The Gorges du Verdon are, for me, the most stunning natural attraction in the whole of the French Riviera and for keen hikers this is an
absolute gem of a hike through the canyon itself. It is up there with the best
hikes in the whole of France and probably Europe. You will struggle to find
more spectacular scenery than in France’s very own ‘Grand Canyon’.
This is a strenuous hike and should only be
undertaken by fairly experienced hikers who have a good level of fitness. There
are lots of exposed edges, steep staircases, and difficult terrain to tackle
and it is 15km in distance one-way with no ‘escape’ route along the way. It
would be advisable not to take children under about 12 and if you do have
children in your party please survey them at all times. Waterproof and sturdy
boots are a necessity as is a headtorch as you will be walking through abandoned
rail tunnels up to 670m in length that are very wet and littered with loose rocks. All
that said, if you are a regular hiker this is very manageable - give
yourself plenty of time, take lots of water and make sure this one is on your ‘bucket-list’!
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| The 252 steps straight down at the Beche Imbert Gap - don't look down! |
The Sentier
Blanc-Martel Hike
Distance: 15km one-way
Elevation: 550m Time: 7 -8 hours (incl
stops) Difficulty: Hard
The almost mythical sentier Blanc-Martel is a ‘one-way’ hike from the refuge, Chalet de
la Maline, to Pointe Sublime or vice versa – details on how to manage this can
be found below, in ‘Getting there’. It
was named after Edouard Martel (1859–1938), who attempted to navigate through
the Gorges in 1896 with a canvas canoe, an assistant, and two local trout
fishermen. He didn’t succeed in exploring the full canyon's length until 1905.
In the 1930s the Touring Club of France blasted
fire escape–style ladders and catwalks along the precarious rock walls, and
drilled two tunnels through solid stone. They also added a few rope railings
and steps, and with this one of France's most famous hikes was born.
For the entire hike you will be following the Grand Randonne
4, which is very well marked with red/white stripes. If you see a red/white
cross however this indicates the wrong way.
There are two slight detours that I recommend - first is to the
Passarelle in the canyon bottom about 1 hour in to the hike and the second to
La Mescla beach after about 2.5 hours– probably the highlight of the hike for
me.
The hike starts with a descent into the canyon itself. Very soon you will see the chalet and ‘start
point’ disappear behind you as you make your way down the hairpin path towards
the river bottom. This 300m descent
takes about an hour. As you reach the water at the ford of Estelliér the main
route continues to the left. For a short detour to see the bridge ‘Passerelle d’Estellier you go right here (about 15 mins return) The bridge was destroyed during
strong floods in 1994 and this one was inaugurated in 2004.
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| Map showing La Passerelle on the far left and La Mescla on the right |
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| La Passerelle D'Estellier |
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| Crossroads where you take the turn to La Mescla |
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| La Mescla |
Return to the crossroads then continue towards Pointe Sublime.
You will next encounter the famous Breche Imbert gap with its vertiginous metal
staircases (252 steps). Then the path goes up along the river, until you reach
a beautiful pebble beach - Baumes-Fères.
Next you will arrive at the famous tunnels – the first one you do not take (you will see the red/white cross), you do enter the second one though,
which is 110 meters long. You will need your headtorch here and prepare to get
your feet wet – the large puddles are dotted with rocks and pieces of old rails
and debris. These tunnels were designed as part of hydroelectric development but
it was abandoned after the second world war.
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| Beach - Baumes-Feres |
The second tunnel you enter is the Tunnel du Baou at 670
meters long. Shortly after you enter (about 250 meters) there is a window cut
in to the rock which lets you access the Baume aux Pigeons.
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| One of the tunnels |
At the end of this last tunnel you will be able to see the
Couloir Samson car park. Follow the path up to it then at the car park cross to
the far left corner to continue up to Pointe Sublime. Be aware one of the
signs was broken near the top of the trail but it should point left to the
Pointe.
Grab yourself a well-deserved drink at the cabin or
restaurant!
Getting there:
You can take two cars with you to travel between the two,
there is a bus shuttle service that runs a few times a day, or you can call a
local taxi company. As a final alternative, if you are a really keen hiker, you
can make a 2-day loop out of it. If you can only do 1-day however, I would
advise doing the ‘public transport’ first ie. Park at Pointe Sublime and take
the shuttle bus to the Chalet then hike back at your leisure knowing your car
will be waiting at the end. Ie. Take the 8.45am navette to Chalet de la Maline
and start walking at 9.20am.
The shuttle times for 2018:
Operates every day from 1st July – 18th
September. The grey times are only from 13th July – 20th
August. Also runs weekends and bank holidays from 21st April – 30th
June. Ticket price €6 for Pointe Sublime to Chalet de la Maline
Taxi services: Taxi
Verdon - 06 68 18 13 13 – it is advisable to book a day in advance. Indicative
pricing for a one-way journey between Pointe Sublime and Chalet de La Maline:
- · Monday – Friday: €33 (for 1-3 pax), €44 (for up to 8 pax)
- · Sunday / Bank holidays and 7pm – 7am: €48-58
Staying at Chalet de la Maline:
We opted to do a two-day loop hike, parking at Rougon and hiking to the Chalet de la Maline, where we spent the night – the refuge is a fantastic place to stay and the food was exactly what weary hikers needed. Highly recommended.
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| Breakfast with a view |
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