AzurAlive

Les Petites Maures

Wow! One of the cool things about the French Riviera is that even in winter, you can find a clear sky, a mountain crest to hike and balcony views over the Mediterranean. There's snow nearby in the Mercantour if you want it, but there's also plenty of dry trails for a trek closer to the sea. No need to wait for Spring.

And for hiking close to St Ayguf, Sainte-Maxime, Fréjus, one of the best sites are the Petites Maures.

It's a low-lying set of hills between the Etangs de Villepey by St Aygulf and Les Issambres that precede the deeper wooded Maures. These hills on the Comune de Roquebrune-sur-Argens, or 518 hectares of them, belong to the Conservatoire du Littoral so they're protected and not buildable (for now). Better yet, they're full of hiking and MTB trails with gorgeous views. 

Here's a good start at 6km (2 hours) of up-down treat: park at the end of the Ski Nautique lake off the D7 road that leads to Roquebrune-sur-Argens. You'll be right next to the Château Vaudois if you care for a taste. Take the F1 trail that heads up steeply, then at the top head right. If you prefer not to take the risk of getting lost heading down toward the Reydissart river below, just stay on the larger tail that follows the crestline. You can head back on the same trail all the way, for a different set of views. Or go all the way to the Bougnon mountain top (other side of D8) if you ok with some uphill. The Med and Maures views make it all worthwhile.

View Départ Rando: Les Petites Maures in a larger map

Adventures in Aqualand

The weather's getting hot here on the French Riviera. Anyone longing for a change from the beach?

Here's an idea. Twirl and splash on the water-spouting toboggans, cork screw twisters, white water raft rides and gentle pools of Aqualand.

On the Côte d'Azur, you'll find Aqualand water adventure parks in Fréjus and in Sainte-Maxime.

They don't come cheap (24.50€ per adult in 2009). Find ways to cheaper tickets in our Tips section below.

The Fréjus water park is the largest, with an advertised 8 hectares of land filled with water rides.
To fully explore it, start with the maps given at the entrance and posted all around the park. Rides come in three flavors: green (easy for all kids), red (some for kids 9 and up) and black (white knuckles here).

What's the scoop on Aqualand?

From my own personal testing, it's all thumbs up from the kids.

The younger kids (under 6) loved the Pirate Boat at the end of the park and the shallow Mini Park Jungle with the elephants spouting water and the easy slides.

Even though a number of rides were marked as "9 y.o. and above", in our experience, the security guard assigned to each ride allowed younger kids on these when accompanied by an adult. Favorites for the braver among younger (6-9 years): Black Hole, White Hole and the short but very fast Free Fall.

Older kids & teenagers have a blast too across all of the rides. The twisted Anaconda toboggan was a big among teenagers.

For parents? Whatever you fancy. And when you want a rest, park under a parasol on a lounge chair by the surf beach that beeps before it starts to pulsate with gentle waves. Beware, the few lounge chairs go fast (see Tips below).

 The Pros

• Lots of rides for all levels of courage from white-knuckle rides for big kids to waddle pools with gentle slides. You'll find maps of the park at the entrance.
  
• Clean and well-maintained.
• Each ride has a watch person keeping an eye out for safety.
• Like EuroDisney, it's a whole different world in Aqualand.
• Kids come back elated.

 Tips

• For kids, Aqualand makes most sense for ages 6 and above. Not that younger ones can't enjoy the shallow pools, but they're limited. A number of splash rides are for 9 years and above. 
• To really soak in the fun, plan for a full-day visit. Bring a snack and plenty of water or get your goodies at the cafés on site.
• Bring lots of sunscreen, hat, sun glasses. The sun reverberates against the pool waters. If your kids are fair skinned, consider lycra rash guard tops. For those who love the faster rides, keep in mind that a wet rash guard will slow you down...our kids took them off after the first ride :)
  
• For discounts, reserve your tickets online. A family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids can purchase a "family pack" off the internet for 74€. Online again, you'll get more than 10% off on Adult tix (22 instead of 24.5 in 2009). Click on their web site http://www.aqualand.fr and go to "Promo Internet, Reservez vos billets). 

