Monks and hunters at Montrieux

Late September in Provence - after the long hot summer of perpetual fire risk, walkers were again allowed into the forests. I took the opportunity to walk along the GR 9 westwards from the village of Belgentier, through the extensive Forest of Montrieux. Belgentier is a picturesque little village hidden away in a narrow winding valley about 20km northwest of Toulon. I can particularly recommend the danish pastries from the patisserie opposite the car park!

Between Belgentier and Signes the GR 9 follows a route over high ground, most of which is forested. I had already covered the western half of this section, doing a circular walk by returning via the GR 99 which runs parallel but further to the south. My goal today was to complete this section of the GR 9 then return to Belgentier by some other route.

The walk began by following a side-valley which ended after about two kilometres at the Pas de Belgentier, a steep escarpment barring the way west.

The path wound up this obstacle in steep zigzags giving some good views back over Belgentier, then emerged quite suddenly onto a track in a wide flat valley called, appropriately enough, Valbelle. There were evidently hunters taking to the hills as well now, judging by the occasional gunshots to be heard in the distance.

Looking back to Belgentier from the top of the escarpment

Stopping to rest on the way up

The track at the top

At the other end of the valley I came upon the Aiguilles de Valbelle - a group of huge needle-like rocks left behind by some freak geological process.

At one point the track passed between two of these rocks, a point apparently known as the “Porte de Valbelle”. By now I was coming across large numbers of that other group of enthusiasts who had been starved of their fun all summer - mountain-bikers - who passed me in twos and threes, and occasional larger sweaty packs.

It was now time to turn and head back for Belgentier, but I decided to take a detour north to visit something called the Chartreuse de Montrieux. To get to it I took another track that curved behind the ridge on the north side of Valbelle. After some time I came upon a group of hunters standing around beside their 4x4. I greeted them amiably and continued on. A hundred metres or so further on there was another one - and another a hundred metres beyond him. In fact, they were posted all along the track for several kilometres. I must have passed about 30 or 40 of them, mostly of them solitary often with a 4x4 parked off-road nearby, and each one I greeted amiably - though after a while it began to seem rather farcical. Somewhere along there I spotted the second boar I’ve ever seen during my wanderings in Provence, but this one was dead, a young one lying by the roadside. This at least showed that all these hunters had managed to achieve something, but the term “overkill” did spring to mind!

Finally the line of hunters ended, and I reached the Chartreuse de Montrieux. “Chartreuse” or “charterhouse” in English, refers to a monastery or convent of the Carthusian Order, an order founded by St Bruno way back in 1084. The first “chartreuse”, which gave its name to all the others, is in the Massif de la Chartreuse, a mountainous region north of Grenoble. Eventually over 250 were founded all over Europe, the one here in Provence being one of the first, and one of only six still functioning in France. Those who are interested in these kind of things can find out more at the Carthusian Order’s website (http://www.chartreux.org/eng/frame.html) - obviously times have changed since the twelfth century!

Approaching the Chartreuse from the south

St Bruno, originally from Cologne, certainly got around. He founded the second chartreuse in Calabria, in southern Italy. Legend has it that while he was there, out praying in the forest, a group of hunters came upon him led by Roger, Count of Sicily. This powerful noble was so impressed by the simple hermit that he became a close friend and frequent visitor to the monastery. Funnily enough, I didn’t spot any solitary monks out praying in the woods on my walk - and nor, I imagine did the modern-day hunters!

In order to get back to the GR 9 I now had to climb over quite a sizeable ridge running between the Chartreuse and Valbelle, the highest point of which was called l’Adret de Valbelle.

On the way down the other side I passed the ruins of the original Valbelle Farm, still standing but very much overgrown. Soon after that I rejoined the GR 9.

Back at the Pas de Belgentier

Once back on the GR 9 I retraced my steps of the morning, back down the escarpment and down the valley to Belgentier.

Having set off from the car park at about quarter to ten in the morning I was back at quarter to four - a round trip of six hours.