Ash Smith runs his index finger along the ridge, which slopes perfectly southwards. "La Crinale - this is perhaps the best trail here," says the Englishman.
From Sospel up to the La Crinale super trail
The mountain ridge that La Crinale winds its way down belongs to the 1123 metre high Cime du Bosc. It lies on the southern edge of the Maritime Alps and the northern edge of Provence. Ash Smith is a local by choice, and in recent years he has tested every trail in the area for its biking suitability. "In this corner of southern France, you have a very special flair - the best of both worlds," says Ash: "The snow-capped Alps to the north, the Côte d'Azur to the south." In front of us, the path winds like a dusty ribbon through dry bushes and loses itself on the ridge. The Mediterranean can be glimpsed behind the next range of hills. If you were to draw a straight line south from here, you would reach the French Mediterranean coast after 15 kilometres between Ventimiglia in Italy and the Principality of Monaco.
You can download the entire La Crinale Supertrail with all the information and GPS data as a PDF at the end of the article.
