Day 7
Les calanques de Cassis
Transfer
by bus Carnoux to Cassis (if night at Carnoux)
then take boat to la calanque d’En-Vau. you
will discover the spectacular calanques de Port-Miou
and Port-Pin nestling at the foot of steep high
cliffs. You will have the opportunity of bathing in a
sea of the most intense blue,... Wonderful images which
will remain engraved in your memory. Truly incredbible
to find such an unspoilt and beautiful scenery so close
to France's second city !
Return to Cassis in the afternoon at about 16.00hrs.
Either night in Cassis or return to Auriol for night
Stage: 3 hrs walking
A: 400 m
D : 400
m
Day 8
Depart after breakfast
Grade
of Walk
This
tour is aimed at fit walkers used to walking on a variety
of terrain. The types of paths are very variable. Certain
places in the calanques are pebbly or rocky which makes
walking more difficult.
Daily elevations are between 400 and 700 m
and you will walk an average of 5 to 6 hours
a day.
Price
£485.00
per person (based on two sharing a room)
Single Room Supplement: £200.00
Included
7
overnight stops on the basis of a double room, breakfast
and dinner on 3 or 6 nights dependent on overnight accommodations,
luggage transport, detailed area maps with indicated routes,
route descriptions and information. (if your accommodation
nights 5,6 and 7 is in Cassis (2* Hotel Logis de
France) then the 3 of the evening meals are not
included - plenty of excellent eating places in Cassis
from which to choose). Evening
meals (except, as above, at Cassis) and breakfasts
are taken at your hotel.
Not included
Travels
to Provence, insurance, return travel on the last day,
drinks and midday meals. You may take your midday meals
where and when you wish en route (we will give you information
on inns or restaurants on your route). However, upon request
the previous evening, your accommodation providers will
be happy to provide a picnic lunch. Please pay for this
at the time – you should allow between 8 and 10
€ pp for this.
Getting
there
By
car:
Auriol
(Bouches du Rhône) is situated on the N 560 about
30 km north east of Marseille.
You may leave your
car in the private car park of the hotel in Auriol
(free).
Michelin Map N° 245 "Provence - Côte d’Azur".
IGN Map green series 1:100 000 N°67
By
train :
Indicative timings only - exact times should be checked
on SNCF website
Marseille Saint-Charles (train) Dept: 17 h
17 to Aubagne Arrive : 17 h 32
The hotel is
on the main street, 100 metres before the bus stop.
By air
:
from Marseille Marignane, shuttle bus every 20 minutes
from 6 h 30 to 20 h 50 to the train station of Marseille
Saint-Charles. Journey time: 25 minutes.
Marseille Saint-Charles (train) Dept : 17
h 17 to Aubagne Arrive : 17 h 32
Aubagne (Bus service no. 9 - bus station is located
side by side with the train station) Dept : 17 h
40 to Auriol Centre Arrive : 18 h
04
The hotel is
on the main street, 100 metres before the bus stop.
Returning at
end of the Walk
Return
by car :
Exact timings to be checked at Aubagne bus station
day 3 or 4:
Cassis (regular service to
Aubagne bus station)
Aubagne (Bus N°9) Auriol Centre
Return
train :
check times with SNCF website :
Cassis (Bus) to Marseille (place Castellane)
Métro to Saint-Charles train station Marseille
(= 5 min)
Cassis (Bus) to Aubagne (bus station)
Dept (TER) to Marseille Saint-Charles
Return
air :
Exact timings to be checked with SNCF and Bus Station
:
Cassis (Bus) to Marseille (place Castellane)
Métro to train station Marseille Saint-Charles
(= 5 mn)
Cassis (Bus) to Aubagne (bus station)
Dept (TER): to Marseille Saint-Charles
Marseille Saint-Charles, shuttle bus to Marseille
Marignane (see "Getting there").
FOR
INFORMATION ABOUT TRAIN TIMES:
www.sncf.fr
IMPORTANT!
If,
for any reason you will be late arriving at your first night
accommodation at Auriol please inform the hotel.
DATES
7
night/6 day walking tour can be taken at any time of the
year, except 30 June to 15 September when
the route is closed by police order because of fire risk.
Climate
Provence
obeys the rhythms of the Mediterranean climate, with seasons
that change in abrupt succession. Sudden autumn rains end
the panting heat of summer. Winters, particularly along
the sheltered parts of the coast, tend to be mild. The year's
most sustained rainfall occurs in spring, when the plant
life explodes into growth, and the scent of resins and herbs
fills the air.
Summer
can be brutally hot in Provence. This is because, to put
it in rather dramatic terms, this area is the most northerly
perimeter of the Sahara Desert. Without the Mediterranean,
that almost tide less and strongly salted inland sea, Provence
would be literally Saharan. As hot air expands northward
from the Sahara, crossing the sea, it reduces from its norm
of six months without rain in Algeria to three months in
Provence. This tropical air can collide with more frigid
air coming from the Alps, resulting in occasional, but violent,
downpours of summer. Sometimes, Africa's sirocco
-- high, gusting winds carrying clouds of sand particles
-- will refract the sun's rays to produce a landscape of
intense yellow or purple. In winter, cold continental air
pressing into Provence forces a retreat of the tropical
air masses, while the warmth of the sea tempers the climate.
Vegetation in Provence has adapted to this climate, in ways
designed to retain moisture: small leaves, sometimes reduced
to mere thorns; trees with thick and roughened bark.
Please
Note
This
route runs partly along the Mediterranean coast so early
booking is essential to ensure availability at the hotels.
TO
BOOK:
Booking
Line tel 0800 970 7585
E-mail
info@celtrail.com
Celtic
Trails Walking Holidays, PO Box 11, Chepstow, NP16 6DZ
Tel:
01291 689774
www.celtrail.com
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