One bright Saturday morning after injuring my head on a cupboard the previous evening, Jessica and I walked to the bus stop by Pasino to meet the Erasmus coordinators who had organised an ESN trip to hike up Montagne Sainte Victoire. Confusingly, there are approximately nine bus stops around Pasino (a casino, not to be confused with Casino, a supermarket), but quai 21 is the one you want. Presented with our bus tickets, the bus left at 9am and we got off at the Barrage de Bimont where we waited for the second group to arrive.
From the beginning of the hike until the first stop we were at the front of the group with the ESN leaders setting the pace. I was slightly thrown by the fact we began the walk descending, but was told “enjoy it while it lasts”. They were all too right. The first twenty minutes as you start going uphill are incredibly steep. My heart was pounding loudly and my mouth ached for water; the brief rest was very welcome. After that I didn’t bother trying to keep up with the front of the group, especially as we were taking the ‘classic route’ walked so many times by the locals that the rocks were shiny from footfall.
With a mix of loose rocks that would give out under your feet and solid rocks that you would slide off when putting a foot on, the path was anything but easy, and is marked a 3.5/5 difficulty rating. Rather unfortunately I didn’t have my walking shoes as they have too many holes in them to be fit for purpose anymore and have yet to purchase another pair, which added an extra dimension. Shoes with good grip and ankle support are absolutely necessary for the rough terrain.
We reached the top after about two and a half to three hours of walking, making sure to always follow the blue paint whenever we couldn’t see the rest of the Erasmus group. Here we had lunch by the chapel, then ventured to the real top by the cross for the view, battling against the strong wind as we went.
“Going back down is so much easier, it will only take an hour,” the ESN guides kept saying. Owing to an invested interest in keeping our knees and ankles in one piece, we took a modest hour and forty-five minutes to come down from the mountain almost non-stop. The wind mostly had mostly died down at this point, and the air was pleasantly warm without being overly hot.
A group of us managed to find the bus stop going in the direction of Aix and, miraculously, all were able to just fit on it. The buses back go every hour at about half past, but our one was early, arriving at 5:25pm instead of 5:35pm. Legs being very stiff and aching after the hike, I collapsed in bed straight after returning home.
Although we paid ESN five euros for the trip, the bus only costs 2.20, and if you follow the blue markers everywhere on the path, you won’t get lost. You could very easily do this on your own for half the price, as long as you check the bus timetables to make sure to be in time before the last bus back to Aix. The route starts on the other side of the Barrage on a tiny path straight off to the left where the concrete wall ends.
The gorgeous views of the countryside made this a walk well worth doing. It was lovely to be able to get out of the city and spend the whole day outside, tiring though it was.
A plus,
Zoe x
An Aixpat-en-Provence 