Hiking (mountain trail, in places narrow and exposed)
Alpine route (equipped or very exposed section, snow field, blocks)
D61
Col de Turini » Sospel
Trail crossing
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8h45 |
18.9 km
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725 m
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2007 m
This last, low-altitude, stage on the Blue Trail, takes the GR® 52A. It enters the core zone of the Mercantour national park just after the village of Moulinet and leaves it at the “Bandita de Barrins” area on the southernmost edge of the Mercantour national park. Next, a descent brings you to the stage destination, Sospel, a medieval village at the heart of the Bévéra valley.
The trail follows the red and white markings of the GR® 52A as far as Moulinet. Between the Luceram road and the Moulinet road, take the track that passes above the Moulinet road. After 250 metres, walk past the picnic area, heading westward for about one hundred metres, then take the track on the right and just after this, the track on the left. Head uphill on a gentle slope as far as the Escaillou peak and then walk downhill again to the south to the Patronel pass. The track swings over to the eastern slope below the Pourcel peak and then descends to the south east into a beautiful forest towards the Bévéra valley. At the hamlet of Castelet, the trail heads south west and then south to Moulinet. Walk through Moulinet and head towards the lower end of the village. Follow departmental road D2566 towards Sospel for about 300 metres. On reaching a cross, turn left onto the path marked in yellow that descends below the road. A few metres lower down at the St Sébastien wayside shrine, take the path to the left to cross a stream on a first stone bridge, and walk along the little Gouargas valley for about 300m (marker 21). On the right-hand path, cross the little Gouargas valley on another bridge and then start off by climbing to the north east and then the south to reach a ridge that must be followed in an eastward direction on a steep and winding trail. At 1,141m in altitude, the path continues on an almost level course for about 250 metres and after a short climb, it divides into two. Take the path on the right that heads to the south and continue on an almost level course as far as the Linière pass, where there is a junction with the GR® 52 that arrives from the Vallée des Merveilles (Valley of Marvels). From here, follow the red and white markings. The trail loses altitude and heads directly to the south to cross the boundaries of Mercantour national park and arrive at the Figuièra pass, where a military road leading to Mount Gros is crossed. The trail continues to descend to the south, running parallel to the road for about 400 metres and leaving it when it meets the road that climb up to Mount Agaisen. Keep following the red and white markings to walk down directly southward across terraced arable land to arrive in Sospel.
(Paul Guglielmi, CDRP 06)
Natural and cultural heritage
At the heart of the Maritime Alps, the stage brings you to the famous town of Sospel after the Turini pass, a symbol of the incessant Franco-Italian wars throughout history.
The pass, a former border between the county of Savoie and XVIIth century France, is a passageway under the direct surveillance of the Authion fortresses in the North, forming a strategic vantage point.
In the middle of the alpine pastureland and rather low peaks, the trail advances towards Moulinet. As of the XIIIth century, its location in the centre of a lush and humid mountain cirque, the quality of the soil and the sun exposure led to the establishment of an annex of Sospel there, used by farmers to provide access to other fields. In order to avoid incessant comings and goings between abode and farmland, a flour mill was built on-site, thus giving its name, molinetto, to the village.
Overhanging the Piaon gorges, the trail heads out again to the beech and chestnut forests to reach Sospel, a medieval village dating back to the Vth century. During the rapid construction of the royal route from Nice to Turin commissioned by King Victor-Emmanuel I at the end of the XVIth century, Sospel became a stopover location and thus benefited from the ongoing commercial transit. The Pont Vieux bridge was used at the time as a toll point for caravans and the St Roch and Suchet forts served as lookout towers. The architecture of the town is therefore a reflection of this prosperity: beautiful Gothic dwellings in stone with archways, slightly theatrical décor of Italian influence, and numerous trompe-l’œil facades.
Sospel has for a long time represented a strategic crossroads: a town in the heart of the defensive system from the time of the Franco-Italian conflicts, a stopover town for commercial routes and today a popular tourist destination. Furthermore, the town also boasts several oil mills. In all of the Mediterranean Basin in fact, the olive tree proved from a very early stage to be a reliable source of income and a symbol of power, owing to local sales and, above all, exports (as a barter good). And this region enjoys all of the conditions required for olive cultivation: heat, sunshine and low altitude.
As of Sospel, the blue trail joins the red trail of Via Alpina, uniting the Mediterranean in two stages via Monaco (stages 160 and 161).
(Sara Zeidler, Gilles Chappaz, Grande Traversée des Alpes)
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.
Socrate Georgiades - 2019-09-06
Le camping du Moulinet semblait abandonné quand j'y suis passé cet été au mois d'août. En revanche, il est possible de bivouaquer juste à côté et de bénéficier de l'eau très pure de la rivière qui coule en contrebas en allant vers le petit pont de pierre.
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The Moulinet campsite seemed abandoned when I went there this summer in August. On the other hand, it is possible to bivouac right next to and to benefit from the very pure water of the river which flows below going towards the small stone bridge.
frankie9594 - 2017-10-13
Monaco- Trieste
Trail from Sospel to Moulinet was easy to follow. There is a family run camping platz that can be found taking the road east out of Moulinet. Restaurants and a grocery store can be found here as well (Grocery closed when I arrived).
As stated before, there are tourist hotels to stay in in Col de Turini.
Maya CG - 2014-07-23
In Moulinet gibt es ein ausgezeichnetes Resto grad vis-à-vis der Kirche: Grain de Sel. Sehr gutes Essen und liebenswürdige Besitzerin
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In Moulinet there is an excellent Resto degree vis-à-vis the Church: Grain de Sel. Very good food and gracious owner
Monaco - Trieste
Sospel Camping ground is located nearby Sospel center, nice church there.
Followed blue trail because lots of remaining snow was still available in the vallee des merveilles in June 2013
Leaving Sospel following GR52 to enter Mercantour National park.
GR52 keeps going up..Via alpina goes down to Moulinet.
Camping ground and gite d etape in Moulinet, bar/restaurant le trou du renard where JO 66 will delight you with local home made cooking
Tourists hotels and restaurants are available at Col de Turini
Possible to grab some fresh water and go down towards Bollene Vesubie where a hut/shelter is open and available (free roof), there was markers (cabane pastorale if i recall correctly) pointing direction to the hut/shelter and it appears on IGN map I had too
Details of this stage http://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/day-2-sospel-bollene-vesubie/ Sospel - Bollene Vesubie : 8h10 walking, 4hours resting
Vorsicht beim Zwischenziel Moulinet:
Die kommunale Gîte bietet keine Verpflegung!
Was wichtig ist, da es im Ort keinerlei Möglichkeit gibt, abends essen zu gehen.
Automatic translation
[Google]
Be careful when intermediate target Moulinet: The municipal gite has no meal! What is important, because there is no way the place to go eat dinner.
A Sospel, évitez ABSOLUMENT le gîte du Mercantour. L'état de propreté des chambres laisse franchement à désirer. Literie plus que douteuse, sanitaires sales...
Automatic translation
[Google]
A Sospel, ABSOLUTELY avoid the lodging of Mercantour. The cleanliness of the rooms left to be desired. Bedding more than doubtful, health sales ...
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8h45 |
18.9 km
|
725 m
|
2007 m
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.