ONE DAY BY FOOT IN THE CALANQUES
A pedestrian's adventure in the heart of the National Park of the Calanques; in Port Miou, Port Pin and En Vau
One morning, flooded by the sun of Provence, provided with a detailed map of the site, my hiking shoes, some food to hold me over, two liters of water and my most beautiful hat. I'm ready to discover this outstanding and natural landscape: The Calanques !!!
Accessible by foot from the city center (around 35 minutes), the departure of the hiking way (GR98) in the National Park begins from Port Miou. When I approach from the starting point, the light bursts through pines and offer a sparkling reflection on the sea! The countryside is idyllic and majestic! A real pleasure!
At the entrance of the National Park, the Calanque of "Port Miou", you will find a real paradise for the lover of sailboats. This harbor has more than 500! All beautiful, some more than the others, from the typical "pirate" boat to the "modern" sailboat, there is one for every taste!
I will stop here one moment to take several photos and to drink some water. It's really hot but I did well by wearing my hat ...Here I am, on the road again with my IGN map, (fortunately I have it because the marking misses a little clarity), I follow the red and white colors of the GR98...
The coastal way opens on a majestic panorama, the wild shrubs of Provence offers a mesmerizing and intoxicating show: a real paradise of the scents! Between pines, flowers, iodized and perfumed smells, in the Calanques, we go up and down, we breathe it all in!!!
After 40 minutes of hiking on the rocky trails between the pines of Alep, I am rewarded, the Calanque of "Port Pin" which is a sight for sore eyes! It is a real postcard! She forms a creek with a beach and the sea offers turquoise blue, transparent reflections just like crystals!
I settle down with my feet in the water, I have the impression of being in the Caribbean islands but I am in France, very close to Cassis!.. Delighted by my little snack, I am satisfied to have taken a small bag to collect my garbage. I feel it inconceivable to litter in this jewel of nature!
I set off again, curious to discover the prestigious Calanque of En Vau! The pathway is difficult, rocky and sometimes slippery, The hike is not an easy one, it's really an athletic trail! From Port Miou, it takes one hour and a half to arrive at the impressive and magnificent calanque!
My efforts are amply rewarded, I arrive at the top of the cliff and here-the calanque undresses under my eyes, a real beauty! Colors are fantastic! All the tones of blues, the royal blue, including the blue-green. The sea possesses reflections of precious stones!
However, to reach the beach of En Vau, the descent is vertiginous and difficult to access.There are some passages where it's necessary to use hands to cross rocky projections. The end of the descent is made on a rather stiff and slippery slope of mass of fallen rocks ... It will be necessary to go back up this passage, which on the contrary, it's easier on the way out than on the way back.
My afternoon takes place marvelously, coiled at the heart of the massif in a natural view of exception. On the way back, I make sure to collect all my small papers, and I go on my way. It takes about 2 hours to get back to the center village where I will relax in or around the port or in a little restaurant:
The National Park of Calanques is a magical and magnificent place, it is necessary to protect and to respect. I recommend this hike from Cassis to all the people in good physical shape and who are well equipped!!!
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