Baudinard-Sur-Verdon: Gorges, Forest and Culture

Baudinard-Sur-Verdon’s distinctive landscape features include the holm oak forest of Domaine des Eouvières and the Gorges de Baudinard. The forest covers more than 800 hectares. The gorges form a 13-kilometre-long canyon with turquoise water and rock walls about 100 to 150 metres high. The area figure describes the forest, the kilometre figure the length of the canyon, and the height figure the rock walls. This puts three different measures side by side: forest area, gorge length and rock wall height. When comparing landscapes, you can use these figures to distinguish the size of the forest area from the dimensions of the gorges.

Hiking Trails and Viewpoint

Two figures are both 13 kilometres, but refer to different things. The Sentier des Basses Gorges is 13 kilometres long, runs along the canyon and offers panoramic views. By contrast, the 13 kilometres of the gorges refers to the length of the canyon. So when choosing, it is important to consider what the figure refers to: for the Sentier, it is a specific trail distance; for the gorges, it is the landscape’s extent. If you are choosing a route by its length, the Sentier is the specific 13-kilometre trail; for the gorges, the same figure describes the canyon.

A different measure applies to the Belvédère Domaine des Eouvières: it is reached by a one-way walk of 1.4 kilometres that takes about 30 minutes. The route follows the GR®99 and the “Chapelle Notre-Dame de Baudinard” hiking trail. The time and distance therefore describe one direction of access to the viewpoint and are not the distance of the Sentier des Basses Gorges. This lets you distinguish between the 13-kilometre trail along the canyon and the named access route to the Belvédère by route, distance and walking time.

The Tour du lac de Sainte-Croix includes a stage from Baudinard to Bauduen. Unlike the walk to the Belvédère, this stage is identified by two place names: Baudinard is the starting point and Bauduen is the destination of the named route. Route conditions may vary; take this into account when planning and check trail conditions before your outing.

Cultural Landmarks and Churches

The path to the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Baudinard is lined with wayside shrines. These religious landmarks give the route a cultural dimension. The name “Chapelle Notre-Dame de Baudinard” also refers to the hiking trail used to reach the Belvédère Domaine des Eouvières. This is useful when choosing a route: the path to the chapel is lined with wayside shrines, and access to the Belvédère follows a hiking trail with the same name.

Sacred buildings include the Eglise Saint-Jacques and the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde. The Eglise Saint-Jacques dates from the 11th century and was restored in 1921 and 2006. It contains three paintings, two of which are listed. The Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde is believed to have been built in 1599. These buildings have different historical dates: the Eglise’s origins in the 11th century, the cautiously worded dating of the chapel, and the two later restorations. The paintings add a specific cultural detail about the Eglise to these dates.

Discover more destinations: Villecroze, Camps-La-Source, Bormes-Les-Mimosas, Saint-Zacharie, Le Cannet-Des-Maures, Bagnols-En-Forêt, La Bastide, Les Arcs Sur Argens

See the wider travel guide: Var.