(S) From the car park near the school, walk straight on, ignoring the nature path (sentier botanique) on your left.
At marker 13, take the left-hand path towards Colle Belle which cuts across the bend in the main road. Cross the road and take the path opposite you with the second marker 13. (1) Walk down to the right until you reach the bridge over the Latti (2), cross the river, and climb up the path alongside some ruins and olive groves until you reach marker 16.
Follow the road to the left until you reach marker 17 (after marker 16 you can also take a small shortcut on the left, just after a billboard for some holiday cottages. It is marked by a cairn and it avoids you walking along the road) and then take the track to the left leading to the bridge of La Cerise (3) (don’t take the path to the left at the first fork).
After crossing the bridge, follow the track, and then turn left and take the path with yellow waymarks as far as marker 101.
Take the left-hand path, and keep going as far as marker 102, then head towards the Oratory of Notre Dame du Brec (4). After passing it, follow the beautiful balcony path above the Estéron gorges.
At marker 103 bear slightly to the right on the same path (don’t take the path directly opposite you, which goes down to the bottom of the gorges or you will have to climb back up again afterwards!).
Go past a ruin with a stone lintel on the top of it, and then at marker 104 continue straight on.
After going over a bridge, at marker 105 take the path towards Clave (the signpost has been destroyed) on the left. Walk past a ruin on your left, cross a small stream (5) and keep going until you reach a group of houses. When you reach the river bank, walk along it to the right until you reach a small suspension bridge to cross the Estéron (marker 48).
Continue past some quaint huts and walk around the hill of La Clue (6). Cross the Latti and follow the yellow marked path until you reach an oratory.
At marker 5 turn left and follow the nature trail (sentier botanique) back to the car park near the school (E).
Gilette and La Clue.
From the village of Gillette, perched on a rocky outcrop, this walk takes you to the medieval bridge of La Cerise (scenes from the film "The Hunchback" were shot here in 1997) and then winds through the Estéron gorges.
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Activity: Walking
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Distance: 12.79 km
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Calculated time: 5h 50
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Difficulty: Moderate
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Return to departure point: Yes
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Vertical gain: + 774 m
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Vertical drop: - 772 m
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Highest point: 436 m
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Lowest point: 142 m
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Areas: Alps, Préalpes d'Azur
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District: Gilette (06830)
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Start/End: N 43.852358° / E 7.162557°
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IGN map(s): Ref. 3642ET, 3742OT
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Description
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 405 m - Estéron (rivière)
- 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 353 m - Second marker 13
- 2 : km 0.76 - alt. 281 m - The Latti footbridge
- 3 : km 4.5 - alt. 203 m - La Cerise bridge
- 4 : km 6.15 - alt. 361 m - Oratory of Notre Dame du Brec
- 5 : km 9.05 - alt. 196 m - Cross a small stream
- 6 : km 10.78 - alt. 165 m - La Clue hill
- S/E : km 12.78 - alt. 407 m
Useful Information
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
Reviews and comments
4.5 / 5
4.5 / 5
4.5 / 5
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : 18/11/23
Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Beautiful hike with stunning views.
Thank you for your message, I changed the difficulty in average. The distance and the elevation are too important to be easy.
Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of walk : 14/09/16
Clarity of route description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
The walk is an interesting one, with varied scenery and lots of climbs and descents. The 5+ hours duration is accurate, despite it being a 12.5km distance. I'm not sure it should be classified as easy, although none of the terrain requires scrambling, the path in some areas is not in good condition and requires concentration. In addition, the distance and topography mean that you need to be in reasonable condition to enjoy it. It's not a walk for casual walkers.
It would also be helpful if the notes mentioned that there is nowhere to obtain food or water (other than from streams) anywhere on the walk.
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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.