The Canal de la Siagne is said to offer one of the best easy hiking experiences in the southeast. We found this only partly confirmed in April when we walked down the waterway’s final stretch near Cannes.
For our second visit, we picked a section much further “upstream” – just to the south of Grasse – and found a far more varied and picturesque trail. It was certainly nice to see the actual canal for a change.
Near Cannes, if you remember, the actual canal is buried all the way and flows underground. It was a strange experience to take a canal walk next to and above a largely invisible waterway, even if we knew what was coming.
The stretch we visited this week also differs from most other Canal walks, but manages to distinguish itself in more positive ways. For one, the water in the Canal de la Siagne flows much faster than you would expect, behaving more like a little creek or rivulet than an artificial waterway.
Canal engineers always provide their constructions with a slight gradient, particularly if, as is generally the case, the canal is part of a region’s water supply network.
Here, however, the engineering problem appears to have been to decelerate the flow – otherwise, why would they have provided so many twists and turns?
On top of that, many leaves and branches that reach into the water from the overhanging vegetation as well as obstacles underneath the surface …
… create little eddies, which gives the canal an even more river-like look and feel.
The second big difference to most canal walks is the large variety of the surrounding landscape. Many countryside canal walks are characterized by an almost hypnotic repetition of similar motives, whereas the footpath along the Canal de la Siagne crosses gardens both landscaped …
… and “tumble-down”, …
… tropical jungles …
… and swamps.
As entertainment along the way, you can count the different types of bridge you encounter: there are (and this is only a small selection) bridges made of roughly hewn stone, …
… brutalist modern slabs …
… and bridges in the ornate style of the late 19th century when the canal was built.
Alternatively, you can exercise your imagination by trying to solve little mysteries along the way. Like: what is this?
And what story may be behind this large modernist villa which looks as though it had been abandoned briefly before completion? (Everything looks finished but for the garage and the swimming pool which has been left untiled.)
And here is another reason to visit the Canal de la Siagne: it is easy to get to and easy to get away from, a rare combination in the Riviera’s back country.
Where to start your hike along the Canal de la Siagne
Start your walk near Mouans-Sartoux train station, a stop on the coastal railway line to Grasse. Turn right out of the station, right at the roundabout and continue straight into the Avenue des Sources, through some 1940s-style Marcel-Pagnol France until the road ends. Then turn right and immediately right again into the canal footpath.
The walk ends on the crossing with the Chemin de Pigranel, which is difficult to miss because the canal disappears under the crossing to continue below ground for quite some time.
Turn right into the Chemin de Pigranel. After a few hundred metres, you will reach an underpass which crosses a busy highway. Take this underpass and turn left into the roundabout just behind the supermarket for bus stops to Grasse (near side) or Cannes (far side).
Today’s walk is rather short (approx. 4 to 5 km), so you may want to combine it with a sightseeing trip to either of those two towns. (The standard bus fares in most lines within the area is €1.50 p.p. no matter the distance. Not everything is expensive on the French Riviera!)
Finally, a word of reassurance. On entering the trail, you may spot a sign that says “No admittance, private land“. Just ignore this.
The canal route is still relatively new (and still under development in some areas), so they probably just forgot to take it down. At any rate, you have nothing to fear: nobody will shoot at you. This is not Texas.
And just to show you how seriously you should take this notice: underneath the “no admittance” notice, there is also a sign that forbids dogs from entering the foot path.
In fact, however, almost every other person that we met along the way was accompanied by a canine friend (this appears to be a highly popular dog walking route for locals). One dog we saw was even dripping wet: quite clearly, he had taken a bath in the canal.
Bearing in mind that the canal is still being used for the area’s tap water supply, it may be a good idea to order a bottle of Badoit rather than the usual free “pichet” when you are having a snack anywhere along the way. Just a thought.
