Hiking from Marseille
Get away from the noise of the city, the traffic jams of the beach, here nature takes over. Just after the village of Goudes in the Marseilleveyre massif, Callelongue is a wild area located in the 8th district of Marseille. At the end of this road, with its many bends in an arid landscape of white limestone, crushed by the light and the sun of the South, dazzled by the immensity of the sea flooding the landscape, we arrive, against all expectations, at a dead end.
As its name indicates, Calo longo in Provençal would mean “big creek”.
Like a confidential address, this limestone indentation gives us a feeling of freedom! Here is a world apart which changes its face according to the seasons. The fishermen’s cottages nestle in every corner of the cove, their boats make do with the limited space by climbing the rocks to cling to the relief and shelter from the waves.
Playful children and the few bathers, clinging to the rocks, enjoy the crystal clear water of this cove surrounded by a tiny sandbank. Because here there is no beach, only rocks! A few pétanque players live together with tourists who make their way to the start of the GR des calanques: the famous GR98 which runs along the coast from Marseille to Cassis (/!\ Warning: it is essential to wear hiking shoes as the path is steep and the rocks are slippery).
After a 10-minute walk, you reach the old semaphore, which was disused for a long time and has now been restored by local residents and the Calanques National park.
It has resumed its function as a lookout and is a place to discover the environment of the calanques.
There is also a mythical restaurant in Callelongue, famous for its pizzas and fresh fish: La Grotte.
