Recently, on a long distance walk I was involved with, the Grand Randonée – GR – 51 figured prominently with our last day’s trek. From the hilltop village of Sainte-Agnés, initial plans called for an ascent of the Cime du Basson and then a traverse of the eastern slopes of Mont Agel. From there, we planned on dropping down into Roquebrune and Cap Martin on the Mediterranean coast past Mont Gros.
PLANS
We discussed our original plans with our host at Sainte-Agnés, but noted we decided to shorten our plans for the next day as we needed to be at Cap Martin, down on the Mediterranean shore, no later than 1400. She told us traversing around Agel would make for a very long day, something we already knew. She went on and talked about our journey going over the Col de Bausson on the next day. I was not quite sure what trails she was speaking of, however.
My IGN map – acquired one month before through the IGN website – showed GR 51 dropping down a ravine listed as Orméa on the map to the road we had come up to Sainte-Agness on – D22. The path jogged up the road until it dove off the road at a hairpin turn descending past an area listed as Auribel to come around the west side of Gorbio, the next village along the route. There was no mention of the Col de Bausson.
Her trail forked off towards the Col de Bausson 90 degrees away from the path on the IGN map. She also talked about the path dropping precipitously on the other side of the pass down into Gorbio. The map I had, the latest printed version provided by the IGN – 2018 – showed nothing about the GR 51 going over the Col de Bausson.
A MORNING JAUNT
So, early the next morning, after a huge meal at Le Saint Ives restaurant the night before, we found the GR 51 plunging down from trail post #460.
Reaching the road below, we ascended slightly to the hairpin turn where GR 51 turned west toward Gorbio, verified by a quick check on the map. But here we found a somewhat aged paper sign attached to a street sign.
My knowledge of French sadly remains extremely limited, but Antonello’s is much better. Between the two of us we saw the paper noted a trail closure going back to 2021. The closure also listed to last for a time “indéterminé” meaning forever as far as we knew. The “why” the trail was closed was either not disclosed or beyond our interpretive skill.
Choices, flexibility. We decided to continue on what appeared a decent trail. Otherwise, we had to regain all our elevation and then some as well as adding several kilometers to the trek. We pushed on.
CLOSED TRAIL
The path was signed in honor of a priest who used to bring food up to eldery living in Sainte-Agness before trails were replaced by the local roads.
For a kilometer the trail was fine. There was some vegetation growing over the trail, which one would not think normal for a busy trail like a GR, but not a particular surprise for a trail closed for over three years. We walked further.
For a closed trail, it also certainly looked like there had been foot traffic along it. Gorbio looked close with only a ravine separating us now. This ravine, I decide, would be the crux. It wasn’t.
As we walked under looming cliffs rising steeply above us, we passed a sign pointing the way for climbers to tackle the cliffs reassuring us there was nothing to worry about after all.
And then the trail simply disappeared … literally into thin air.
OOPS!
A large landslide had taken away the trail in a section maybe about 20 meters across. There had been enough traffic, however, for a rudimentary boot path to have taken shape going up and over the landslide, which had begun only about ten meters above us. Following the user path with the help of a few vegetable belays, we climbed up and over this landslide.
Feeling pretty good by now and back on the trail, it was only about 100 meters further before we reached a second slide, much steeper than the first. There was no user path up and around this one. But we did find a few bootsteps and following them, we gingerly tip toed across.
DANGER DE MORT
Picking up the trail – now very overgrown – on the other side of the second slide, we reached a gate lying across the path. For trekkers heading in the opposite direction, a sign on the barrier warned in much more dramatic fashion – than the paper above for example – of the trail closure “DANGER DE MORT INTERDICTION DE PASSER” (DANGER OF DEATH FORBIDDEN TO PASS) with skull and crossbones to boot.
For followers of GR 51, no alternatives were given at either end of the closed trail. At least at this end GR 51 showed a marking as going off to climb up to the Col de Bausson. The GR 51 is a popular trail traversing the Mediterranean from above with lots of ups and downs mirroring the topography of the Riviera.
I have since noted that the IGN web map does show GR 51 re-routed in red with the older route still present in black reserved for minor trails. The map they sent me in August 2024 – probably the latest paper published edition – showed the GR 51 route of pre-2021. Well, we survived the “danger of death” and continued on now firmly on GR 51.
GRAND RANDONÉE 51
GR 51 also has the nickname as the Balcons de Méditerranée. The trail runs for 436 to 508 kilometers (depending upon the website you find) from Menton to Marseille with the highest point reaching up to 970 meters elevation. Super views are earned along the way walking in the mountains just north of the sea. It is a very up and down affair, lots of places to stay along the way with weather usually more settled than those trails further north in the Alps.
If I had read the reviews posted on the AllTrails website, I could have been better prepared. Here is what Bérénice Poirier wrote: “pay attention to the following points: – Between Sainte-Agnès and Gorbio, Alltrails is no longer up to date and takes us along a path where numerous landslides have occurred. It is safer to follow the new GR which goes up before the village of Sainte-Agnès.”
Another great illustration of out-of-date information is found on the GR-51.com website which describes the pre-landslide trail we took between Ste-Agnes and Gorbio.