A hike throughout Voire fountain and dead man summit

Sport, Pedestrian sports, Hiking itinerary in Marseille 9ème

7.4 km

Hard

This challenging hike allows you to discover several sites such as the Voire Fountain, the Dechaux Cave, the summit of the Dead Man's Plateau, and the Selle Woods.
The trails are steep, but the efforts are rewarded with a sublime 360° panoramic view and the discovery of lesser-known places by hikers.

Access to the starting point of the hike is by a regular bus from the RTM (line 23). Get off at the "Sormiou shopping center" stop. After taking a few steps, turn right onto Boulevard Louis Pierotti. Continue straight until you reach a green barrier marking the beginning of a DFCI track. Go around it and continue straight following red markings that... Read more
The trails are steep, but the efforts are rewarded with a sublime 360° panoramic view and the discovery of lesser-known places by hikers.

Access to the starting point of the hike is by a regular bus from the RTM (line 23). Get off at the "Sormiou shopping center" stop. After taking a few steps, turn right onto Boulevard Louis Pierotti. Continue straight until you reach a green barrier marking the beginning of a DFCI track. Go around it and continue straight following red markings that lead through the wooded valley of La Jarre. (1)

Until you reach the Voire Fountain. (2)

You begin your first ascent into a narrow gorge that opens up into a clearing shaped like a small circus.

Take a left and follow the yellow markings that lead you onto a path that climbs even more steeply. It skirts around a rocky ledge where two large openings can be seen. This is the Dechaux Cave. (3) Continue your ascent. At mid-height, your efforts are rewarded with a clear view of the Frioul archipelago, the beaches of Prado, Borély Park, the Orange Velodrome, and Notre-Dame de la Garde. Upon reaching the highest point of this climb, you enjoy a good view of the Cayolle district, the sewage treatment plant, and in the distance, Mont Puget and beyond, Mont Carpiagne. Not to mention further away, the Soubeyranes cliffs in Cassis. The route continues and takes you to the next steep section. At the intersection, turn right to stay on the yellow trail. You reach a height that still offers a beautiful view of the Cayolle and Panouse districts, and more generally over the entire eastern part of Marseille. Continuing on, the view opens up even more and allows you to identify landmarks such as Mont Puget, Grande Candelle, Devenson Cliffs, and far away, Cap Sicié.

You leave the height to weave between pine trees forming a refreshing undergrowth, where you come across a path marked by a green trace. Stay on the yellow trail which quickly climbs again and allows you to see the beginning of your hiking route, especially the steep path that skirts the Dechaux Cave.

The ultimate reward is not far now. The yellow trail joins the blue trail to take you to the western summit of the Dead Man's Plateau. (4) It's time to take out your sandwich from your backpack and take a break. The view is breathtaking. This time you have reached the roof of the Calanques. Do a 360-degree turn to sweep your surroundings. No summit can escape you: Garlaban, Mont Carpiagne, Mont Puget, Pic de Bertagne overlooking the Sainte-Baume massif in the distance (topped by a white dome housing a radar and radio station), Grande Candelle, the islands forming the Riou archipelago, and the Marseilleveyre summit. Leave the plateau following the blue markings. The hike takes you down a rocky ledge. In places, the limestone rock is smooth and gravel can make you slip in this tricky passage. Use your hands to descend cautiously.

A few meters before the Col de la Selle, in a wooded area, leave the blue trail to now follow the green markings which take you down to the right towards the Selle Woods. The next landmark will be a crossroads in the middle of the woods with several trails (black, red, green, and yellow). Continue your descent following the yellow and red markings. The red is the last color that brings you back to the starting point of this beautiful loop. So don't miss the last fork, where the yellow and red markings separate. A final small climb offers a beautiful overhanging view of the Frioul archipelago, the Pointe-Rouge port, the wooded areas of the Campagne Pastré, and notably the Pastré Castle. (5) A little further on, a wall may intrigue you. (6)

A quick glance at the Aigle mountain (located between the wall and the city). Pass between two cairns and continue your descent towards the Voire Fountain. Nice view of the Dechaux Cave and the cavern of the Voire Fountain. You find the beginning of the trail you took earlier. Take it back in reverse to finish the hike.

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Departure

Marseille 9ème
Difference in height

380 m
Plain text period

From 01/01 to 31/12.

Subject to favorable weather.
Environment
- Mountain view
- Sea view
- Panoramic view
Spoken languages
Documentation
- fiche horaire bus RTM 23
- tracé PNCal fontaine de Voire
GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)

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Points of interest

1 Wooded valley of la Jarre

2 The Voire Fountain

3 The Dechaux Cave

4 The Dead Man's Plateau

5 The Pastré Castle

6 Wall

1 Wooded valley of la Jarre

It is nestled on the northern slope of the Calanques massif and offers a unique landscape. It consists of two parts. A lower one, made up of pine forests on sand, and an upper part, which houses real dunes. This particularity of finding sand inland is remarkable, usually reserved for coastal areas. Unfortunately, the beauty of this place has been marred by the proliferation of illegal developments such as bumps, ramps, and circuits intended for mountain biking jumps. These clandestine constructions have a destructive impact on the ecosystem, altering the natural environment through shovel blows and repeated bike passages. To preserve the ecological richness of the valley, the Calanques National Park has engaged in dialogue with mountain bikers to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the site and to firmly remind them of the prohibition of creating such developments.

