the same route twice.
The first time we followed the description and on 18 March we did it in the opposite direction. The climb up the rocks is easier than the descent.
A beautiful hike with no difficulty and stunning views.
Thanks for posting.

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c-lebret
c-lebret

Well-marked route. Lovely view of the Mediterranean. Moderate difficulty. Very pleasant outing.

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Cécile C 83
Cécile C 83

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To do in February to enjoy the mimosas...

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sadded
sadded

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice little walk. We made a (small) detour which gave us a better view of the sea than if we had followed the original route. (Very easy to improvise with the app).
We ended our walk under the mimosa trees.

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Semsem
Semsem

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk. Beautiful sea views, some interesting explanations along the way and the ruins of an old farm.

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chantal coudevylle
chantal coudevylle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk under the February sun in the early afternoon
The Visorando app is a great way to follow the route

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chantal coudevylle
chantal coudevylle

A pleasant route taken in early February, with mimosas in full bloom!

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chantal coudevylle
chantal coudevylle

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in early February 2024
a magnificent circuit, varied but fortunately we had the Visorando app to help us find our way
The description is very useful

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CRISCAT
CRISCAT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike in January, the weather was nice and the route was well marked. The hike offers views of the sea, especially in the second half. The first part is on a track, the second on paths
A pleasant hike

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