#22 Adventurous hike along the Mediterranean

November 18-19, 2021: Sausset-les-Pins

J. After seeing many hikers with backpacks and hiking poles during our two small coastal walks yesterday, we did some research and found out that the coastal hiking trail Sentier Côte Bleue runs here. In addition, there is a railway line along the coast that connects many of the places. Therefore, in the morning we drove to Sausset-les-Pins, parked at the train station, and took the train from there to Niolon. From Niolon, we started the 18km hike back to Sausset-les-Pins on foot.

The section of the hiking trail from Niolon to La Redonne was beautiful. It mostly ran directly above the cliffs on rather uneven gravel paths or rocks. When the trail allowed us to look away from it, there was a breathtaking view of the coastline, the Mediterranean Sea, and Marseille. Occasionally, there were small climbing sections where we had to climb up or down a few meters high rock walls. It felt like bouldering, only without climbing shoes, and made the whole hike even more adventurous. The trail was not well signposted, but whenever we wondered if the trail really continued here, the smooth branches of the nearby trees and the smooth rocks, which felt like soapstone, confirmed that many thousands of people had already held onto them or walked along here.

The hiking trail always followed the railway line to some extent, sometimes a bit higher, overlooking the railway, but mostly well below the railway line. The many bridges that the railway brought across the Calanques (deep indentations in the coast, such as bays or rock fissures on the Mediterranean Sea) looked really pretty with their arches.

Once we got off track, we wandered under pine trees and through waist-high rosemary bushes, and later climbed over rocks and a steep scree slope, where it would have been helpful to have spikes on our shoes. It was not until we reached the fence of the railway line and saw other hikers on the other side whom we had seen before us on the trail that we realized that we were not only on the wrong path, but also on the wrong side of the railway tracks. I thought that the trail certainly did not follow this sometimes very steep coast on this side of the railway without reason, but we did not want to turn around and walk the whole way back either. So we partly followed the fence of the railway line, partly climbing our way over the rocks, and repeatedly came across steep cliffs where we couldn't go any further. Fortunately, after some time, we came across a tunnel that passed under the railway tracks. It was actually only intended for rainwater, but we were still able to pass through it and even climbed up the several meters high, diagonally constructed drain on the other side. Then we scrambled up the steep scree slopes and fought our way through prickly bushes until we finally crawled onto the fairly well-maintained hiking trail in front of the slightly bewildered-looking hikers. We took a break right there, strengthened ourselves a bit, were happy to have found the trail again, and reviewed the past adventure.

The rest of the trail was fairly well-developed, with occasional stair steps and only a few small climbing sections. Actually quite boring compared to the adventurous section before. However, the trail still mostly ran directly above the cliffs with a great view of the Mediterranean Sea. Occasionally, we crossed small villages or walked along sandy beaches. We enjoyed the breathtaking view, the sun on our skin, the wind in our hair, the summery smell of pine trees, and the chirping of birds.

When we arrived in La Redonne, the sun was already slowly moving towards the horizon. However, we had only completed seven of our 18 km hike here. We knew that we would not be able to make it all the way to Susset-les-Pins, where our car was parked. Most other hikers ended their tour here at the La Redonne train station. However, we still wanted to walk to the next train station in Carry-le-Rouet.

The coastal hiking trail between La Redonne and Carry-le-Rouet mostly ran on roads through residential areas and occasionally on small hiking trails right next to the fence of the railway line, but almost not directly along the coast. We cannot recommend this section and we were glad that we had decided to hike from Niolon and thus had walked the most beautiful part of the coastal hiking trail. We managed the 5 km to Carry-le-Rouet in a little over an hour, thanks to the good roads and fewer altitude meters, and reached the town just as it was slowly getting dark. In the port of Carry-le-Rouet, we experienced a spectacle to conclude the hike. There was a festival with loud music and food and drink stalls (baguette, cheese, and wine) being celebrated. In addition to the stalls, there was also an enclosure with animals. In the rather small fenced area, two goats, four sheep, a donkey, a pony, a pig, quite a few chickens, and a small herd of geese and ducks crowded together. We found it cruel to the animals, but most other onlookers watched the spectacle amused: one of the goats half-climbed onto the fence, the other goat started a fight with one of the sheep, the chickens huddled scared in a corner, the geese ran squawking from one side to the other and back, and the pig lifted the plastic tarp above the straw and thereby pushed the fence. The chaos was perfect.

After taking a train station back to our starting point, we fell into our bed completely exhausted.

We used the next day to recover from the hike and lay on the beach. Absurdly, some locals even passed by us wearing gloves, hats, and winter jackets. However, we found it quite pleasant to be on the beach in shorts and a T-shirt in the sun. We even jumped into the water briefly, although the water was really cold. But well, it is November after all.

In the evening, we drove to the nearby huge lake Étang de Berre, enjoyed a beautiful sunset, and spent the night there.

The next morning, we woke up with a view of the lake. The first (human) oyster catchers were already on the move.

Day 34 - Total tour 2,850 km

---- Subscribe ----

If you want to subscribe to our blog, you can either sign up with Vakantio and click on subscribe or send us a message and we will add you to our own distribution list. Of course, we also appreciate feedback!

Mail: querfeld2@gmail.com