Les Goudes (Marseille): Sommet de Marseilleveyre (433m), Grotte de Saint-Michel, Col de la Selle, Col de la Galinette and Calanque de Marseilleveyre.

Les Goudes

This is a fantastic mountain walk only some 7 km from the centre of Marseille. Best for winter and out of the hot season (little shade), but to be avoided in high winds and in wet weather. The view as just superb all the way and the 360 degrees views from the top of Marseilleveyre is magnificent. As a bonus you pass the massive Cave de Saint-Michel on the way up. Well worth a visit (15 minutes extra). From early May till almost Christmas time you could also take a refreshing swim at the beach at Calanque de Marseilleveyre on the way back (30 minutes extra for the swim). You could also visit the tiny Port des Croisette and Cap Croisette on the way back to les Goudes (extra 20 minutes all the way out).

Attention: This area is often closed to the public from 1st June till 30th September because of the risk of forest fires. But call 0811 201313 for exact information.

On the way up to Sommet de Marseilleveyre.

You park anywhere near Port des Goudes (no problems out of season) and start the walk up Chemin de la Batterie. This is the Red trail No 1 on the map (marked red in the terrain) and after only 15 minutes you join the GR51-98 trail for a short while further uphill. After only some 5 minutes, the Red No 1 trail leaves the GR trail off to the left (well marked on stone). Some 25 minutes later and much higher up, the red trail joins a yellow marked trail. You want to stay on the yellow trail No 3 (takes off shortly to the right) in order to see the Cave Saint-Michel (5-6 minute’s walk – one way) and you see the massive entrance from far away. It’s a massive big Cave worth visiting for a look (lamp recommended).

You might have noticed that Green trail No. 1 joined your yellow walk on the small hill top before you reached the Cave. To continue the walk you want the joint yellow/green trail back to the hill top, where you want to take off to the right along the Green No 1 trail heading north here. You follow the green trail for about 10 minutes till it joins the red trail, which is the route you want for the top of Mount Marseilleveyre, where you will be in another 40 minutes. This is the main viewpoint and it is quite a large area up there, so easy to find a place for lunch.

Grotte Saint Michel

The way down from the top on the Red 1 path is quite steep and as usual in these parts full of rolling stones. Keep a sturdy foot! The steep path you start on downhill is the joint red, yellow and blue trails. After about 15 minutes downhill, you want to branch out to the right and follow the Blue No 1 trail direct to Col de la Selle, where you will be in about 20 minutes.

It should be noted, however, that if you want to avoid this somewhat airy part of the blue trail, you could stay on the red trail all the way down and at the “bottom” take right onto a yellow trail for the climb back up to Col de la Selle. It is slightly longer, but takes about the same time and is easier walking. The only thing you will miss is keeping the hight (you walk down and up again) and the lovely views along the mountain ridge.

Sommet de Marseilleveyre

At Col de la Selle the walk turns south for the sea, and you will follow Yellow path No 2 (starts off south-west from the Col). Follow this path for about 40 minutes till you see a massive great boulder only a few meters from you on your left just before the hill top marked 149 meters. The trail is marked yellow 2b on old maps, but is no longer marked in the terrain. The path is shown on most free landscape maps, so you find the position with a GPS. Just behind this boulder you will see the path going down steeply, and you follow the steep path down till it joins the green trail No 3 going down the valley below in about 20 minutes. Now you turn right down the green path and you will be on the beach of Calanque de Marseilleveyre in about 5-6 minutes.

Here it should be noted that you could easily avoid the unmarked and steep path down from just before Col de la Galinette (at the big boulder) by taking off from the yellow trail after only some 15 minutes walk from leaving Col de la Selle. Here the Green trail No 3 takes off down into the valley and you will be on the beach in about 30 minutes (20 minutes quicker than on the longer but more scienic route along the yellow trail).

The beach at Calanque de Marseilleveyre

The beach at Calanque de Marseilleveyre is the biggest in these parts and well suited for a swim. The local café serves just coffees or full hot meals (no electricity out here, but nice basic food). The restaurant is not open every day all year around as in the old days, but you could consult their Facebook page for more information: Search for “restaurant chez le belge”.

La Grotte at Callelongue looks like any odd Cafe/Restaurant from the outside.

The main path along the sea (GR51 and Black path 2) will take you to Callelongue in about 45 minutes and the way proposed for getting back to the car will take you another 30 minutes. There is a very nice Café/Restaurant in Callelongue and in les Goudes you will also find places open. Could be well worth delaying the departure home till after rush hours! It’s worth noticing, however, that the drive back to Pertuis only took us 1 hour 10 minutes starting at 17.00 at les Goudes on a Monday in January (using the toll tunnel directly from le PRADO).

Calanque de Callelongue

For the shortest way back to the car (about 30 minutes), you walk out of Callelongue along the main road uphill all the way to the top. You turn left into the parking area here and follow first the highest path for the hill just in front of you. Well before you reach the top, however, get down on the wide path/track road going along the northern side of the hill. Follow this path passed the hill top (great views of the local harbour and Marseille all the way) and where it seems to stop, you walk up a little to join the path going down on the ridge itself in a northern direction.

