Tour and ascent of Gros Cerveau Ollioules

This description is useful but not essential if you have a map and a good sense of direction!

The trail starts near the water treatment plant, in the car park of the Ollioules astronomical observation site and a large fitness trail. Park your car in the first dirt car park on the left of the road (enter between two large stones; there is a blue line on the stone on the right).

(S/E) Directly from the car park entrance, to the south of the fitness trail, look for a simple red and white barrier that opens onto the Bonnet valley (not visible from the road, so look carefully to the south!).
Take the blue-marked path that descends into the valley towards the west.
The path overlooks Les Esquières on the left.

(1) It ends at a fork above the place called Le Lançon.
Turn right onto the fairly steep path (still marked in blue), which then begins to wind its way through the woods.

(2) Follow the wide bends to reach the D20.
Turn left and continue along this paved road for a few hundred metres.

(3) Join the sunken path closed by a green barrier on the right, which leads to the fort (1.3 km).
Even if you are tempted to reach the fort quickly, do not take this path on the right (it is very long and of no interest) but continue along the short paved road.

(4) This will take you to a cistern at the foot of the cliff.
The arrival at the fort is then much better than if you take the direct path.
Turn right and follow the path along the edge of the northern cliff, which is marked in blue, but also in red and white as it is part of the GR®51. You will walk through beautiful sharp limestone pavement, rocks and pebbles laminated by erosion caused by runoff.
You will overlook the Jaume or Val d'Arren quarry on your left, framed by the Gros Cerveau to the south and the Barrière de la Jaume to the north. The almost 270° view is already breathtaking! In the background, you may be lucky enough to see the Sainte Beaume massif with its characteristic foothills.

Reach the summit where you will find the^first orientation table facing inland. But you will also discover a breathtaking view of the coastline.
Shortly afterwards, you will enter the site of the Gros Cerveau fortifications.

(5) At the fork, on the left of the path, there is a small footbridge and a small cave, marked "military terrain", and the GR®51, which bypasses the fort to the north (and also allows you to enter it). Continue straight ahead towards the south, on the sea side, along the western wall, which passes in front of the entrance to the fortified section comprising the soldiers' living quarters.
These structures are not open to the public, although they are partially in ruins. On the right, still on the sea side, you can see the top of a blockhouse. Continue to follow the perimeter wall.

(6) You will come to a^second orientation table at the southernmost point of the plateau, facing the sea.
Here you have an exceptional view of the coastline from La Ciotat to Porquerolles. Its location, slightly set back from the Faron and quite far from the city of Toulon, adds a wilder, more Provençal feel than at the summit of its neighbouring peak, the Faron.

After the orientation table, turn around and look for the square watchtower flanking the corner of the rampart.
Then take the small path on the right, marked with a blue cross, and easily reach the bottom of the eastern ditch (a natural ditch that completely replaces the ditch/ramparts found elsewhere to the south and east).
Cross this ditch, climb over a small, easy 3.5 m ledge (where you will need to use your hands, which is great fun for children and completely safe) and you will reach the interior of the fort. The above directions should be sufficient, but if you are having difficulty, here is a photo( No. 27409 ) showing a very detailed aerial view.

Alternative: for the less agile or more cautious, go around the fort to the north, starting from WP5, or to the south and east from WP6 (orientation table).
The route inside the fort is completely open and you do not have to follow the GPX track."

You can then wander around the fort.

Finally, head north-east to the end of the plateau, not far from the summit altitude marker.

NB: due to the large amount of information at the summit, the 1:25,000 IGN map is not very legible, whereas on visorando, the zoomed geoportal-ign version clearly shows a circular path inside the fort, allowing you to reach the start of the descent and then the altitude marker by turning anti-clockwise from the^second orientation^table. This enlarged view of the area on Google Maps can be seen in the photo portfolio (No. 27409).

