Provence – Golden Cliff Road (Distance – 254km)
Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Sainte-Maxime, Port-Grimaud, Saint-Tropez and the Maures Forest
Starting and ending in Théoule-sur-Mer (west end of Cannes), this route takes the Corniche D’Or (gold road), Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Sainte-Maxime, Port-Grimaud, Saint-Tropez, the forest’s of Massif des Maures and a couple of great villages.
Roman aqueduct of Fréjus
A couple of good spots to stop and visit on the inland part of the trip are:
La Garde Freinet
One of the Var’s best preserved medieval villages (pop. 1.700) about 20km north of Saint-Tropez has attracted many refugees such as writers and artists looking to escape the tourist hordes on the coast. Its architecture is as well-preserved as many of the villages in the Haut Var and Vaucluse.
The quiet oasis of La Garde-Freinet
The old part of the village clusters around the 16th century Saint Clément church with its 18th century bell tower. Here most of the houses are built with flat field stones without the use of mortar – some of them have weathered the times for more than 700 years. The ruins of Fort Freinet tower above the village. This was where the original medieval village was situated – it was safer up there. As the security situation improved villagers moved down the hill to what is today the oldest part of La Garde-Freinet. By the late 15th century Fort Freinet was completely in ruins. If you walk up there you realise who impregnable it was, only one path leads to the top of the hill and the entry on the cliffs could easily be defended.
Grimaud
This perched village (pop. 3.850) on the western edge of the Massif des Maures overlooks the blue Golf of Saint Tropez and brings you back to medieval times. It is dominated by the 11th century chateau at the top.
The village of Grimaud
Cobble stoned streets and alleys, most of them pedestrian only, vaulted passages, carefully restored 16th – 19th century houses, flower pots on window sills, a few shops, café and restaurants – the place is utterly idyllic, perfect to distract your lass from the coastal hell and gain some extra points! Leave the leathers in the hotel as the walk to the castle is a sweaty arm pit of a climb but worth it. The massive ramparts are used as the backdrop for the outdoor theater’s stage with performances during July and August. The terraces of the castle ruins serve as seats.
Also worth a look is the 17th century Saint Roch windmill just north of Grimaud.
The Chartreuse de la Verne
A large, ancient monastery hidden in the thick forests of the Maures mountains west of Saint Tropez just off the D14, the road up here is unpaved but easily passable for bikes if its dry.
Collobrières
At the heart of the Massif is this ancient village is reputed to have been the first place in France to learn from the Spanish that a certain tree plugged into bottles allows a wine industry to grow. From the Middle Ages until very recent times, cork production has been the major business of the village and Collobrières is still the best place in the region to buy items roughly fashioned from raw cork.
Collobrières, crash here for the night, it's cheaper & your bike will be safe!
However, the sweet chestnut tree is the mainstay of the local economy nowadays. The church, the mairie and the houses don’t seem to have been modernized for a century, but the Confiserie Azurienne on boulevard Koenig (9am–noon & 2–6pm) exudes efficiency and modern business skill in the manufacture of all things chestnut: ice cream, jam, nougat, purée and marrons glacés.
Golden Cliff Road & the Maures Forest Route
