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Col de Banquettes
Three narrow paved
roads and a dirt road meet at this peaceful saddle
above Ste Agnes. This pass makes a nice
combination with Col
de Madone in a loop ride, with the old
village of Ste Agnes as main attraction. Only the
two approaches from the coast are described below.
The third road goes higher and goes to this summit.
Approaches
From West. (described
downwards) Going left will lead to Peillon, or the
l'Escarene via a remote road labeled "chemin de
Trues" on signs. Google maps labels it "route de
l'Escarene". The profile takes the more direct
route through Peillon, that gets increasingly more
traffic and finally ends in the traffic chaos of
the Nice port.
History Being close to the
Italian border, the pass was used as part of the
French defense mechanism before WW2. The name
"alpine line" or "Little Maginot Line" applies to
whole series of forts and passes along the French
- Italian border. It is an extension of the more
famous Maginot Line. A Dayride with
this point as intermediate summit is on page: Col de Madone.html
The first pass with different start and end points on this Extended Tour is: Col de Vence  |
From South. The profile
follows D22 from Menton to St Agnes, but many
other possibilities exist. Past Ste Agnes a few
talus strewn switchbacks traverse up the mountain
to this spot. At the top is a water tank for fire
emergencies.
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