Our in-house travel writer breaks up her winter by hiking the calanques solo, and discovers soulful seascapes for walking, wild swimming and healing.
It was early November, I didn’t have too much time left to take off work before my end of year quota was used up, but I knew that I needed to get walking. And of course, like most people living in the Northern Hemisphere, I was fighting the urge to just hibernate. In search of Vitamin D and Vitamin C, as well as some much-needed time to myself, I chose to go hiking the calanques solo, as it ticked so many boxes. First, it was very easily accessible from Marseille, where there was no shortage of cheap flights in winter. Second, my chosen walking holiday was not too strenuous, but with enough push to challenge me a little. And third, Calanques National Park is a region I’d heard so much about from French friends, but never had a chance to visit. And so, the calanques were calling, and I came running.
Where and what is Calanques National Park?
A calanque is like a small fjord, created by limestone rocks that meet the Med, and then carved into a collection of creeks and crevices over the years. In Calanques National Park, there are 26 calanques stretching for 20km along the coast between Marseille and Cassis, creating high cliffs and promontories that are lined with walking trails, all dipping down to these cerulean creeks. So if, like me, you’re a hiker who always has a swimsuit in your backpack, hiking the calanques brings daily, sometimes hourly, hits of happiness.
My five day hiking holiday started in Cassis and ended in Marseille, and it’s only a 20mins train journey from Gare Saint-Charles in the city centre to Cassis. It’s worth noting, however, that Cassis station is about 40mins walk from the town centre, but there are buses and taxis. The town is picture-postcard pretty, with a perfect sandy bay overlooked by cliffs and headlands, bobbing boats and seafood restaurants, and calanques stretching out either side of it.
Hiking the calanques solo
On my first day of hiking, I took a deep breath and set off on walk number one, with my Outdoor Active app and GPX files of the daily trails installed, a back up of printed route notes, battery pack for my phone and, of course, a swimsuit. As well as plenty of water and food from the supermarket across the road from the hotel. I had also shared the daily routes with my family, and arranged to check in with them each day at 18.00, so that they knew I was safe. It had been a while since I’d hiked solo over several days in this way, and in fact the reason for this adventure was to process some grief, following the loss of a much loved person in my life. The same person I had hiked with often in the past so, in many ways, it seemed like the best way to remember them, but also a way to navigate the grieving process.
The perfect grief getaway
I don’t know if a grief getaway is a term, but it should be, because I’m aware that many people travel for this reason. And as so much of grieving is about taking one day at a time, putting one foot in front of the other and all that, walking it out seemed like one of the best ways to do it. Talking it out too, as it turned out, because these colossal walking trails were so quiet, I was able to share my thoughts out loud to the wind along the clifftop trails to Calanque de Port-Miou, or into the gentle waves of Calanques d’en Vau. Sorrow was swept aside by sweat on the ascent up from Calanques d’en Vau, however, which was super steep, stony and with some scrambles to keep the brain focused. The views from the top were tear-jerking, but this time, thanks to an appreciation of being able to be here at all, they were tears that marked a moment of pure joie de vivre instead.
The hike to Cap Canaille
I didn’t expect to come to the south of France at any time of year and get to walk on a gobsmackingly gorgeous trail without seeing another soul for four hours. But my second day of walking up Cap Canaille, between Cassis and La Ciotat, was just that. Starting with a long, gentle ascent, the trail started on a road called Route de Crêtes, a well-known 15km panoramic driving route along the coast. At this time of year, however, it’s closed to all traffic at weekends, and so my Sunday walk turned out to be a blissfully sound-free one. Sun-free too as it turned out, with the heavens opening as I left the road to start along the car-free walking trail that was going to carry me up along clifftops and headlands, for the rest of the day.
There was mist too, so I had to make a call as to whether to keep going, as this is a clifftop walk after all. And not any old clifftop. It’s the highest sea cliff in France and among one of the highest in Europe, at 400m. However, I felt reassured that the mist was moving quickly and I could see the trail clearly. By lunchtime, the mist had totally lifted, along with my mood, as the calanques seascape came into view. I was so grateful for the peace and quiet, the empty trails, the view across the empty Route de Crêtes far below where just one road cyclist was clearly loving this solitude as much as I was.
Marseille and the Frioul islands
For the last day of walking, I decamped to Marseille, a city I’ve always wanted to spend more time in, and so I added a couple of days at the end of the tour to explore the city, which is highly recommended. Staying in the Vieux Port area, it was a quick, easy ferry journey out to the Frioul Islands for my last hiking day, just 15mins away, and also making up part of the national park. The ferry lands in Rattoneau, where a handful of passengers dispersed to homes or hiking trails, and I headed off to the only cafe open in low season for some caffeine and acclimatising time. I love islands, and enjoyed just sitting to take in the views back to Marseille, watch local island life play out, and check out the lay of the land of both these islands.
The Frioul Islands trail is only 9km on the map, but with endless calanques carved into their tranquil and almost uninhabited terrain, you can easily spend all day here, dipping and diving, walking and wondering about how such a stunning location is virtually unknown to Marseille visitors. At this time of year, it’s a perfect package of peace, combined with complex history, as I discovered at the spooky remains of L’hôpital Caroline, built to quarantine sailors with yellow fever, and the ruins of Ratonneau Fort which, dating back to 1598, has housed an array of invaders and protectors, including the Nazis. One of the most disturbing sights is a collection of iron crosses embedded into the rock. At first glance you think it’s a burial site, but my notes pointed out that they were built by the Nazis to protect their arms cache, making it look like a sacred site that couldn’t be bombed.
Just keep swimming
My tears were close to the surface anyway, but this harsh reminder of what humans will do for power shook me to the core, and so I descended back down to Calanque de St Esteve to wash that feeling away. Which did the trick, as I had the bay to myself and, as my late father once told me – when hard times hit, just keep swimming.
There was more swimming to be had on the other island of Pomègues, which is much wilder and with so many calanques, I lost count. My favourite came towards the end of the hike, however, at Calanque Escondelle, where I had a picnic, another swim and some rest time. As I sank deeper into my thoughts, my grief got hold and I just sat with it, knowing that sometimes that’s all you can do. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge flock of starlings rose up at speed from behind the rocks and formed one of the most magnificent murmurations I’ve ever seen. This is a common sight on the islands at this time of year apparently, but I didn’t know that at the time. This ballet of birds went on for close to half an hour, gathering speed and numbers, while dancing just above my head in a performance that felt like a personal gift at a much needed moment. And for now, anyway, taking my mind to a place of pure natural magic.
More details on hiking the calanques
For more information on Catherine’s holiday in Calanques National Park, see here. Or check out details of our longer Calanques walking holiday, which also takes you to Aix-en-Provence. And don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists for further assistance with booking. We also have plenty more blogs on adventure holidays in France, which you can see here.