Looking for more info? Check out the Aqualand web site for current opening days and fares.

Where is Aqualand Fréjus?

See the Google map below. Aqualand has a large (mostly unshaded) parking area.

View AzurAlive.com: Aqualand Fréjus in a larger map

The Tour de Brignoles

Hills of the Central Var surround it, lush with forests of oaks and pines. The Caramy river swooshes by. The A8 highway zooms above it on its way from Fréjus to Aix. Yet at first glance, the town of Brignoles appears sleepy, tucked in a cradle-like dip between hills and mountains of La Loube.

It takes time to discover Brignoles. After all, it took over 4,000 years to knead it into its present-day form.

Poke around north of Brignoles and you'll uncover prehistoric burial sites; the dolmens des Adrets, with their intriguing stone slabs, attest to human settlements dating back 4,000 years.

In Roman times, the strategic Via Aurelia road ran close by. The area was known as Brinonia, Latin word for plum. Small blueish plums flourished in the hills. But more on plums later.

Brignoles grew over the years. Ramparts were raised to protect it. They encircled the village, expanding outward in layers like the rings of a tree trunk.

In the 11 and 12C, the Counts of Provence built a tower, castle and their summer palace against a defensive rampart.

The citadel walls shielded inhabitants against the plague that struck so violently in the Middle Ages. Upon news of Black Death epidemics, city doors were shut to the outside world.

Time passed and ramparts turned into walls for new homes. The fortified town became a tightening maze of narrow streets, ancient stone doorways and a myriad of delightful plazas and fountains (24 in total!).

If you sit at one of the cafés on place Caramy, by the 17C town hall, you notice the softness of the light that trickles through three plane trees to the surrounding pastel-painted shutters.

You might miss the Vieille Ville, hidden behind old walls. Look by the fountain. A little sign points up and says "Musée, Eglise St Sauveur."

Climb up the steps on Rue du Grand-Escalier and you're in the Vieille Ville. Can you spot a plum tree in the presbytery garden?

In the 16C, French royalty loved to nibble on Brignoles-grown dried plums. Legend tells us that in 1579, locals discovered that lord and plum producer Hubert de Vins had ignored a less savory fruit: local taxes. In protest, they uprooted 18,000 plum trees, putting a squeeze on local production. A plum tree was secretly saved and planted in the Presbytery garden.

Continue up. Overhead, a buttress connects the Saint-Sauveur Church with its 12C Romanesque doorway to the "street of many stairs". Head south and you enter the Place des Comtes de Provence with its Saint-Louis Chapel, Palace and olive trees. It homes the Musée du pays Brignolais.

With such rich history to relate, the museum packs a variety of gems: the 3C sarcophagus of la Gayole believed to be the oldest in France, Christian altars of the 4C and 6C, a cement boat built by Joseph Lambot (inventor of ferro-cement), rooms dedicated to famous Brignolais from painters to Academie Française writers.

It also reenacts a vital page of local history. After the discovery of bauxite in 1873, the region mined the ore used to make aluminum. In 1914, the Var department ranked world leader in bauxite production. Cheaper imports soon appeared. From 1973, Brignoles' bauxite industry declined. Its last mine shut-down in 1990.

Walk under the 14C western rampart door to quaint Place Raynaud. Silence and history reign inside the Vieille Ville. 

Back at the old town's perimeter at Place Caramy, the town buzzes around current happenings. On July 5 2009, the Tour de France pedals from Monaco to its second stop: Brignoles.

Interested in half-day hikes on the French Riviera? Check out our highly-acclaimed English-language hiking guide below on Amazon.com (and Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr and Amazon.de too!)

Fréjus: Big Base Nature

When in 1995, the aeronautical military site by the beach in Fréjus closes its doors permanently after a slow retreat, a huge site opens up for public use.

In 2007, this beach-side site by Fréjus becomes the Base Nature François Léotard. It's 135 hectares of public land used both for public recreation and some sections for nature protection.

Among visitors, not too may folks know about it. It was set-up with local residents in mind, but of course, it's open to all and especially appreciated by visitors with children.

