Stroll along the coastal path from La Verne to Notre Dame du Mai

Route 5: Scenic Walk (pp. 28–31)
Starting point: La Verne Parking Lot
End point: Notre-Dame du Mai

[UPDATE 2024]
This section within the Sicié Massif has been permanently closed to pedestrians by municipal ordinance. Please use the detour route along the beautiful coastal road between the Bœuf and Jonquet rest areas. A new route is currently being considered.

[2022 Edition]

1) Start from the small La Verne parking lot. Head down toward the pebble beach via a yellow-marked trail on your right. You’ll pass by a small shipyard where the famous “pointus” (traditional Provençal boats) are moored. This beach offers windsurfing and supervised swimming.

2) You’ll come to a fork in the path. Head left along Boulevard Dominique Jaubert for 15 m, then, right next to a large iron gate, take a narrow path on your
left. You’ll walk past a mini-golf course on private property. At the end of this path, take the path on your right that leads to a black-sand cove. You’ll notice that Fabrégas Beach serves as the starting point for water sports (kayaking, water skiing, etc.).

3) At the far end of Fabrégas Beach, walk past a seafood restaurant and take the Baou Rouge trail toward the Sicié massif. Along the trail, you’ll see beautiful twisted formations of cerisite schist. The reserves stored in the root tubers of the asphodel protect the plant from fire, which clears the way for its seeds and flowers.
In the summer, if you’re feeling a little peckish, you might be tempted to treat yourself to some wild blackberries—but be careful, they may be contaminated by foxes!

4) Due to rockfalls and the dangerous nature of the site, the original trail has been permanently closed to the public. You’ll therefore need to use part of the departmental road.

5) The Var Corniche—also known as the Corniche Merveilleuse—overlooking the sea offers a superb view of the Deux Frères rocks and will lead you to the Jonquet rest area.

6) From the Aire du Jonquet, head down the DFCI (Forest Fire Defense) forest trail to rejoin the coastal trail. The trail winds along the mountainside amid Balearic honeysuckle, fennel, and Calycotome spinosa, which add a splash of yellow to the summer landscape. You’ll recognize the latter by its thorns, which are best avoided. Finally, in summer, you’ll notice the famous sarsaparilla growing on this mountain. It’s a slender vine with formidable hooks.

7) Opposite the row of rocks known as the “Deux Frères,” take a path on your right toward “Maison du Pendu, Notre-Dame du Mai.” On a long, somewhat steep, rocky ascent
that’s exposed, you’ll come across sea aster and wild blackberries.
Phew! Time for a break to satisfy a small hunger pang and admire the view. An orientation table will help you interpret the landscape.

8) You’ll arrive at a DFCI trail. The flora here is varied, featuring stone pine, Marseille astragalus, prickly pear, wild asparagus, wild olive, rosemary, and sea lavatera, which grows to 1.50 m in its first year and continues to bloom as long as winter temperatures stay above -5°C. Lavatère lives for only a few years, but its beauty and abundant flowers more than make up for this shortcoming. Its silky, evergreen “gray-green” leaves and “pink-mauve” flowers give this shrub a highly ornamental appearance.

9) At the fork, turn left, then continue straight up to the signal post and turn right toward Notre-Dame du Mai, which rises to an elevation of 300 m.

10) You’ll come to a second orientation table. From there, a 360° view of the coast and the open sea will leave you speechless. You might even spot a peregrine falcon soaring above the cliffs that plunge into the Mediterranean. The wildlife on this mountain range is abundant, featuring the hoopoe, the pallid swift, and a flock of European bee-eaters that move with the agility of larks.

Return via the same route.