A few months ago, I was mulling over a Guide-Michelin-type of system for hikes and the criteria that such a system might apply to distinguish between one-star, two-star and three-star trails.
At the time, I was exploring the idea of finding beauty and joy in (relatively) routine experiences. But the truth of the matter is that all such systems of categorization are not much concerned with such musings, being built strictly from the top down.
When there is no mathematically precise definition of what it means to be “good”, practical manifestations of quality are required to set the standards.
All such systems are shaped like pyramids – there are always more one-star than three-star destinations or restaurants (or films or TV shows) – which means that any such actual manifestations of excellence are rare.
Our own shortlist of candidates for three-star hiking destinations does not go much further than the Cinque Terre in Liguria and South Tyrol’s Gardena Valley.
Since last weekend, however, this list has become a little longer: we would now include the Calanques National Park near the southern French port city of Marseille.
A Gorgeous Day for Our Three Calanques Hike
Calanques are narrow, steep-walled fjords that articulate the Mediterranean coastline, particularly the stretch between Marseille and Cassis. There are about twenty or thirty calanques in this area (depending on how you count), but the most spectacular ones are concentrated in two clusters, one at about the half-way point between the two towns and the other one just outside of Cassis.
There are different strategies of exploring these calanques: you can visit either cluster on a day trip from Marseille or the entire lot of them on a one-day walk from end of the park to the other (start early if you are serious about this).
There are, however, certain advantages of basing yourselves in Cassis for this three calanques hike. You may argue that it is possible to travel by bus or train from Marseille to Cassis in less than 30 minutes, but if you don’t know the ins and outs of the local transport system, such a trip is trickier than you may think (the buses to Cassis leave from a hard-to-locate stop outside Marseille city centre, and the trains in Cassis stop at a station which is a relatively long way out of town).
It would be difficult to travel from a base in Marseille to the trailhead in less than 2 hours, while from a hotel in Cassis, you can get there in 15 minutes. And Cassis is prettier than Marseille, too.
We started the “Three Calanques Hike” by walking past the western front of Cassis harbour – past the Plage du Bestouan – before taking a right turn into the Traverse du Soleil.
After another right turn into the Avenue du Reverend Pere Jayne, you will soon arrive at the entrance to the National Park – and be immediately welcomed by the sight of the first of the day’s trio of attractions, the Calanque de Port Miou …
… so called – from le miou or le mieux for “the best” – because it was the local fishermen’s favourite place of shelter from stormy weathers at sea (this part of the Mediterranean is often plagued by high winds).
Many people believe that it used to be the most beautiful calanque, too – but this was before the Miou was turned into a quarry. (Limestone mining was only stopped here in the early 1980s.)
With a length of nearly one mile, the Miou is the longest of all the calanques. It is also the most developed: for about three quarters of its length, it is essentially one long yacht harbour.
Continue until you have a clear view of Cap Cable on the Pont Miou peninsula opposite you on your left …
… and turn right.
Walk across the Trou Souffleur for a brief taste of the Port Pin peninsula which enjoys a higher status of protection than the rest of the National Park and which does not feature any hiking paths …
… before walking back to the place where you left the trail to follow the route down to the second calanque of the day.
The beach at the inland point of the Calanque de Port Pin is easily the most congested spot on the trail. Local day trippers come here from Marseille to meet friends and families for a picnic or their children’s birthday party.
It is only beyond this point where the trail belongs to the more serious hikers. But be warned that the Calanque National Park is not an oasis of solitude: we came here in February (admittedly on a sunny weekend), and I do not remember ever meeting a similar number of hikers on a French or Italian trail, not even in summer.
Behind the beach of the Port Pin, you have two choices: you can continue on the GR (marked in red and white) into the forest. This is an inland trail which has the disadvantage that you will not see any bit of sea for the next hour or so.
Or you can follow the ridge down the coast (marked in blue) which is the more scenic, but also the more difficult route. You have already received a foretaste of what expects you on the descent to the Port Pin: most of the remaining trail is as rough and stony as that.
The route is described as sportif – “challenging” – in the tourism office’s literature, but we found it less physically tiring than mentally exhausting. You have to concentrate all the way, making sure before every step that you have enough of a safe foothold so you won’t slip. (Especially on the way down.)
After roughly one hour, you will catch your first glimpse of the Calanque d’En Vau, the most flavourful course on your three Calanques Hike menu of destinations.
And this is the second advantage of the blue trail: you can now choose whether to descend all the way to the calanque’s water level, and then whether to return taking the same way.
You can also pick the slightly longer but easier route via the GR (the GR meets the blue route at the beach point that you can find roughly in the centre of the photo below).
Alternatively, you can break off at any point of your choosing. You can pick a spot where to have your packed lunch: there are many “rocks with a view” on offer, and the landscape here is astonishingly different from the scenery in which the first two calanques are set, much bleaker and more barren.
In fact, this is what most of the National Park looks like, as you will find out (or already have found out) on your bus journey from Marseille to Cassis which crosses the National Park on a more northerly inland route.
Either way, blue trail or GR: from the Port Pin, you must return to Cassis on the way you came.
Next week, we will tell you about a different way of experiencing the Calanques: how to get a quick fix of the National Park when you are in a hurry. See you then!
