Introduction

Le Coudon is a prominent mountain on the east side of the chain of peaks behind Toulon, coming from Hyères it is the most striking. There is still a military installation at the summit, but that doesn't take away from the challenge of the climb, nor does it detract from the all-round views from the ridge north and west of the summit. Like most of the peaks here, this peak is embedded in a whole chain and forms the rim of a large limestone floe that falls steeply to the east and to the sea.

Solliès-Ville is a typical Provençal village, perched high above the plain for strategic reasons. With the chapel of Notre-Dame du Deffens and the lower but original ridge of the Bau Rouge, there are other vantage points on the tour. The total vertical meters swell to 800 meters, including a steep counter climb that deserves a special mention. So you can describe this round as a day tour. Only very few sections are committed in both directions.

The facts

14,1 km total distance

4 h 30 min walking time

730 m total elevation

orientation average

mark 50% of the total distance

45% easy trails

20% quiet side streets

15% moderate trails

15% forest roads

5% Trails with scramble passages

5% city alleys

dangers cliff edge

children with a lot of persuasion

useful picnic stuff

required hiking boots, hiking equipment and water

GPS coordinates (WGS84) of start and end point 43.182131,6.037309

downloads

Public transport

No public transport useful for hikers goes up to the village, the nearest accessible stop is in Logis Neuf in the east, which is a place 150 meters lower at the edge of the plain. A bus that can come from Toulon, Hyères, Collobrières, Draguignan, St. Maximin and Méounes stops here around 20 times a day. Look for the Logis Neuf stop in Solliès-Ville under Zou! (only french).

There is a way up to the village, away from the traffic. First go north on the main road (so you have the motorway on your right hand side) and go up Calade de l'Estouiarie on the left. Continue steeply up the slope, when it becomes a footpath, follow the two hairpin bends. Then you go straight across the Rue Albert Postolesi, continue uphill and again over two hairpin bends. You are now north of the small village centre. We cross the centre to the left to get onto the D67 road on the other side. The hike described here start at the roundabout around the big tree.

Access by car

Solliès-Ville is located on the hillside above La Farlède and Solliès-Pont. Coming from Nice or Toulon, take the A57 at last and leave it at exit 6 La Farlède. First follow the signs to La Farlède, in the middle of which you turn left towards Solliès-Ville. One arrives south-west under the village.

Useful parking spaces

The D67 road ends at the village of Solliès-Ville. There is parking along the road and shadier spots by the cemetery (straight over the roundabout, then down to the right).

Hints

There is no water source the entire length of the hike.

The whole region is a zone with a high risk of forest fires. In summer, but also in other seasons when it is very dry or strong winds, access to the forest areas can be regulated. As a result, the roads may be closed to traffic and/or the trails prohibited to hikers. Current information: Map of access to the forests of the Var (also english). The map shows the colours green, yellow, orange and red which correspond to levels of danger.

The sections

1. Solliès-Ville - Notre-Dame du Deffens chapel - Col de la Gipière saddle - Les Selves saddle
2. Les Selves saddle - Petit Coudon - panorama tables north of Coudon
3. Coudon north ridge - gun emplacements south - west ridge - Coudon north - Les Selves saddle
4. Les Selves saddle - Bau Rouge ridge - Col de la Gipière saddle - Solliès-Ville

Section 1: Solliès-Ville - Deffens - La Gipière - Col des Selves

➙ 4,2 km ... 1 h min ➚ 190 m ➘ 70 m ↝ easy

5% city alleys, without marks

20% easy trails, few marks

20% forest roads, without marks

55% quiet side streets, without marks

On the main road that leads to the village, there is a civic amenity site on the slope side. On the same side of the road, a road climbs slowly up the slope at first. We take this Chemin des Gaches (dead end sign).

In the hairpin bend that follows, we go straight ahead, leaving the road and arriving at an old connecting path. It's steadily getting more steep.

We go up here until we find an old driveway on the left, consisting of two concrete bands. In the bushes at this crossing we also see a wayside shrine

We climb to the left and thus cross a former quarry. At the top we come to the Notre-Dame du Deffens chapel. It's bricked up all around. There are also two large transmitters on the upstream mountain. You will look in vain for a view here.