What can you do at Base Nature, Fréjus?       

On any sunny day, you'll find kids biking around its huge tracks, skating with roller-skates, flying kites, playing soccer, volleyball, rugby or just hanging around with family and friends.

You can jump around hills set-up in the BMX park, try out skate boarding in the mini skate park, play volleyball in the Beach Volley field, kick a ball on one of the 8 soccer fields, fly a kite or have a ball on one of the 3 playgrounds.

Raining or too winding for the beach? Go swim in the Base Nature Fréjus 25 meter Maurice Giuge covered pool pictured above (in the summer, pool opens 11AM to 7PM and in 2009 full-price entrance runs 3€ or 22€ for 10 entries).

The Fréjus Base Nature also hosts a number of festivals and competitions:

• Wind and Air Festival where kites of all shapes fly above the park
• The Roc d'Azur MTB (in French, VTT) races in the Maures Mountains
• The Equit'Azur horse show took place here in 2007

Where can you eat in Base Nature?          

A cute and very friendly wooden snack bar, the Snack de la Base, opens up for ice creams, simple sandwiches, sodas and coffee smack in the middle of the park. Parasols open up and lots of parents gather around its few tables to cool off and catch their breath before they try to keep up with kids again.

From April to October, the Restaurant de la Piscine at Base Nature offers a more classy setting with Plats du Jour running between 12 and 20 euros and the cool drinks being welcomed on a hot summer day.

Interested in half-day hikes close to Fréjus? Check out our highly-acclaimed hiking guide below on Amazon.com (and Amazon.co.uk too!)

 

Fréjus: Europe KiteSurf Cup

The wide bay of Fréjus hosts both the European KiteSurfing Cup and French long-distance kite surfing championship this weekend, May 30 and 31, 2009.

Expect around 80 competitors to fly their kites and slice the Mediterranean waters across the bay from Saint-Aygulf to Fréjus and Saint-Raphael. This afternoon, the winds blows heartily. Should be more of the same this weekend during the competition, at least in the afternoons.

Races start at 10:30AM. They break at 12:30PM and start again at 1:30PM, all subject to wind of course. Kite surfers launch from the Saint-Aygulf beach.

The local shop called Freeride promises to demo some of its equipment to folks with a reasonable handle on the sport.

Enjoy the show from any of the many beaches between St Raphael, Fréjus and St Aygulf. Traffic might get congested around the St Aygulf entrance, so time it right to ward off road frustration.

Hiking by La Motte: Le Saut du Capelan

The village of La Motte may be just 20 minutes away from Fréjus and Saint-Raphael, but it's a world apart from the bustling French Riviera.

It's a gentle village. Its handful of streets lean down toward the main street, huddled together and inclined as if acquiescing.

Shutters that reach low enough to be able to bump heads warn the passer-by with a sign: "Volet Ouvrant." The Charcuterie and the Epicerie grocery stores wear painted signs. No blinking neon here. Water fountains dot the village here and there and trickle.

If you're inclined to walk, as we are, La Motte has a nifty little trail that heads to a water fountain called le Saut du Capelan (the priest's dive). This is where the Nartuby river, a river that begins and ends entirely within the Var department, plunges some 22 meters to a splash and a rumble.

The loop from the main village to the waterfall and back runs about 3 kilometers and takes about one hour. It's well-marked from the center of town.

If you're adventurous, after your stroll along the vineyards by the Saut du Capelan, you can continue through the path along the vines. After the vineyards, veer right and down toward a wooded area, then to the left on the D47 for 50 meters before reaching across to the Le Rousset path (marked as such). The Le Rousset trail heads up a while and meanders on the flanks of the hills to the west of Le Rousset. Turn right after the large green water fountain on the right of the Rousset path and find your way among newly-built villas back to the D254. Take the D254 on the right and walk back to town. 

And even if the priest's dive is enough of a hike for you, don't miss a visit to the local vineyards. They abound in the area. Some of the better known ones: Château du Rouet, Château Sainte-Roseline, Domaine des Demoiselles, and many many more.

