Why this ride
From Perpignan it runs 406 km to Perpignan; allow about 7 h 32 of riding. The stops in between: Château d’Aguilar, Massane, Château de Quéribus and Château de Peyrepertuse. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Perpignan afternoon · Château de Peyrepertuse
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 406 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 32
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Perpignan
Perpignan feels more Catalan than French on a good day, and most locals would not argue. The city was the mainland capital of the Kingdom of Majorca in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the Palais des Rois de Majorque still sits on its hill, a fortress-palace of pink brick with a double-storey courtyard. In the old centre the Castillet, a squat brick gate with crenellated towers, guards the entrance to the lanes, and street signs often come in two languages. In 1963 Salvador Dalí declared the railway station to be the centre of the universe, and the city has never quite let go of the joke.
Read the complete Perpignan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Perpignan is where the day begins. Next is Château d’Aguilar.
2. Château d’Aguilar
Aguilar is the castle people overlook, and that is its best feature. While coaches crawl up to Peyrepertuse and Quéribus, this one sits quietly on a low hill above vineyards just outside Tuchan, at the eastern edge of the Corbières, with a squat keep inside a hexagonal outer wall studded with small round towers. It is a modest fortress compared with its famous siblings, but you can walk around it in peace and the views over vines towards Mont Tauch are lovely, especially in the evening.
Read the complete Château d’Aguilar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Château d’Aguilar comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Massane.
3. Massane
Argelès-sur-Mer is known for its long beach, but the fun is in the hills behind it. The Albères are the eastern end of the Pyrenees, a low, forested range that drops straight into the Mediterranean, and the Massane is its secret. The Forêt de la Massane is a nature reserve of beech trees, some of them centuries old, growing on the cool northern slopes at a height where one would not expect them near the sea. In 2007 it was inscribed by UNESCO as part of the primeval beech forests of Europe, and scientists have studied its dead wood and insects for decades.
Read the complete Massane write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 116 km into the recorded legs you reach Massane. Next is Château de Quéribus.
4. Château de Quéribus
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.
Read the complete Château de Quéribus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Château de Quéribus, about halfway. Next is Château de Peyrepertuse.
5. Château de Peyrepertuse
You see it long before you understand it. From the road below Duilhac, Peyrepertuse looks like part of the mountain: a grey ridge of limestone with walls grown along its spine, so long and thin that people compare it to a stone ship. Up close it is two castles in one. The lower fortress on the eastern end is older, and at the western summit stands the keep of Sant Jordi, added by the French crown after Louis IX took control of the Corbières in the mid-thirteenth century. The site sits around 800 metres up, and the climb from the car park is short but steep, on a rocky path that is no fun in stiff motorcycle boots, so bring trainers if you can.
Read the complete Château de Peyrepertuse write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Château de Peyrepertuse sits at 182 km, about halfway. Next is back through Château de Quéribus.
6. back through Château de Quéribus
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Château de Quéribus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Château de Quéribus comes up about 214 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Massane.
7. back through Massane
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Massane write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 289 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Massane. Next is back through Château d’Aguilar.
8. back through Château d’Aguilar
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Château d’Aguilar write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Château d’Aguilar, late in the day. Next is Perpignan.
9. Perpignan
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Perpignan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 406 km.
Leg by leg
Perpignan to Château d’Aguilar
Perpignan → Château d’Aguilar is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château d’Aguilar to Massane
Château d’Aguilar → Massane is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Massane to Château de Quéribus
Massane → Château de Quéribus is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Château de Quéribus to Château de Peyrepertuse
Château de Quéribus → Château de Peyrepertuse is 11 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château de Peyrepertuse to back through Château de Quéribus
Château de Peyrepertuse → back through Château de Quéribus is 11 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Château de Quéribus to back through Massane
back through Château de Quéribus → back through Massane is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Massane to back through Château d’Aguilar
back through Massane → back through Château d’Aguilar is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Château d’Aguilar to Perpignan
back through Château d’Aguilar → Perpignan is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.