Towards the summit of the Cride de Peypin

Coming from the D908, take the D46A at the Auberge de Pichauris. Drive past the park car park and park further on at the large Les Micocouliers car park.

(S/E) Cross the road and take the path directly opposite heading due north towards La Bastidonne. Turn right at a T-junction, then, after a few hairpin bends, right again onto a wider path. Pass under a high-voltage power line, then veer left, following the yellow-red-yellow markings of the GRP®2013. You will reach a Y-junction.

(1) Turn right, then, about 200 m further on, left under the trees. Follow the GRP®2013 markings, which pass by olive trees, to reach the ruins of La Bastidonne. In the large field on the right, look out for a well, the Puits de Joseph. Keep to the right of the building and head north until you reach a gate and a DFCI track.

(2) Continue to the right along the stony path which descends steeply through the undergrowth before levelling out. Ignore the paths to the left and right. Join a DFCI track and keep to the right. Follow this track to a Y-junction with a rock marking the boundary of the commune of Allauch and a gate.

(3) Turn left and follow the track which leads to some houses and a tarmac road. Keep to the left and follow the road which passes by a cemetery.

(4) After the cemetery, turn right onto the unmarked path climbing up beside the ruins of an old fire lookout post. At the top, you’ll reach a junction of paths. Look out for a fire lookout post and take the path to its right, marked Yellow-Red-Yellow. This path, which is sometimes steep, leads to the bed of the Cride stream. Admire the waterfalls and potholes. Turn right into a path through the undergrowth and join a DFCI track (GB205).

(5) Turn left at the gate and follow the track, which winds twice, offering fine views of Cride Hill. You’ll reach a star-shaped junction and a gate.

(6) Head all the way to the left towards the area marked ‘hunting car park’ and look for a faint track near a game trough. The track gradually disappears, but keep heading north-east, keeping the end of the cliffs in sight. Reach the ridge and follow it to the left. You’ll come to a cross. Turn back and head into a hollow with a large rock (see photo). On the left, a pile of stones, the remains of an ancient Gallo-Roman oppidum (see § Practical Information).

(7) Head down northwards through this pile of stones. A few metres further on, you’ll find a larger pile of stones (with a cairn at the start). When this pile veers off to the left, turn right, heading east along the narrow track that passes to the right of trees with branches cut back to make the path easier to follow (cairn). You’ll reach another long pile of stones. Descend to the bottom and turn right (cairn) onto the track, heading east. You’ll reach the ruins of an old sheepfold and a Y-junction. Turn sharp right towards the south-west and reach an X-junction at elevation 338.

(8) Keep straight on the track signposted ‘Trail’ and ‘Motocross’. This is the Chemin des Marseillais. After several hairpin bends, you’ll reach a house and underground cistern no. 305.

(9) Pass to the right of the cistern and head into the valley, negotiating a few rocky sections. Follow a wall and pass under two high-voltage power lines. You’ll reach a T-junction with a wider track.

(10) Turn right, go through a gate, then follow the tarmac road which leads to some houses. After an S-bend, continue westwards

(11) Leave the road and follow the^GRP® 2013 marked trail. Further on, rejoin the road and turn left towards the riding centre just after water tank no. 474 at elevation 425. Follow the main path which, after a bend to the right, passes by an old well. It then runs parallel to the D46a before turning immediately left and leading to the car park (S/E).

For reference: the author’s time for this route: 3 hours 20 minutes (excluding a lunch break).

In the introduction, the main point of interest mentioned is purely personal. The entire route is magnificent.

Note: if the trail is difficult to follow on the climb to the summit of La Cride, keep heading north-east towards the end of the rocks. Then turn left onto the ridge.
However, the descent on the other side is much trickier. You’ll need to make your way through the piles of stones (an ancient Gallo-Roman oppidum) and the paths through the bushes (which I’ve made more accessible with secateurs) to reach the section of path visible on the IGN map (watch out for scratches). The path then leads onto a wide track. An IGN map and GPS are therefore strongly recommended, in addition to a good sense of direction.

Some may consider this route to be difficult.

Mont du Marseillais (+2.8 km).