(7) 80 m from the summit marker, to the north-east, find the GR®51 trail, marked in red and white and also in blue, which descends rapidly, avoiding the first hairpin bends of the road.
This path is magnificent!

Stay on the road for a short while.

(8) At elevation 311, turn left, leaving the road and the GR®51 (to limit the distance on the paved road and enjoy the Mediterranean pine forest as much as possible), and take a path on the left behind the large green tank with graffiti. You will then walk along the edge of the cliff overlooking the quarry, north of elevation 352.
The path then narrows considerably.

(9) At the first crossroads, take the path on the left for a few dozen metres, then - stay alert! - quickly turn right after a small cairn, onto a narrow path through the scrub. This path winds its way downhill and rejoins the hairpin bend in the road below.
NB: if you miss this path, don't panic, there are other paths criss-crossing the area. You can hear the cars on the road below very clearly, which can also guide you!

(10) Continue on the left until you reach elevation 285 and rejoin the GR®51 (red/white markings). Follow the GR® which leaves the main road on the left (behind the Société du Canal de Provence barrier) onto a short stretch of tarmac road.

A few metres before reaching the Hugueneuve cistern behind its wire fence, turn left into the woods (red/white markings) onto the GR®51, which descends towards the rear of the water treatment plant. The path overlooks the Reppe valley.

Go around it and return to the starting point in the car park (S/E).

Hike completed on 25 January 2015 and 3 November 2015 in 2½ hours (but duration calculated by Visorando as 4 hours).

Important
Please note that although the destination is a popular Sunday walk, the entire hike is not suitable for "Sunday walkers". You need to be in good physical condition for the climb, be able to ignore the signs that want to guide you faster than planned to the supposed destination (the fort), and have a good sense of direction so you don't get lost in the scrub on the way down.
This is a real hike (even if it is quite short)!
A compass, a map, this description, a GPS and/or the Visorando app on your smartphone should help you avoid any inconvenience.

Dogs are not allowed, even on a leash, on any part of the trail.

Wear sturdy hiking boots due to the uneven terrain and scree. For those who are sensitive to scratches, beware of the usual thorny Mediterranean scrub that can scratch your calves. Consider wearing trousers or gaiters!

There are no water sources on the hike. Bring plenty of water, even in winter.

In case of rain, the various woods can be used as shelter, but in the event of a storm, only the ammunition galleries and the small cave of the Gros Cerveau fortified structure can accommodate hikers.

At the top of Gros Cerveau
The fortified structure was built in 1890. It was designed to defend the harbour of Toulon from invasion from the interior of the country via the Gorges d'Ollioules.
The main barracks could accommodate up to 250 men. Part of it was renovated in 2023 (Sanary Tourisme), but the rest is in ruins.
However, the walls of the barracks and a walled underground shelter that was used as an ammunition store still remain. In 2015, the wall closing off the shelter was partially demolished.
Outside the fort, in front of the main gate, there is also a blockhouse built by the Germans in 1943.
Access to the enclosed area is possible by crossing the moat until you reach the telecommunications pylon (or by taking the GR®51 from the north).
It is common to encounter a herd of goats and billy goats from Le Rove*.
You can walk around the inside of the military structure freely and discover the ten old gun mounts and their passageways, former ammunition stores and the underground ammunition storage shelter.
Before heading back down, be sure to visit the marker at the summit at 429 m!

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Rove goats
The Rove goat is a French breed of goat native to the Bouches-du-Rhône region. It is one of the so-called "small-scale" breeds. The herd is estimated at around 14,000 females in France since 2014. Its coat is varied in colour, usually brown with white or black spots. It is particularly recognisable by its triangular, twisted horns. This goat accompanied the transhumance of sheep and provided milk for shepherds and lambs that their mothers could not feed, as well as meat, at a time when it was commonly eaten. Today, it is used to clear or maintain inaccessible areas that need to be cleared of vegetation to prevent fires.
Source: Wikipedia