Porquerolles: the Sentier des Crêtes to Cap d'Armes

The walk starts in the village square, the Place d'Armes, and goes out along the Parc national's conservation orchards to the Hameau, where the Parc has its buildings. A track through the Bois des Chênes climbs to the Sentier des Crêtes, which runs along the island's south coast with views over the open sea and a jagged coastline. It passes the Gorge du Loup, where the Parc says a steep path goes down to the sea, reaches Cap d'Armes and goes round the lighthouse, which is closed to the public. From the calanque of the Indienne the path goes on past Grand Câle ouest and Grand Câle est, then turns inland through the farmland of La Courtade and comes back to the village by the Carrefour des Quatre Chemins and the Carrefour des Oliviers.

It is 9.1 km round with 208 m of ascent; allow about 3 hours. The grade is Moderate: the Parc national rates the walk intermediate and gives 8.6 km, 171 m and 3 h 30 for it. Half of our line is on paths, a third on lanes and roads and the rest on tracks.

The island is in the heart of the Parc national de Port-Cros, and its rules apply: dogs must be on a lead on the paths and are banned from the beaches; camping and bivouacking, picking plants, fires and cigarettes outside the village are not allowed; and there is no water point outside the villages. Bicycles are forbidden on the Sentier des Crêtes. The Parc says that from June to September access to the forest massifs is regulated: the Préfecture du Var publishes a map every day, and you should look at it on the day you leave for the island, because the fire-risk level can change what you may do. The Parc's page on natural risks says the forest massifs of Porquerolles and Port-Cros are closed when the fire risk is rated "très sévère" or "exceptionnel" (red and black) on the Préfecture's map; its poster of the paths that stay open on very severe days marks only paths near the village and on the north coast, not the south-coast path. Stay on the open paths.

Porquerolles is reached by boat only, all year, mainly from the Tour Fondue landing at the end of the Giens peninsula. Bus line 67 of the Réseau Mistral runs from central Hyères to Tour Fondue, and the Parc lists free car parks served by Mistral buses (Espace 3000, Arromanches and La Badine).

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.