2 The Voire Fountain

Throughout history, humans have frequented this symbolic site in the Marseilleveyre massif as it was a passage point to reach the sea. The fountain is located in a kind of rock shelter, dominated by a high limestone cliff. Modifications made over time have altered the site's original appearance. Although the spring is now clearly visible from the trail, this has not always been the case. Previously, a giant ivy created a striking contrast in this wild landscape. The water flow fluctuates greatly depending on the seasons. The water is collected in two reservoirs, the second supplied by the overflow of the first. But nowadays, it is rare for them to fill up. Moreover, the shepherds of the Calanques have disappeared and there are no more sheep to water. Only wildlife and hikers' dogs still benefit from the opportunity to quench their thirst here. The name "Voire" is linked to a farm formerly located downhill. André Voire, a doctor from the nearby village of Mazargues, is said to have lived here between the 17th and 18th centuries, and he is said to have given his name to the valley, the fountain, and a shepherd's hut that has since disappeared. To discover all the details of this exceptional place, we invite you to read the detailed chapter in the book "Once Upon a Time in the Calanques, the Secret Files of the Calancoeurs".

3 The Dechaux Cave

These two large holes in the rock face, which illuminate a cave, bear the name of a certain Xavier Dechaux. The story of his life, intimately linked to the calanques, hides an extremely tragic fate. He was born in Sisteron on May 22, 1824. His father, who worked as a customs officer, was stationed at the customs post of La Madrague de Montredon when he was 8 years old. It was while accompanying him on his rounds that Xavier seems to have discovered the paths and iconic sites of the Calanques. More than thirty-five years later, he returned to leave his mark by engraving his name in various places in the Marseilleveyre massif. His destiny was marked by tragedy, as throughout his life, fate inexorably pursued him. A wood turner by trade, he married in Marseille at the age of 25 to the daughter of a customs officer. The couple had 7 children born between 1850 and 1861. 6 of them were declared stillborn or died very young. In 1861, their 7th child, François, survived, but in 1862, Xavier lost his 37-year-old wife. While Xavier was widowed and the father of an 18-month-old baby, the youngest child also lost his life. Xavier was then 39 years old and his entire family was decimated. Knowing that he also lost his mother at 14, his father at 24, and a brother during the Crimean War. He then returned to live in Sisteron, where he began engraving poems in the surrounding mountains. His trace is found in Marseille in 1864. This date marks the beginning of a four-year mystical wandering, during which he left his mark through his rock engravings in the Calanques. In a corner of this difficult-to-access cave, rudimentarily equipped, equipped with a few objects, the police discovered in a tomb-shaped hole, a decomposed corpse. It's Xavier Dechaux. The man planned his death, engraved his tombstone on which he declines his identity and shoots himself in the face with a pistol. Afraid of missing, he had put a rope around his neck. Today, the territory of the National Park has about ten engravings, among which is a love poem dedicated to Marseille, engraved at the top of Marseilleveyre. There would still be much to write about Xavier Dechaux. Especially about the enigmatic text, composed only of initial letters found on the marble plaque. Members of the association "les Calancoeurs" conducted a remarkable investigation, detailed in their work.

grotte Dechaux et fontaine de Voire©hkotlcm.jpg

4 The Dead Man's Plateau

This place corresponds to the summit of the valley of the dead man, in the extension of the valley of La Jarre, after the fountain of Voire. It overlooks all the calanques on the south and east side. Some believe that this designation is linked to the fate of a shepherd who was found asleep, then dead, leaning against a pine tree, by a fisherman who passed by the summit every day to reach the calanque of Podestat. This story is drawn from one of the novels by Ely Boissin, a Marseille author who has always lived in Mazargues, and it was entirely invented. It is much more plausible to believe that this name comes from Xavier Dechaux and his suicide in 1868, if one relies on the research and discoveries of the Calancoeurs. Again them! The life and work of Xavier Dechaux cannot leave you indifferent. They argue as evidence that until the mid-19th century, on maps, the valley above the cave and the plateau overlooking it were named "the man's valley" and the "man's head". It was only from the end of the 19th century that the names "valley of the dead man" and "plateau of the dead man" began to appear on maps. In 1868, the discovery of Xavier Dechaux's body and his suicide, staged in a very macabre way, caused a stir in the village of Mazargues. The inhabitants certainly talked about it for decades. And even today, this tragedy remains vivid in the memories of the elderly.

5 The Pastré Castle

Château Pastré

HISTORIC SITE AND MONUMENT

Marseille 8ème

6 Wall

This wall, which extends from the valley of La Jarre and winds its way here, once served as the boundary of the estate of the Château du Roy d'Espagne (now disappeared). If you walk with locals from the neighborhood, they may refer to it as the "Barry's wall", in reference to before the Second World War, to the former owner of the estate of the Roy d'Espagne. This wall enclosed the vast property all the way to the hills. During partridge, pheasant, or hare hunting seasons, it was of utmost importance to preserve the species on his land and prevent them from escaping to the neighbors... A nearly bygone era.