Sainte-Anne Chapel in Claviers

Ascent to the Sainte-Anne Chapel, located 624 m above sea level on the western summit of the Plateau du Puy, passing by the ruins of a Ligurian oppidum. Easy hike in the Provence scrubland and forest (thyme, lavender, rock rose...)

Technical sheet

200543
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.41 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 196 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 193 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 693 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 500 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: At the end of Chemin de Sainte-Anne, at the ONF fence below the Claviers water tower.

(S/F) Pass through the fence and follow asphalt road for 500 m to reach a first intersection where the paved portion ends.

(1) Do not follow the signposts (the direct route leading to the chapel) but instead take the track that climbs to the right (east) for 1.1 km and arrives at a tank at a crossroads.

(2) Turn left uphill (north) where the trail makes two loops and continues for 1 km to reach a sign on the right (for the oppidum).

(3) Head up on the right following the old Blue markings on the relatively well-marked trail. Enter the camp, it is unfortunately very damaged and poorly maintained at the time of writing. Head through it if you want and find the way home to the north-west that leads through the forest to the main track (take care: the Blue markings on trees are sometimes hard to spot because the route is very old and degraded by animals scraping at the bark).

Back on the track, turn right (Blue markings) and continue for about 100 m to get to crossroads.

(4) Leave the Blue markings that descend to the left and veer right (Yellow markings), pass a cistern and reach a crossroads of tracks (about 1.2 km).

(5) Turn right and reach the chapel (150 m). Take a moment here to admire the building, the views of Bargemon and the Col du Bel Homme north. Note the courtyard (south side), a suitable place to stop for views of the village.

Head back out through the gate of the court and move down the grassy courtyard to find the path down with Yellow markings headed south-west (6).

Note a little further down, before the turn, the size of the pine felled on the right and reach, after 200 metres, another trail coming from the left.

Then descend 500 m which leads back to the beginning (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 500 m - Car park at the end of Chemin de Saint-Anne
  2. 1 : km 0.57 - alt. 563 m - Crossroads, take the track on the right (east)
  3. 2 : km 1.76 - alt. 578 m - Crossroads, tank, turn left (north)
  4. 3 : km 2.75 - alt. 671 m - Right towards the oppidum
  5. 4 : km 3.24 - alt. 663 m - To the right, yellow markers
  6. 5 : km 4.44 - alt. 618 m - Right towards the chapel
  7. 6 : km 4.75 - alt. 623 m - End of the forecourt, start of the yellow signposted path
  8. S/E : km 5.41 - alt. 500 m - Car park at the end of Chemin de Saint-Anne

Practical information

(1) Option to shorten the climb to the intersection and turn left onto the road ahead at the crossroads (5).

Optional start point at the village (car park) but more asphalt roads.

Avoid the climb during hot weather as it mostly runs due south.

Very accessible for children as you will be staying on main tracks, safe except beside the chapel.

Avoid the climb to the oppidum and especially the return through the forest if you are not a confident navigator or do not feel confident that you will be able to spot the faded markings.

Recommendations:
• Only take the path in the seasons allowed! Check in advance whether the forests are open, especially in the summer. (See website of the Var prefecture).

In the nearby area

Chapelle Sainte-Anne: the facade has a Roman-style entrance and an oculus. The impressive facade is crowned by two fine rows of "Genoese” tiles.
Beautiful courtyard to the south.

The villages of Haut Var.

The old town of Claviers

The church and the chapel of Saint-Sylvestre (built in 1026).

The oppidum is unfortunately not well-maintained and only the ruins of the outer walls remain, and too many trees hide its true size and splendour...

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.3 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
loupiaux
loupiaux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A fine route up to Chapelle Sainte-Anne, where the view over Claviers and the hinterland is extraordinary.

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Lhassa57
Lhassa57

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

Lots of tarmac, then 80% DFCI tracks. Be careful in summer, there is little shade. The chapel is massacred by this huge telephone mast. A nice, shady path on the way down from the chapel. I tried a path marked on the IGN map on the right between points 1 & 2, but it was overgrown with bushes and brambles.

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bedirahl
bedirahl

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk in the woods for a short section, but it's a shame there are no more tracks. But pleasant

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Jeffrey w
Jeffrey w

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

There's actually a problem in the description of the descent from the oppidum, which you can recognise by its collapsed walls!
We followed the blue markers in the NW undergrowth, then there are also yellow-on-white markers to follow, which lead to a cistern on the track 1 km before the chapelle st Anne.
The yellow-on-white markers appear about 800 m after the oppidum.
Beautiful views of the surrounding villages.

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matroeper
matroeper

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very Nice Walk with beautiful views on the surrounding hillsides. The oppidum is in a very bad condition as described. You can ring the bell at the Ste-Anne chapel yourself, highlight when traveling with small children!

Jackie06210
Jackie06210

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very nice walk, not too difficult, but we didn't find the opium!

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nathaliedecallas
nathaliedecallas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful scenery for this short hike.

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thierry.peyrard@wanadoo.fr
thierry.peyrard@wanadoo.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 03, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful hike with some very fine panaromas. Not to be done in very hot weather, as most of the walk is on forest paths, in full sun. Be careful with the oppidum: it's so destroyed that you walk right past it without seeing it! On the other hand, it's pleasant to follow the blue signposted path through the undergrowth. There's a problem with the network towards the middle of the route.
Thierry Peyrard

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kiky
kiky

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 21, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very pleasant hike, we left from the car park before the village, so a total of 12km (and 100m more ascent), for our part the oppidum is to be avoided, we're still looking for it, just saw a pile of stones, and to return we took the path from the outset, because nothing else was found, the blue route took us away from the GPS plot, and yet this route arrives well on the main track a little further than when you leave it for the oppidum ??? the chapel is magnificent and closed, very beautiful scenery.

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bibi
bibi ★

Thank you for your opinion. If you have any improvements to make, please let us know and we will add them to the description.
Sincerely

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link125
link125

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 10, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lack of description on the route, oppidum rather badly signposted and the forest route badly signposted...but great walk...great setting...

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michel_83
michel_83

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 18, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Did this walk today in very good weather. It was easy to find the start (thanks to the car's GPS!) but I found that the signs on the ground were clearly inadequate. After realising this at the Chapelle, I consulted the map, which enabled me to complete my walk without a hitch, but in the opposite direction.
In fact, I'd started at the Chapelle, which was indicated on a signpost at point 1 on the map. At this stage of the walk and given the signs, I didn't feel the need to take out my smartphone to check on the map whether I should go right or left.

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GOGO
GOGO

Hello.
The problem is that at 270° there's a very nice blue signpost that goes quite a long way into the forest (I didn't keep going because I realised I wasn't going in the right direction). So I don't know where it leads. It's the confusion that can arise for an uninformed walker that I wanted to point out. But I agree, hiking deserves a minimum of personal research if it is to be a complete pleasure.
Sincerely GOGO

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andréh
andréh

Hello, thank you for your comment and your details.
For the descent from the oppidum, there is an old blue signpost in the forest as indicated, but in fact it is simpler to go back down the same path, but it is also interesting to look for old routes marked in blue or sometimes red when hiking.
cordially andré

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