Notre-Dame-de Paracol in Le Val

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed today by a senior couple.
It is worth noting that it is useful to park in the angle car park near the memorial, below St James' Chapel.
Some hesitation shortly after setting off as there are several directions to choose from.
Thank goodness for the GPS track...
Lunch on the steps of the Paracol viewpoint, where the view is superb.
The descent is not very easy, but doable...
We are delighted with this outing, which offers a wonderful panorama of the region.
Thanks to the author and our friends at Paracol who passionately maintain this heritage site.

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Date of your route : Dec 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with beautiful views of the region. The descent on the Le Val side is quite steep in places, with stones that can be slippery in wet weather.

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Date of your route : Dec 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely afternoon stroll; there are a few variations possible, notably via Saint Cyriaque Chapel.

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Date of your route : Oct 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Family route, accessible to most people (except pushchairs and young children).
Exceptional views of the Var.
Be careful of slippery rocks on the way down, especially if it has rained in the previous days.

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Date of your route : Feb 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

nice little hike, the descent is a bit steep on the rocks.

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Date of your route : Jan 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful route that I recently suggested
when I see a comment from a pseudo-hiker, it strikes me
before leading an outing, you need to know it well and, above all, be able to take responsibility for it
best regards

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short hike that offers a 360° view once you reach the summit. Truly superb. The chapels are closed, so they're not really worth visiting.

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Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A slight hesitation immediately after the first fork to the left at the three-way junction, but geolocation makes it easy to resolve the issue. Otherwise, no problem following the route. A very beautiful hike, just the right length for a Sunday stroll. The surroundings are magnificent all along the way, reaching their peak when you arrive at Notre Dame de Paracol! I highly recommend it, with the added bonus of a rich variety of flora and fauna!

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Date of your route : Jun 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I live in Le Val opposite the Notre Dame de Paracol hill. I have climbed it several times and by different routes. The one I suggested to the OVS group is a little different but still leads to the chapel. We parked in the primary school car parkprimary school car park, went under the bridge and turned right, walking along the motorway for a short while before turning left towards the retirement home. The first chapel, St Jacques, is located nearby. We continued along the path and turned right at the first oratory, climbing the goat track up tothe Saint Cyriaque chapel, then descended via a more passable path that led us to the St Blaise stone stele at the crossroads. We continued along the St Blaise path and climbed the winding path to the stele. Thanks to our friends from Paracol, we turned right to reach Notre Dame de Paracol (closed) and its cross with a 360° view. We descended a few steps to the St Blaise chapel and the hermitage (closed), a stone altar in front of the chapel. The Friends of Paracol have set up a wooden table and bench under the trees to rest. There are several paths to descend towards Le Val: the Way of the Cross starts at the oratory, a small, fairly stony path passing several oratories, or take the same path as on the way up, or at a crossroads, turn left and go down to the Rioubert path, then the orchard path, cross the housing estate, turn left towards the village, go under the bridge and you will arrive at the school car park (!!!!please bring good walking shoes, walking sticks, water, a hat and possibly a picnic. Please do not leave any rubbish behind, as we have collected far too much already! To reach Notre Dame de Paracol, take the path without shade. Enjoy your hike!

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Date of your route : May 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We went on a beautiful hike at the end of the first Covid-19 lockdown, with two variations: a visit to Chapelle St-Cyriaque at the start of the route, a bucolic lunch at Notre-Dame de Paracol, then the summit of Le Cuit. The climb up Le Cuit is quite strenuous. Return to Le Val via the GR 653, which was somewhat devastated by forestry work. Total distance: 14.35 km, 523 m elevation gain, 5 hours 15 minutes. A pleasant walk, not very busy at this time of year, under a already very strong sun.

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Date of your route : Jun 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We set off from the car park ofle Val primary school, passing in front of the retirement home and the Saint Jacques chapel. A little further on, we turned right onto a small path leading to the St Cyriaque chapel. After a steep climb, we descended via a wider path towards the St Blaise rock and the Notre Dame de Paracol chapel. Another steep climb, but what a view when we reached the top of the Paracol friends' rock! We walked aroundto the right towards the cross and the Notre Dame de Paracol chapel, then we went around it a few metres lower down to see the Saint Blaise chapel and theHermitage. We had a picnic on a wooden table with benches. THANK YOU to the friends of Paracol. We planned to descend via the Way of the Cross, but I didn't have very fond memories of it: lots of stones and a narrow path, but very beautiful, so we set off again along the same path but turned left towards Chemin Rioubert and Chemin des Vergers and the car park.As a resident of Le Val, facing the Notre Dame de Paracol hill, I know all the paths fairly well and am always happy to take hikers there. We covered 8.55 km in 2 hours and 50 minutes and took a 1-hour break for photos and a picnic

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Date of your route : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant walk, moderately easy for someone who is not used to hiking but enjoys discovering beautiful landscapes and monuments, which is the case with this hike...

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Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

Neither Visorando nor the authors are responsible for signposting. Signposts are often included in the descriptions when they are present on the ground, but they can disappear, so it is best to rely on the description and the map.

If markings are essential for you, Visorando provides, in addition to the description and the 1:25,000 IGN map, virtual markings: a GPS application.

This tool, offered free of charge by Visorando, allows you to validate waypoints and thus remove any doubts about orientation.

See you soon!

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Date of your route : Mar 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Entrance and trail very poorly marked.
The view from the summit is worth the effort of the climb.
The hikers we met were friendly.

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Date of your route : Mar 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike, not too difficult, uphill all the way, but at the end, you're rewarded with breathtaking views and beautifully restored heritage sites (chapels). For those who are curious, there are information plaques about the monuments. A picnic in this spot is divine. If you do a circular, be careful as the descent is steep and rocky, but if your knees aren't too bad, it's shorter than the way there.

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