Hikes in Ceyreste

Ceyreste is a small town in the hinterland of the Côte d’Azur, located just beyond La Ciotat. It’s quintessentially Provençal: Ceyreste’s old town features narrow alleys, a village square that doubles as a weekly market, an old church, and a war memorial. Like many other small towns in Provence, Ceyreste showcases both its modern and historic sides.> We begin our tour at ParkingLot 01 below the sports fields in Ceyreste. A wooden signpost points us in the direction of “Le Pélengari” toward the GR51. Passing a few tennis courts, the yellow trail markers lead us steadily uphill. We leave the paved road at the next signpost and learn that we still have just under an hour left for our ascent. We hike straight ahead among Aleppo pines as the trail gradually gains elevation. Passing cistern 117 and a memorial stone, we reach the GR51 long-distance hiking trail, as indicated, at the ridge near Le Pélengari02. We follow the white-and-red markers to the left. The GR9803 joins our trail from the right. At this intersection, we continue straight ahead toward “Pas d’Ouillier.” Among the tall pines, we enjoy breathtaking views of La Ciotat and the sea. The “Chaîne de la Sainte Baume” also comes into view time and again. Shortly after the cistern 63, we reach a small stone hut with a rest area, the “Cabanon du Marquis”04. This is the highest point of our hike. We decide to save our picnic for later, as we’ll come across an even nicer spot. We stay on the main trail the whole time, but can take a shortcut around a bend via a side path. Then the trail climbs briefly again, and we head toward a lookout station. Even before we reach the tower, we turn left and arrive at the beautifully situated cabin “Cabanon des Gardes”05. Finally, the perfect spot for a picnic with a view of the sea. Refreshed, we continue our hike, staying on the wide forest road—even where a path leads downhill to the left. At a boulder near a small pass, we leave the GR51 and turn left onto a trail. A signpost06 indicates that it will take us a good hour to return. We now follow the yellow markings again. After a few meters, several large cairns signal that we should turn left. Over very rough stones, we enter a densely vegetated valley. At a fork, we keep to the left. We walk uphill for a short distance before reaching a wide forest road, which we cross diagonally to the right. The rocky path widens, and we come to a gravel road. On a gentle slope, we stay on this wide path for now. At a fork, we turn left. We pass Cistern 116, and then the yellow trail marker guides us to take several shortcuts off the wide forest road onto smaller paths. At the foot of the slope, we turn left toward Ceyreste. The trail leads us uphill in two long curves to the soccer field. We keep to the left along the fence and pass the tennis courts. We spot the signpost from the start of our hike and head right back to parking lot01.

Ceyreste, découverte de Fontblanche. Visitez l'OT de La Ciotat pour un petit depliant des explications.