Quéribus clings to the top of a limestone pinnacle like a crown, so improbably perched that it is hard to believe people ever built it, let alone held it under siege. It is often described as the last Cathar stronghold: when Montségur fell in 1244, the remaining Cathar refugees and their supporters found shelter here, and the castle held out until 1255, when it finally surrendered to the forces of the French king. It then became a royal fortress guarding the border with Aragon, until the frontier moved south in 1659 and its usefulness ended.
The climb from the car park is steep but short, with steps cut into the rock, and the wind at the top can be ferocious; the tramontane can make it hard to stand on the walls. The highlight inside is the great hall of the keep, a Gothic chamber with a single central pillar from which the ribbed vault spreads like the branches of a palm tree. It is a surprisingly elegant space in such a harsh place. The views from the top stretch over the Corbières, the Fenouillèdes, the plain of Roussillon and the sea, and on a clear day the snowy summit of the Canigou dominates the south.
Below the castle, the village of Cucugnan is famous in France thanks to Alphonse Daudet, who retold a local tale about its priest, who frightened his flock into virtue with a sermon describing heaven empty of Cucugnanais. There is a small theatre in the village that tells the story, and a windmill on the hill that still grinds flour.
The riding is magnificent. The road from Maury climbs over the Grau de Maury, a pass just below the castle, with tight hairpins and views over the vineyards of the Agly valley. On the other side, the road descends to Cucugnan and continues towards Peyrepertuse and the Galamus gorge, through rocky, scrub-covered hills. Surfaces are generally good, traffic is light outside summer, and the scenery is spectacular. Watch for gravel on the bends and the wind on exposed sections.
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and Estagel have fuel and shops; Cucugnan and Maury have restaurants and cafés. Try the sweet wines of Maury, rich and nutty, and the local Corbières reds. Summer is hot; spring and autumn are perfect.