Click here to see Google map of La Motte

Hikes by Roquebrune-sur-Argens: La Cavalière

The town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens harbors many treats. We've talked about a number of them on AzurAlive.com:

The Rocher de Roquebrune: www.azuralive.com/2007/07/roquebrune-sur-.html
Hiking the GR51: www.azuralive.com/2009/02/hi.html
Picking Fresh Fruit from the Farm: www.azuralive.com/2006/10/bites_la_frambo.html

Here's another favorite hike of ours along the wooded hills of the Maures Mountains just south of Roquebrune-sur-Argens.

While the town has marked a few trails for the pleasure of its visitors, I especially like this mostly unmarked hike because of the variety of views: the Rocher de Roquebrune, the gurgling river la Petite Maurette, the mountains of l'Escaillon, la Haute Cavalière, la Cavalière and the wonderfully weird hermit shelter...

Hike     : 6.8 km (2 hours for average hiker)
Terrain: sandy and rocky footpaths, some brief stretch of asphalt. Some short steep uphill and downhill. On sunny days, the hillsides are exposed to the sun during more than half of this hike.

Starting point for the hike

Click to See Larger Map

Using great navigation tools such as above Google or ViaMichelin, find your way up to Roquebrune-sur-Argens' cemetery. Park there and lace up those hiking boots. As usual, make sure you have plenty of fresh drinking water with you as there are no water fountains here. No pubs either. This is 100% nature.

• Head to the Chapel Saint-Anne and walk along its side and then onto the footpath that runs parallel and just above the F23 La Cavalière paved road.
• Make your way (1 km) to the site called Les Vingt-Cinq Ponts or the 25 Bridges. This is the site of an aqueduct built in the 18C to supply water to a then growing town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens.
• Continue beyond the aqueduct on the paths marked with Blue, Yellow and Red (B/Y/R).
• Still following the B/Y/R signs, head into the narrowing path that's blocked to traffic with two wood logs.
• Pass the river La Petite Maurette, skipping over whatever rocks may still be there (rarely impassable). The path begins to climb.
• At the intersection, take the left-most path, the path marked in red. The rock of Roquebrune-sur-Argens enters the view, on your right.
• At the next intersection, stay on the left path which is marked in Red and Blue.
• Shortly after, you run into a 4-way crossing. Take the Blue path straight ahead.
• Walk by the river for about 20 minutes until you see on your left a wide path that crosses the river (first path to do so). Take this path, which has you climb up the flanks of the Cavalière hill. After 15 minutes, you'll walk by a strange-looking house make with tires, wood planks, car mirrors... continue on up.
• About 10 minutes after the hermit's lodge, the path will make a sharp hairpin turn to the right and climb. Don't make that turn but head straight into a narrower wild path.
• You'll soon reach a wide open area with a nice-looking provençal house that overlooks both the Rocher de Roquebrune and the Argens Valley below.
• Take the asphalted road on the right that heads down back to the F23 Cavalière road.
• Turn left on the F23 Cavalière road. It's a pleasant road, but narrow and open to cars so being careful of traffic. You'll soon pass the 25 Ponts on the left and can return to your car on the path that lead you to the aqueduct.
• 

Hiking on the French Riviera: GR51 by Roquebune-sur-Argens

The weather turned decidedly wet this winter. If you're interested in weather statistics, our previous post talks about inches (millimeters, actually) of rainfall.

However the French Riviera is anything but routine. Even in the wettest of winters, it sneaks in a few days of sunshine. On those bright days, our hiking group swells in numbers. Everyone longs to exit the house or office and soak in the sun rays!

So it's a mere 47 hikers that we accompanied yesterday along the GR51 path by Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Big challenge. As many French heads of state have said, we the French are a lovable group but entirely unmanageable!  We paced like shepherds from head to tail of our long line of hikers and back again, to keep everyone more or less on the same footpath and safely back.
Note to reader: Signing up for a guided hike anywhere? Make sure that they're heading out with fewer than 25 ramblers!

