A hike high above the valley of the river Var on a cliff footpath to Gilette and on to Bonson via the Col de Rostan (645 m.) as a rest day from the the GLME Camp d'Ascension 2015. These are big hills: I hiked 450 m. altitude up and 450 m. down in about 10km round trip.
Fine views of the river Var, the Alpes Maritimes and the valley up to Sigale, which got its name in Roman times when it was an optical signal point for communications in the empire. Colourful wild flowers, butterflies and birds made this a very pleasant hike. I even heard a cuckoo singing at the summit of the sentier des crêtes. The misty conditions of late spring made the air feel reminiscent of hiking in a cloud forest, although that will soon change when the summer sun bakes the rock.
Gilette village - which we had cursed for its traffic lights - turned out to be charming and lively, a ruined château guarding the route to the hills and the village perched on the cliff. Bonson, on the other hand, features ranches and villas with cares boasting Monaco number plates and some spoilt looking horses in the adjoining paddock. Nothing was open, not even a boulangerie.