GR51-GR98 : Cols de Morgiou, des Baumettes et de Sormiou

Col de Morgiou (198 m.) - Col des Escourtines (183 m.) - Col des Baumettes (210 m.) - Col de Sormiou (181 m.)

Crisp hike in the stunning limestone of the Calanques, the cliffs and inlets that border the Mediterranean outside Marseille. Hiking from bus 23 terminus up a richly forested valley to reach the GR51-GR98 ridge path. Varied hiking on this sharp rock, partly footpath through the maquis (undergrowth of rosemary and low shrubs), partly gravel track but also sections of three-point scramble on the sharp limestone that’s been bleached and hardened by the sun and rain. Brisk and blustery Mistral wind keeping the air clear for plenty of sun and UV exposure. There was an unusually clear view back over urban Marseille to the snow on Mt. Ventoux (1910 m.), about 105 km to the north-north-west.