On a wild trail from Col de Castillon

Col de Castillon (706 m) above Menton has a spacious and quiet parking. We have made some excellent hikes from here, such as to Mont Razet (1285 m), and Mont Ourse (1239 m). This time we wanted to explore the trail to Sospel (350 m).

From Col de Castillon we first followed the trail north, first along a small road then along a trail passing the last houses. At the crossroads at signpost 137 we forked left along the trail(old yellow marks) leading to Sospel. A storm named “Elke” had hit the region a few days ago bringing snow to fairly low altitudes. We were nevertheless surprised to find this much snow between just 700-800 m.








It was a gorgeous morning with blue skies. The air was pure and crisp. The nature was peaceful, just starting to wake up after winter. The sounds of civilization were far away, and we could enjoy the singing of the birds. Only a deer had marched along the trail during the past few days.

Our progress in the snow was slow and heavy. After about 1h 30, and after a fairly steep descent the snow finally disappeared. We passed some farmhouses below the trail and soon found a sunny and warm clearing, a perfect spot for a picnic. From this point, the remaining distance to Sospel would have been ca. 45 min. Our aim was to explore the trail, not necessarily to visit Sospel. We were therefore happy to turn back to the starting point after the picnic, and take our time to enjoy the nature.