On the crest we turn right and to the west, we walk along a wide forest road along the flat ridge, our day's goals come into view in front of us. After about 10 minutes it goes downhill for a short time, we come to La Gipière saddle road, where the path from the village also comes up on the right and we turn left. The Route des Selves runs 2 kilometers flat south under the Bau Rouge ridge. It's not very challenging, but you always have the goal of Le Coudon in mind and you can mentally prepare yourself for the steep climb there.

At the only junction worth mentioning, we turn right.

Les Selves is a flat saddle between Le Coudon to the left to the south and the Bau Rouge to the right and to the north. The road becomes an unpaved forest road, we go left uphill at a right angle (road sign Chemin du Coudon). So we climb first to the Petit Coudon summit.

A little further down the road into the saddle there is a small parking lot, but access is basically forbidden from the crossroads further down.

Section 2: Col des Selves - Petit Coudon - Le Coudon

➙ 2 km ... 1 h min ➚ 310 m ➘ 0 m ↝ average

5% quiet side streets, faulty marks

55% easy trails, with marks

40% moderate trails, faulty marks

The Chemin du Coudon leads to a few houses scattered in the forest. We climb straight up and ignore the driveways to the left and right. At the fork in the path 300 meters after the last house we turn left at elevation 367, 50 meters later left again.

We find a marking in white and red.

Looking back now, we see a banded mountain to the north, it is the Bau Rouge, over whose crest we go back at the end of the tour. Rouge means red, but the mountain is by no means red. This designation is found very often in the Alps on mountains with prominent southern flanks. The evening sun, which shines here through the Les Selves saddle, makes the mountain appear glowing red when viewed from La Farlède and La Crau. The word Bau means hill in Provençal, so it often refers to mountains that have flat tops.

The path leads us on a ledge around the Petit Coudon (Little Coudon) and in a flat saddle at the edge of the terrain. Behind it, the main summit rises up mightily.

After the saddle, we keep heading south. On the ascent, the path makes a few bends between rocks and gravel heaps. The official marking is rarely found here, sometimes you come across markings in orange from the spray can, which are intended more for mountain bikers. Basically, the path makes three turns towards the cliff edge, in order to make the return turn in the forest each time. We always take the normally uphill path.

The points indicated on the map mark vantage points on the cliff edge, you can never go any further here (danger of falling).

Further up the forest becomes lighter and the path deviates more to the right. The terrain is heavily karstified.

The marking is also deficient here. Ignore the orange X-marker and climb straight ahead.

In addition, there are old prohibition signs higher up, sometimes you have to go past these signs. The boundaries of the shooting practice zone no longer correspond to the old signs. Nevertheless, you should stick to the path and when you are on the rock ledge, you go left on the edge to an elevation with two panorama boards.

From here you already have a good view to the north and east.

Section 3: Batterie sud - Coudon nord - Col des Selves

➙ 4,2 km ... 1 h min ➚ 30 m ➘ 330 m ↝ easy

<5% moderate trails, faulty marks

10% quiet side streets, without marks

35% moderate trails, few marks

50% easy trails, without marks

For the rest of the panorama, we first have to descend briefly from our vantage point to the south and in the direction of the main summit. You climb over rocks and get to a water tank and the road to the military installation. Here right downhill, because left uphill is forbidden. We stay on the road until we see an old fortification (battery south) on the left. Do not leave the road until there, shooting exercises can be carried out on both sides.

We pass the old command post, which looks more like a tunnel entrance, on the left and climb the bare rocks behind it. Here is also the access to a climbing area.

A bumpy path also begins here on the southern edge of the rock, it runs west along the entire length. However, we are in a karst area full of dips, small crevasses and large holes can be found everywhere. The path meanders in such a way that the arduous sections can be avoided, which means that you cannot progress quickly on the supposedly flat section. The terrain is bare and nevertheless unclear, it is easy to lose track of the route.

The path is marked with a few old green lines, and cairns sometimes help. There are also unofficial orange dots that you can only see in the direction of travel. Don't underestimate the section, stumbling here is equivalent to a serious fracture.

