The following relatively short loop above Vars ascends to la Combe Froide under the Eyssina Massif (2837 m). It gives the opportunity to experience a high mountain atmosphere near the village and outside of the ski lift system.
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| Starting point of L'Ecuelle hike |
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| Larch forest after start |
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| Vars Les Claux |
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| Ascending trail to Combe Froide |
We started from the upper parking at Vars les Claux (1920 m) and climbed along the upper trail in a larch forest towards Col de Vars. At about 2100 m elev. we reached a large meadow where we forked right, climbed to a signpost showing “Les Myrtilles” to the left. We, however, forked again right and dove back into the larch woods. The trail circled a small unnamed peak 180° almost horizontally and came to a crossroads (Trail from les Escondus) where we forked left, crossed a stream and climbed to Combe Froide. There were patches of snow here and there. Marmots, spring flowers and complete tranquillity! The final push to L’Ecuelle Col (2420 m) was fairly steep. The col was the highest point of this hike. It was a warm but very windy day, and we descended a bit for our picnic. In the beginning, the southern side of the col was steep as well.
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| Eyssina massif |
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| Combe Froide near L'Ecuelle |
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| Northern flank of L'Ecuelle |
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| Trail near L'Ecuelle |
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| Descent from L'Ecuelle |
We descended further and came to the lower Vars/Col de Vars trail near the Cabane de l’Ecuelle. We forked left (north), closed the loop and descended back to our starting point.
Map: 3538ET Aguille de Chambeyron Cols de Larche et de Vars
Cooked quinoa is a super healthy carbohydrate side to some simple meat or chicken and vegetables. But sometimes one wishes something a bit more adventurous than just cooked quinoa.
The following herb- olive oil- cherry tomato mixture can be added to still warm cooked quinoa making it much more interesting, like a warm quinoa tabbouleh.
2 servings
100 ml quinoa, pref. a mixture of white, red, and black quinoa
About 300 ml water
3 tbsp. tasty olive oil
A handful of chopped fresh herbs
2 tbsp. sliced black olives
About 10- 12 cherry tomatoes, cut into smallish pieces
A dash of pressed garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook the quinoa for 20 minutes. Then set aside and cover for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile wash and chop the herbs. Add to a bowl with the black olives, olive oil, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. Grind over some black pepper and mix.
Fold this mixture into the cooked warm quinoa. In the photo, it is served with a roasted turkey escalope and steamed green beans.
Frittata is the Italian variant of the French omelette. It is usually cooked over a low heat until the underside is set but the top is still runny. It is then quickly grilled to set the top layer.
Frittata can be simply cooked in the oven, 180° C roast for about 25 minutes, until the eggs are set. This is my preferred effortless way of cooking frittata. All you need is a good, heavy non-stick oven-proof dish!
2 servings
2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 small onion, thinly sliced
A handful of frozen peas
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large eggs
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180° C roast.
Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the spinach and frozen peas and cook for 2- 3 minutes until the spinach is wilted and until any moisture released by the spinach has evaporated.
Lightly oil a non-stick oven-proof dish with olive oil. Place the vegetables evenly in the bottom of the dish. In a bowl, beat the eggs with some black pepper. Pour over the vegetables and transfer the dish to the oven. Cook for about 25 minutes until the eggs are set.
Serve with a green side salad and some good whole wheat bread for a balanced light lunch.
The following hike is basically a bit shorter variant of the previously posted long walk which started from the village (400 m) and included both summits.
We drove up to le Caïre and parked by the narrow Route du Caïre at about 760 m elev. about 500 m before the auberge as they understandably don’t want their property to be used by hikers.
Route du Caïre is narrow, steep and potholed but negotiable with a normal car. Starting higher up meant over 300 m less climbing on a day when once again thunderstorm activity was forecasted in the afternoon.
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| Near le Caire |
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| Early summer greenery above the Riviera |
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| Above le Caire |
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Puy de Naouri
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We passed the properties in le Caïre and climbed along the familiar trail to la Baïsse and signpost #176 where we forked west. The trail is not in the hiking maps but nevertheless clear and we followed it to Puy De Tourrettes (1268 m) vast summit plateau. Another well visible but unmarked trail forked left, southwest, and we descended along it to the saddle between the two summits.
The first part of the ascent to Cime de Courmettes ran in the woods, again along an unmarked but well visible trail. There were in fact a few trails, and we used the one nearest the precipitous western flank before reaching the summit (1248 m) with impressive views, notably to the coastline about 14 km away.
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| Towards Puy de Tourrettes |
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| Trail to Courmettes well visible |
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| Courmes |
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| Near Pic de Courmettes summit |
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| Pic de Courmettes |
We descended straight south, now along the familiar yellow-marked trail to signpost #187 near the Domaine de Courmettes, forked left and followed the dirt track back to le Caïre. Light rain started before we reached our car, and we could read later that heavy hailstorms had hit the Grasse region only a bit later the same afternoon.
Current loop: Longer variant:
Distance: 11,6 km 16 km
Climb: 680 m ~1000 m
Duration: 4h 30 5h 30 active
2 servings
About 350- 400 g lean veal, cut into cubes
2 baby fennels, cut into quarters
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
150 ml chicken stock
150 ml white wine
1 tsp. Provençal herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice and zest of ½ organic lemon
Chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley or basil
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Fry the veal cubes in batches and remove from the pan to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy sauté pan, such as Le Creuset. Sauté the fennel, onion, and garlic for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200° C, roast.
