The Big Brain Massif

Bandol, although being a town on the coast, is surrounded by massifs. One of them is in the town of Sanary. Its name: the Gros Cerveau massif.

we are getting ready

The Gros Cerveau massif is therefore located in the town of Sanary-sur-mer. To access it, you must go at the ZOA park, located at the exit of Bandol. Take the direction of the highway but do not take the toll. Go to the next roundabout to take on your right towards Sanary. Then, after passing the Mercedes garage, take the 2nd exit from the roundabout to the park AZO. You can park here.

To get to the foot of the massif, follow the red and blue tracks. You will walk a little on the road, past houses, until you reach the foot of a new house. There a small path surrounded by wooden posts with a large map awaits you. It's time to make your choice between the red pill and the blue pill:

• Blue trail: the shortest, but which is still 8km with 300m of elevation gain for a loop of around 3h30 to 4h;
• Red trail : the longest, 13km with 700m of vertical drop for a loop of about 6 hours.

You can find the map with these routes, by clicking right here:

The two paths are not accessible to just anyone. Blue, although easier than red, has quite steep parts where people with walking difficulties will not be able to engage. As for red, it is aimed at seasoned hikers. And in either case, strollers and bicycles simply won't be possible.

On the other hand, you can get to the top of the massif by bike by taking the fire brigade route. This is taken on the route du Beausset.

Depending on the path you have chosen, all you need to do is follow the red or blue lines on the trees. Note that red and blue being linked trails at the start, you will also find trees with the two colored lines.

And of course in terms of equipment, walking shoes, water, picnic and sunglasses are required.

the blue path

At the Office, we are sporty, but not too much either! Therefore, the story we are about to tell you is only about the blue trail. In all honesty, we didn't do the red. And we prefer not to tell you about the salad! Knowing that you have in your possession the essentials: the map as well as the factual information (km, elevation, time, difficulty).

Let's go for the blue trail! After parking at the ZOA park, walking along the road and the houses, you arrive in front of the trailhead. Take the small path in front of you. If you are here at Spring, you will be surrounded by pretty flowers of all colors!

After only 5/10 minutes of walking, the climb is already starting. But it's okay, it's not too steep. So take this climb and continue on the small path. On your left, the horizon emerges. And arrived at a high, a first show is offered to you! A bird's eye view of the Bay of Bandol. From up there, you can better see the houses and terraces that you walked along a few minutes earlier.

Continue your walk following the blue lines. After several minutes of walking, you will arrive at the bottom of a sort of path between the rocks. Climb for a few meters. We tell you, this is THE most difficult part of the journey.

After about 1h 1h30 of walking, you will still have gained a little height. Take the opportunity to make a pause. Sit in the grass, facing the sea, take out your picnic and let yourself be transported into this natural atmosphere far from it all.

On your way, you may have come across little goats. Yes we are talking about the animal. As surprising as it may seem, several goats are free in the massif. Crossing their path is therefore not exceptional. Be careful though: as long as you don't bother them, they won't bother you either.

This hike will take you to the Gros Cerveau fort. An old medieval fort, the ruins of which today seem straight out of a period film. And this is where the highlight of the show is with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean … Breathe, breathe out, relax.

For the return, you just have to continue to follow the markers painted on the trees. You will then fall back on the park AZO.

you liked it ?

Feel free to share your feelings and your best photos with us on Instagram by tagging our account @bandoltourismeofficial or thanks to #bandoltourism and #bandoltourismeofficial. And if you want to know more, do not hesitate to contact us. Sanary Tourist Office the 04 94 74 01 04.