The reward is the stunning panorama of the Hyères Islands, Cap Sicié, Saint-Mandrier and the Bay of Toulon.

The road curves out to the edge, but we continue straight ahead. About 150 meters after this bend, our path makes a detour to the right behind a rocky section, after which it leads us back to the edge.

When the terrain flattens out, the path leads out to the road. As you advance, you step over some deep crevices in the rock and we end up at a right angle on the asphalt band.

Regardless of various markings that indicate other directions, we go straight ahead across the road and into the forest. This forest road is progressively getting narrower.

Our dirt road becomes a forest path that slowly loses altitude. The direction of march is north-east without curves. All the time we stay under shady little oaks.

After about 10 minutes, a steep path branches off to the left. Here we cut a turn.

Further down we cross a path and go straight ahead through the quiet Mediterranean forest. So, without realizing it, we circle a ridge under the Fort du Bau Pointu and we come to a cleared area.

After another equally lonely section in the forest, we come to a section of the path that we already know from the ascent. We go down to Les Selves saddle, but at the bottom we keep to the left.

Section 4: Les Selves - Bau Rouge - La Gipière - Solliès-Ville

➙ 3,8 km ... 1 h 30 min ➚ 200 m ➘ 330 m ↝ average

25% forest roads, few marks

5% easy trails, without marks

15% Trails with scramble passages, without marks

50% easy trails, few marks

5% city alleys, without marks

At the unofficial parking lot in front of the water tank (SVE2) we turn right.

A little further ahead we come to the Piste du Mourras forest road. It stands right in front of us, in the afternoon it is in the blazing sun. You may have already seen it on the ascent to Petit Coudon. We climb in a straight line, a road on the left only leads to a house. This is followed by two steep hairpin bends or an even steeper variant in the fall line. However, it is better to walk the hairpin bends.

After about a quarter of an hour you reach another saddle with another water tank.

The trail goes first straight and then north of this ridge, crossing the ridge of Bau Rouge to the east. This variant is easier, but without any challenge and without a view.

Directly at the saddle we keep an eye out for a small path uphill, some cairns mark the way.

It is now the moment to take a little break and have a drink, because the further course is also no walk in the park.

A few rocks come very quickly and the path now leads mostly directly over the rocky floes on the ridge, because high scrub grows next to it. The floes arranged in a line resemble the back of a dinosaur.

We are soon at the 538 meter high summit, then the path runs more below the ridge, mostly on the north side, but sometimes also on the south. Keeping an eye out for broken branches is helpful in finding the best path, hunters use this method to mark their paths.

We pass a spot where stones have been arranged in a circle to provide some shelter from the wind. In other places you can see broken dry stone walls.

When the rocky ridge slowly turns into a flat earthen ridge, our path turns left (north) and soon joins the trail named before. Here on the right, the path soon becomes steeper downhill.

We come down to the Col de la Gipière saddle, go down to the right at a cistern and come to the asphalt road (signpost).

We cross the street and we go downhill vis-à-vis, keeping to the left. We are here at the top of the path we originally took uphill from Solliès-Ville. We are quickly back in this place, where a nice little café welcomes the thirsty hikers.

Sources and additional information

It is better to use a good topographical hiking map: This tour is on the IGN map "Toulon, Le Gros-Cerveau, Mont-Faron", scale 1:25000, 3346OT.

If you don't want to bother with a paper map, you can also use mapping apps on your cell phone. On the one hand, it is the Géoportail app from the official map service IGN. However, it requires access to the data network and this is sometimes difficult in canyons or remote locations.

Alternatively, you can use apps that store data directly on the device. They're generally not free, but they don't cost much. We mainly use OSMAnd, here it is possible to add contour lines, relief shading, markings and others. To store this data on your phone you need a lot of space.

Of course, one needs access to satellites for the GPS signal with any app. In some canyons this is not the case. Therefore, do not rely on the position shown, but read the map on your phone as you would read it on paper. Most apps are available for Android and iPhone. The applications usually allow us to record the route travelled and also view the GPS files offered for each of our hikes.

This page has been seen 62 times since 20 March 2024.