Les Goudes.

Head for the monument on top of the next hill, but before you get this far you see a narrow path cut out in the rocks taking off to the right. This path takes you directly to the village les Goudes. The path takes you first down to another surfaced path which you take to the right. Very soon you see some stairs going further down directly to the harbour (with a signpost). Take down the stairs and you are soon on the main road going into les Goudes. Follow the main road into les Goude and around back to the car.

Basic information:

Duration:      6h (including 1h for lunch)

Distance:      11 km.

Ascent:         620 m (accumulated)

Difficulty:     Difficult

Start/finish:   Les Goudes or Callelongue (Marseille)

Map:              IGN Les Calanques de Marseille á Cassis (1cm=150 m)

GPX:           Goudes1   (Link to free download from list)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/3072520

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

If you have problems with this VisoRando link, download the GPX-file from above and import it to VisoRando or other application.

TET:
2019, December, Jacky made a slightly longer walk, but without the coast.

Col de Sormiou: Calanque de Marseilleveyre par le Plateau de l’Homme Mort and Col de la Selle.

This part of the coastline is one of the best for combining hiking and swimming, and don’t be surprise to find the temperature in the Mediterranean still at 18 degrees well into November. Here you will find perhaps the largest and best beach in the Calanques: Calanque de Marseilleveyre. Here you could also have a drink or coffees at the  Bar/Restaurant (no road or electricity out here, so deliveries by small boats).

We often leave Pertuis at 9h30 to avoide traffic, arriving at Marseille Vieux Port tunnel at about 10h15. Follow for Pharo – Les Plages and drive along the Corniche de Marseille for 10-20 minutes (depending on traffic) to the round-about at Plage Bonneveine. Take left here and keep following for Mazargues and Sormiou. You should be at Sormiou in another 5-6 minutes after the round-about.

Calanque de Podestat

You will pass la Crayolle with its large shopping area (incl. Decatlon) and the road may stop at a barrier at the parking marked on the map by the large sewage complex marked “St. epur” on the map. In winter/spring (November to March) the road is open for traffic, so simply drive on to the highest point on the road (Col de Sormiou) and park here. In the summer/autumn you must call the day before (after 18.00) to check if the Calanques are not closed for walking (see Safety and Practicalities under Pages in this Blog) and walk from the parking up to the col (only  about 15 minutes).

From spring 2018, the road up to Col de Sormiou is closed for ordinary traffic from 31 March to 4 November! This means that you park the car below the Col (just before the barrier) and walk the 15 minutes up to the Col. So you need to add 30 minutes to the duration of the walk.

You start walking westwards on joint GR51&98 and Black path. You quickly arrive at  Col de Cortiou (8-10 minutes) and here you take right on the blue path going still further upwards. Fantastic views of the Calanques, the Sea and Marseille. A very steep 15 meters rock wall must be climbed with the help of the hands, but no problem for an experienced mountain walker.

Calanque de Marseilleveyre

After about 50 minutes from the car, a green path crosses your path. You just continue straight on, but this green path to the left could be an interesting short cut over to Grand Malvallon valley and finally down to the sea (see your map). After about 1h from the car, a yellow path will join your blue path and after another 25 minutes you are at Col de la Selle, where you take left on the green path and start the descent into the Grand Malvallon valley. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the beach, so if you can’t wait that long for your lunch, you better take it up here as there isn’t a lot of nice places to lunch before the beach.

Calanque de Podestat

Calanque de Marseilleveyr is probably the biggest and best beach between Callelongue (Marseille) and Cassis and it has an old charming beach restaurant. It used to be open 363 days a year, but now you need to check their Facebook page for opening ours (winter time 12.00 – 14.30), but some days closed.

Follow the sea side back towards Col de Sormiou along the GR51 and GR98 (also marked black). After 25 minutes, take off the GR path and down into the Calanque de Podestat, also a charming place and good for swimming. When you exit this place, make sure you don’t take the first path you see. You should in fact take the last path you see on your right (going inwards in the valley), marked with “Cassis” on a stone. This is a very good path and you will have no problems here.

The GR path will start rising but you go through a fantastic mountainous landscape here along the coast. You shold be back up on Col de Conrtiou in about an hour and back down at the car on Col de Sormiou in 5-10 minutes.

Basic information:

Duration:         5,5h ( Group of 10, including 1h for lunch)

Distance:        10 km.

Ascent:           550 m (accumulated)

Difficulty:        Medium to Difficult (Climb 15m cliff and steep descents)

Start/finish:     Col de Sormiou (Marseille – Mazargues – la Cayolle)

Map:               IGN Les Calanques de Marseille á Cassis (1cm=150 m)

GPX:              Col_Sormiou1   (Link to free download from list)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/2724533

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

If you have problems with this VisoRando link, download the GPX-file (Vitrolles1) from above and import it to VisoRando or other application.



TET:
28.02.2020: Bjorn, 10.00 - 15.45 (2,5h + 2,0h).