Add the veal, wine, stock, and lemon juice to Le Creuset and bring to a boil. Transfer to oven and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once.
Serve the stew with cooked quinoa or new potatoes. Decorate with lemon zest and chopped herbs.
Cime de Linière (1368 m) situated 2,5 km southwest of the summit of Mangiabo (1821 m) can be reached from the village of Moulinet (800 m) in the Bévéra River Valley. East of Bévéra, the verdant and steep mountain flanks are mostly forest covered. At Moulinet, the western border of the Mercantour National Park follows the river.
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| Moulinet village |
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| Leaving signpost#20 |
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| Crossing Bévéra |
From the village square with limited parking, we walked about 400 m along the D2566 road to signpost #20. We passed some properties and a chapel, and entered the Mercantour Park. We descended to a bridge crossing the Bévéra and followed its tributary named Gouargas to signpost #21 where we forked left, passed a solitary house (Sapetta on the map). We continued to the east, and started to ascend along a narrow trail to l’Avenquet where we passed ruins of ancient dwellings. We were off the beaten track; only wild boars had been digging the path.
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| Trail after Sapetta |
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| Bévéra Valley |
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| Crossroads #24 above Moulinet |
We crossed another stream, turned almost 180°, and headed west to signpost #24 where we made another 180° turn and climbed to Baisse de Linière (1345 m).
The path to the nearby summit was not marked and hidden under the grass at the clearing but soon became visible in the woods. From the rather flat mountain top we had best views to the south with the coastal peaks between Sospel and Menton visible in spite of the passing afternoon thunderstorms. There was a shepherd’s shelter in bad shape. Not one of the most impressive summits, but nevertheless worth a visit and above all a good springtime exercise!
We descended back to signpost #24 where we took the shorter and more frequently used path back to Moulinet.
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| Towards Baisse de Linière |
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| Near Baisse de Linière |
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| Cime de Linière hike track |
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Red mullet with black olives and spinach
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Red mullet, rouget, is often sold as fillets in Nice. It is a tasty and colourful fish which can be prepared quickly. Red mullet fillets make a delightful light lunch with sautéed spinach and some whole wheat or rye bread.
2 servings
About 250 g red mullet, rouget, fillets
Olive oil
2 tbsp. sliced black olives
2 blocks of frozen spinach leaves
3 tbsp. pine nuts
1 spring onion, sliced
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the frozen spinach blocks on both sides until defrosted and all the liquid has evaporated. Add the pine nuts, stir and let simmer for a few minutes.
Meanwhile warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the mullet fillets for about 4 minutes on both sides if they are large. If they are very small, sauté them on the skin side only for about 5 minutes. The fish is done when it is opaque.
Divide the spinach on the plates and decorate with spring onion slices. Place the red mullet fillets on the plates and sprinkle with the olive slices. Serve with lemon wedges, a side salad, and some good bread for a balanced lunch.
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| The Rock of Monaco seen from GR trail |
We have hiked to Monaco from La Turbie a few times before. It is one of the great coastal itineraries on the Riviera. This time we wanted to combine the hike with a visit to the Oceanographic Museum with a lunch on their roof terrace.
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| La Turbie #619 |
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Between La Turbie and Monaco
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We descended first along paved alleys, along the Roman Path, chemin romain (signposts #618,619,617 and 615) then along some stretches along a trail. At #615 we briefly merged with the GR51b trail, to signpost #615b where we forked left and followed a steep street named Chemin de la Turbie using pedestrian shortcuts when possible. We crossed the D6007 road and descended along stairs in Beausoleil in the Les Moneghetti neighbourhood, forked left at a soccer field (Stade des Moneghetti) and reached the Monaco railway station in about an hour.
The preparations for the approaching F1 Grand Prix were in full swing, and some pedestrian routes were blocked. We walked past the casino and descended further to the port. It was a religious holiday, and there were a lot of visitors from different parts of the world climbing along the stairs to the Rock and the palace square.
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| Chemin Romain below La Turbie |
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| Signpost#617 to Monaco |
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| Monaco port area |
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| Stairs to the Rock MC |
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| Garden near Palace MC |
We headed to the Oceanographic Museum through the historical district. It was noon, and we opted for lunch before visiting the museum. The rooftop restaurant was already packed with families. Fortunately, were able to get one of the last tables!
The museum was hugely popular. The polar mission exhibition attracted a lot of families and school groups. In the aquarium, it was sometimes hard to move around! You could indeed spend a full day in the museum.
We, however, had the ascent back to La Turbie waiting for us. We took the shortest route to the railway station, and in fact walked a few hundred meters inside the station before starting to ascend in Beausoleil along the same route to signpost #615 where we forked left and followed the GR trail under the north eastern flank of la Tête de Chien (signposts #614, 613, 602) then under Les Hauts de Monte-Carlo straight to La Turbie.
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| The Palace Monaco |
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| Oceanographic Museum 1 |
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| Oceanographic Museum 2 |
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| Oceanographic Museum Aquarium |
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| Hirondelle 2 ship |
Duration: About 3 hours (hiking time)
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| La Turbie to Monaco hike track |
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