Why this ride
133 km from Fabrezan to Fabrezan, about 3 h 07 of riding. It goes by way of Château de Peyrepertuse, Château d’Aguilar and back through Château de Peyrepertuse.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Château de Termes and Château d’Aguilar
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 133 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 07
- 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. Château de Termes
In the summer of 1210, Simon de Montfort, leader of the crusade against the Cathars, brought his army to the remote castle of Termes, in the heart of the Corbières, and laid siege to it. The castle's lord, Raymond de Termes, held out for four months, and the defenders only surrendered when their water supply was contaminated and disease broke out, or so the story goes. The castle became a royal fortress, guarding the border with Aragon, and was eventually dismantled in the seventeenth century. Today, its ruins sprawl over a rocky spur above the village, with remains of walls, towers and a chapel, and the views over the wild hills of the Corbières are tremendous.
Read the complete Château de Termes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Château de Termes is where the day begins. Next is Château de Peyrepertuse.
2. 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 comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Château d’Aguilar.
3. 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
about 67 km into the recorded legs you reach Château d’Aguilar. Next is back through Château de Peyrepertuse.
4. back through Château de Peyrepertuse
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Château de Peyrepertuse, late in the day. Next is Château de Termes.
5. Château de Termes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Château de Termes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Château de Termes. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Château de Termes to Château de Peyrepertuse
Château de Termes → Château de Peyrepertuse is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château de Peyrepertuse to Château d’Aguilar
Château de Peyrepertuse → Château d’Aguilar is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château d’Aguilar to back through Château de Peyrepertuse
Château d’Aguilar → back through Château de Peyrepertuse is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Château de Peyrepertuse to Château de Termes
back through Château de Peyrepertuse → Château de Termes is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.