A word about the GR51 footpath, also called the Balcony of the Mediterranean. This "chemin de Grande Randonnée" or long-distance footpath crosses the French Riviera East-West, settling its tracks on hill crests with tasty views. It goes on from Menton to Marseille. In the Maures Mountains, you'll find it at Roquebrune-sur-Argens, over the Flûte mountain trail as trail Le Vernet, down by Plan de la Tour, Grimaud, Bormes-les-Mimosas.

For our afternoon hike, we settled for a 5.5 km round-trip loop.

Hiking Details:

Round-trip Distance: 5.5 km
Round-Trip Time: Approx. 2 hours with time to enjoy the views
Terrain: Initial trail on dirt road (be aware that 4x4's occasionally drive on the initial section of the trail), then mostly sandy path. See photo below.
Required: Hiking boots or shoes. Water. Despite the neighboring water reserve (Le Castellar), you're in nature here and you'll find no water fountain or shop.

Start Point: The below Google map gives the starting point, off the D7 road that goes from Roquebrune-sur-Argens to St Aygulf. Take the dirt road that leads to the Les Claux campground or gîte, 100 meters on the right from the Total gas station when heading toward St Aygulf. It's not far from Roquebrune. You'll notice a green panel with "Moulin à Huile - Clos St Martin" opposite this dirt road.

Click to enlarge map

Parking: Head up 50 meters on the little road and turn right into the F7 Chemin Neuf road. Park on the side of the road, away from traffic.

Hiking Trail:

Walk up the rough road to your left. It heads up and zigzags among a few cork oak trees to a Y intersection.

Take the path on the left (the path that continues up ahead leads to a fence marked "Réserve du Castellar" - this is a water reserve where public access is forbidden). 

The sandy path heads up gently and opens up views of the St Raphael bay and of Les Petites Maures mountains ahead. You'll notice a string of wooden treetop hides. Hunters use these to track larger game such as wild boar (sangliers) or deer during hunting season and on authorized hunting days.

Continue on the main path for about 2 km until you reach a sign that indicates F8 Le Vernet. This is the GR51 which changes its name from Chemin Neuf to Le Vernet.

We'll exit the GR51 here. Make a right and take the path that goes up along a narrower and somewhat rocky path.

After 250 meters, make a right into a narrow path that heads into low-lying bushes. There's a mimosa tree (was at least in 2009) at the intersection here. This wild path makes a sharp turn left after 10 minutes or so and crosses a small forest of mimosa trees. Lovely in February when they blossom in bright yellows.

Path reaches at T. Make a right here. The path now heads down and you spot the Rocher de Roquebrune reddish rock that stands behind the town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens to your left. 

At the first Y intersection, continue straight.

50 meters later, at the next Y intersection, make a right. You're heading back down toward the F7 Chemin Neuf which you reach after a manageable downhill - stay on the main path on this downhill.

When you reach the main F7 Chemin Neuf, go left. This is the hiking trail you took at the beginning of the hike.

When hiking in the Maures or in the Esterel Mountains, I always recommend you come prepared with a IGN TOP 25 map. IGN stands for the Institut Geographique National that produces these excellent hiking maps.Top stands for Topographical which gives you a good idea of terrain topology. 25 stands for the map's scale: 1 cm of map = 250 meters of real terrain.

For this hike, the map needed is the 3544 ET IGN map. These maps don't come cheap, but shop around. I find that prices vary from single to double. They're available at this reputable Elstead Maps web site, or from the IGN site directly at about 8 euros.

Interested in more half-day hikes on the French Riviera? Check out our highly-acclaimed hiking guide below on Amazon.com (and Amazon.co.uk too!)

 

Fréjus: Festival International de l'Air 2008

If you're anywhere near Fréjus on the French Riviera in late October, rise to the occasion. Come to the International Wind Festival, held Oct 25-26 in Fréjus, France.

Think it's an event for over-grown kids who love to watch bright kites rise in the sky? Think again.

Participants are expert kite fliers who flock from France, Italy, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Colombia. They fly their giant fish, their twirling mega socks, their high-tech mills; they battle red, yellow, blue, green flying objects in vicious highly tactical rokkaku kite fights; they send kites off to dance a waltz and to vibrate to new-age music; they entertain everyone.

