Nerthe hill discovery hike

Between the Etang de Berre and the Estaccian seaside, here we are in the Nerthe hills above Marseille.

A hike that takes in the heights of the village of l'Estaque, the hamlet of La Nerthe, the Galline chapel and photogenic industrial remains.

Although access by car is possible along the 3-kilometre-long Chemin de la Nerthe, parking spaces are scarce, isolated and unsupervised. So it's best to take the RTM 36 bus, which drops you off at the "La Nerthe" terminus, and to consider the start of the walk up the Chemin de la Nerthe as a good warm-up before reaching the starting point of the itinerary.

The actual starting point is in front of the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Nerthe (la Galline) (1).

The chapel is dominated by several sections of wall, reminiscent of the (ruined) Château de la Nerthe, built in medieval times.
Further along, on the right, you'll see the last farm in the area. Continuing along the main road, you pass an anti-tank wall built in 1943 by the Germans to protect access to the nearby quarries. After a handsome manor house and garden (2), the remains of two cement pillars (3), framing a passageway, are revealed in the greenery. This is the entrance to Domaine de Cossimont. Take the tarmac road to the right. Pass the main entrance to the Lafarge quarries. From here, it's a 15-minute walk to the Cossimont ruins.

The industrial remains of La Nerthe and the Cossimont estate

All around you, a garrigue landscape, and on the left you'll probably see a short brick chimney (4).

After a slight climb along an olive grove, you'll see the ruins of the Domaine de Cossimont (5) on your left as you round a bend. Follow this path, regularly used by the Rove goats! In fact, very close to the ruins, you'll have a view of the land of one of the last goatherds.

Leave the estate under the plane trees (there's a well on the right), then take the path to the left, which runs alongside a tiled wall. Go past the remains of a masonry entrance fence, leaving the lone cypress tree on your left, and take the narrow path upwards (6). On your right are the remains of a sheepfold. Follow the path up and then down to a DFCI track.

At a bend in the road, take a small path that climbs up on the left (a shortcut) to rejoin the DFCI track a little further on.

On the left, pass a square building. Enjoy the view over the hills, olive groves, harbor and the large commercial port of Marseille. The highest point is a large round median (7). Cross it and follow a small path along a ridge and down to a DFCI track.

At a hairpin bend (8), go straight ahead on a narrow path that leads back to the Chemin de la Nerthe and the Chapelle de la Galline, passing the remains of an old German bunker.