Notre-Dame du Mai and Le Quicon via Fabregas

Park in the Fabrégas car park, the terminus of the 81 Agglo-Toulon bus.

(S/E) Head west along the road, then take the palm-lined path on the right leading to the Fabrégas estate building. Go round the building to the left after reading the heritage information provided by the Conservatoire du Littoral and take the path on the right.

(1) At the Oide reservoir, take a small path climbing up to the left towards the north-west to reach a viewpoint. Continue on to reach a crossroads of paths.

(2) Keep left to quickly reach the junction of the Chemin des Gabrielles, marked by two barriers.

(3) Ignore the path on the right and take the small path on the left which leads back towards the D2816 ridge road. When you reach the D2816, follow it for 50 m and turn right (west) onto a small path through the undergrowth joining the perimeter track, named Piste des Chênes Lièges on the IGN map. Continue along this track until the next hairpin bend, then climb left up a steep little path to a new viewpoint.

(4) Follow the Piste du Bau Rouge to the right, keep right and then take the Piste du Chemin de la Batterie de Peyras. Continue until you reach the fence of a campsite.

(5) Leave the track by descending a steep slope to the left, and reach the pumping station via a small path through the woods.

(6) Take the Sentier de Belle Pierre, known as the Sentier de la Découverte, which climbs towards the D2816 road. Join it at a hairpin bend.

(7) Leave the path here and cross the road carefully, as it may be used by cyclists travelling at high speed. Opposite, take the ridge path up a fairly steep and continuous slope. N.B. The path is not shown on the IGN map, although it is marked on OpenStreetMap Hiking. This path is very well cleared. When you reach the Piste de Notre-Dame de Bonne Garde, turn right and climb up to Notre-Dame de la Garde. 360° view of the region. Return to the start of the coastal ridge path, which lies between the fence of the Notre-Dame du Mai antennas and a road safety barrier.

(8) Head to the fire control bunker. Continue to a junction, leave it and turn right onto the ridge path, marked with a Yellow Cross. Continue along the ridge until, after an easy descent, you reach a Y-junction at the Quicon ridge.

(9) Be careful here: do not continue straight ahead, as this path leads to a small rocky outcrop where the challenging descent is not recommended. Turn right to continue the descent due north to rejoin the D2816 ridge road.

(10) Cross it and take a path below the road towards a picnic area and a water tank. Follow the Chemin de Roumagnan to the left. Shortly after the hairpin bend, turn right onto the small, well-marked path climbing to the right towards the Chemin des Oratoires. You’ll reach a water tank and another picnic area at a hairpin bend on the Corniche Varoise.

(11) Take a small path on the left that descends steeply. Join the Piste des Pins Parasols and follow it for a few metres to the right to reach a new path.

(12) Leave the track via the small path on the left, which is initially flat before descending towards the Janas Forest House. Take care on this descent, as it crosses a popular mountain bike track with jumps. Follow the track after the pumping station to reach the Janas Forest House.

(13) Cross the car park and head up opposite towards the Buffalo Hacienda campsite, skirting it to the left along a small path through the woodland. Do not continue along the perimeter track (called Chênes Lièges on IGN maps) but follow the campsite fence.

(14) Continue right along the Chemin des Gabrielles to the Chemin de l'Oide. Here, you can take a small path through the woods running to the left of the Chemin des Gabrielles, without straying too far from it. Return to the junction with the two barriers you passed on the way out .

(3) Turn left and follow the route back in the opposite direction to quickly reach the crossroads you passed earlier.

(2) Leave the route taken on the way there and turn left heading due north onto a good path. Walk past the water reservoirs, then turn left onto the track and find the junction with the Sentier de l’Oide on the right.

(15) Follow it south-east to return to the initial junction you passed on the way out.

(1) Opposite, follow the route back in the opposite direction to return to the Fabrégas car park (S/E).

Yellow markings between (8) and (9).

(4) Viewpoint over Saint-Mandrier.

Visit to Notre-Dame de la Garde or Le Mai: Open from 15 October to 15 April. Staff on duty every^1st and^3rd Sunday of the month from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
Then in May: every day from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm (mass at 4.00 pm except on¹ May)
See also
Fabrégas Estate