Over 200 kites of all shapes will fill the skies above Fréjus Base Nature. We'll hear from "Fréjus Kite Surf" about the sport of kite-surfing; we'll get the scoop on gliding in the skies like eagles by the "Centre de Vol à Voile de Fayence"; we'll have a chance to sign-up for a Montgolfière hot air balloon ride above the stadium and overlooking bay and Maures Mountains; we'll even have a chance to embark from Port-Fréjus on a "pointu", a typical Mediterranean slender wooden fishing boat (note: all these activities require on-site sign-up).

When is all this windy fun? October 25 and October 26, 2008 from 10AM to 5PM at the Base Nature François Léotard in Fréjus. One tip: come early as parking fills early by the base.

Interested in half-day hikes close to Fréjus? Check out our highly-acclaimed hiking guide below on Amazon.com (and Amazon.co.uk too!)

 

Roc d'Azur 2008

The mountain bike racing & fun rides Roc d'Azur 2008 begins in earnest today by Fréjus on the French Riviera.

It's the 25th edition of the now hugely popular MTB (in France VTT) event. The organizers expect 15,000 contestants from hard-core international mountain bike champs to kiddies with wheelies.

All the classics of the Roc d'Azur events will take place: the epic Roc d'Azur with its 58 km of challenging terrain, the Enduro Roc with its wild descent, the Roc Marathon (87 km) for extra pain, but also the kids' rides from 2.2 to 8 km in length, the women's special Roc Dames (40 km), the more leisurely Roc Rouge (22 km).

The Roc Odyssey, a 35 km cross-country ride, runs on Friday afternoon to avoid the weekend crowds.

New and running today and tomorrow, the refreshing Maxim Roc Down tumbles all the way to the Med sea by St Aygulf.

On Friday evening, an original ride tests the front suspensions: the Roc Ruelles which runs along the bumpy streets of Fréjus.

Aside for the Roc Ruelles, the other Roc d'Azur events gobble up hills in the Maures Mountains of the French Riviera right by Fréjus. The terrain? Rocky, dusty, gorgeous.

The starting point is at the Fréjus Base Nature complex and heads out to the Maures Mountains from there.

Besides MTB races and rides, vendors show off their equipment at the public "Salon du Roc" Friday through Sunday.

If you're going

Riding? Don't forget the mandatory medical certificate stating that you're fit to ride, the mandatory helmet and expect good warm weather this week. And don"t push in those narrow passages.

If you watching, head for the Maures Mountains such as around Col du Bougnon where the classic Roc rumbles or by St Aygulf for the return leg by the beach.

The Roc d'Azur 2008 Program:

• Tue 7 octobre (10h00) : Maxim Roc Down (2 km)
• Wed 8 octobre (10h00) : Maxim Roc Down (2 km)
• Thu 9 octobre (10h00) : Enduro du Roc (25 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (8h00) : Roc Marathon (87 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (12h00) : Subaru Pro Roc (40 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (10h15) : Masters Roc (40 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (13h00) : Mid Roc (40 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (14h00) : Rando Roc Odyssey (35 km)
• Fri 10 octobre (19h00) : Roc des Ruelles
• Sat 11 octobre (8h00) : Roc Tandems (40 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (9h00) : Roc d'Azur Women (40 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (10h00) : Rando Roc Noires (50 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (14h00) : Kid Roc (8 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (14h30) : Kid Roc (4,2 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (14h50) : Kid Roc (6,5 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (14h50) : Rando Roc rouge (22 km)
• Sat 11 octobre (16h00) : Kid Roc (2,3 km)
• Sun 12 octobre (8h00) : Roc d'Azur Cadets (22 km)
• Sun 12 octobre (8h15) : Roc d'Azur Cadettes et Juniors Dames (22 km)
• Sun 12 octobre (8h30) : Roc d'Azur Juniors Men (40 km)
• Sun 12 octobre (9h30) : Roc d'Azur (53 km)