Col de Sormiou (Marseille): Les Calanques, Calanque de Podestat and Marseilleveyre.

All the coastline from Marseille to la Ciotat

This was the last bit of accessible coastline we still had not covered between Marseille (Callelongue) and Cassis and it was a very nice surprise: Perhaps some of the best and varied coastline we had seen along here and the possibilities for swimming were very good. It started off very rough and with steep cliffs from Col de Sormiou (like most of the Calanques) and after only about 1,5 hours walk westwards the green and “open” Calanque de Podestat appeared very inviting for a swim even if it was November. The gravel beach here was very good, and only 10 minutes further west you could descend to the very small secluded beach in the Calanque des Queyrons or walk another 10 minutes to perhaps the largest and best beach in the Calanques: Calanque de Marseilleveyre. Here you could also have a drink or coffees at the  Bar/Restaurant open 365 days a year (no road or electricity out here, so deliveries by small boats).

The difficulty by passing the cliffs at Calanque de l’Escu by means of 2 sets of cable supports could be tricky and dangerous for some, but could easily be avoided by using the GR51/Black path for going both ways. For an alternative route all the way to Calanque de Marseilleveyre, use the inland route described at the end of this posting. Then you can take the fantastic coastal GR51 path back again.

Start by driving to Mazargues, on the southern fringes of Marseille City. We normally come in from the east (from Cassis) along the main D559 Cassis - Marseille road because of the traffic in Marseille. After the Luminy roundabout, it is only about another 10-15 minutes to the tall column in the middle of the large roundabout at Mazargues. Here you take left, and follow signs all the way for Sormiou. You will pass la Crayolle with its large shopping area (incl. Decatlon) and the road may stop at a barrier at the parking marked on the map by the large sewage complex marked “St. epur” on the map. In winter/spring (October – May) the road is open for traffic, so simply drive on to the highest point on the road (Col de Sormiou) and park here. In the summer/autumn you must first call the day before (after 18.00) to check if the Calanques are not closed for walking (see Safety and Practicalities under Pages in this Blog) and walk from the parking up to the col (only  about 15 minutes).

Start of 2nd Cable support (horizontal)

From spring 2018, the road up to Col de Sormiou is closed for ordinary traffic from 31 March to 4 November! This means that you park the car below the Col (just before the barrier) and walk the 15 minutes up to the Col. So you need to add 30 minutes to the duration of the walks.

You start walking westwards on joint GR51&98 and Black path. You pass quickly Col de Cortiou (8-10 minutes) and after only another 5 minutes, look out for the Green path taking off down on your left. The Green path takes you down towards the sea with spectacular views in all directions. About 1 hour from Col de Sormiou, you get to the point where a dotted green path takes off to the left and could take you down to the sea at Calanque de l’Escu. Nice place to lunch (do not swim here – dangerous currents), but this path is a dead end. However, if you fancy to look at Escu, it takes 10 minutes down and 10 minutes up again.

At the same place as the dotted green descends to Escu, the Green path continues upwards with the first cable supports (only a few meters of cable). Continue the well-marked green path and you will come to the point where you need to pass by the cliffs of Escu with the help of perhaps 7-8 meters of continuous cable. Afterwards walk the green path until it joins up with the Black path (and GR’s) and around the corner you will see Calanque de Podestat.

Calanque de Podestat

Make sure you find the dotted black path on your left that descends to the water at Podestat, were you will be in about 1h 30 minutes from Col de Sormiou. Very nice pebble beach and there are also nice places to sit along the rocks going out of Podestat on the other side. Here the flat rocks down by the see seem to go on forever, and after only another 10 min. walk from Podestat, back up on the Black path, you see small paths descending down through some wood, that could take you down to the Calanque des Queyrons, were there is another beach.

Calanque de Marseilleveyre

We propose you take lunch at Podestat or Queyrons and walk the extra 10-20 minutes to Calanque de Marseilleveyre, where you could take coffees at the Bar/Restaurant or simply a swim at perhaps the largest beach of all the Calanques.

The return walk from Marseilleveyre to Col de Sormiou along the Black path (GR’s) will take you about 1,5 hours. The walk back is fantastic; the path varies a lot and magnefic scenery in all directions.

Basic information:

Duration:         5h ( including 1h for lunch and swimming)

Distance:        10 km.

Ascent:           560 m (accumulated)

Difficulty:        Difficult (Passing steep cliffs with cable support, but alternative path.)

Start/finish:     Col de Sormiou (Marseille – Mazargues – la Cayolle)

Map:               IGN Les Calanques de Marseille á Cassis (1cm=150 m)

GPX-file:        Col-Sormiou2   (linkto free download from list)

VisoRando Lien.

Pour le fichier GPX, vous pouvez télécharger à partir d'ici (voir ci-dessus) ou mettre à jour via ce lien VisoRando où vous pourrez également voir l'itinéraire sur une bonne carte:

https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-/3132649

For the GPX-file, you could download from here (see just above) or go to this VisoRando link where you also will see the route on a good map.

If you have problems with this VisoRando link, download the GPX-file from above and import it to VisoRando or other application.