Why this ride
From Argeles it runs 356 km to Argeles; allow about 7 h 28 of riding. On the way it passes Château d’Aguilar, Château de Peyrepertuse, Château de Termes and Château de Quéribus. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Massane and Château de Quéribus
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 356 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 28
- 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. 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
Massane 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 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Château de Peyrepertuse.
3. 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
about 100 km into the recorded legs you reach Château de Peyrepertuse. Next is Château de Termes.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Château de Quéribus.
5. 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 sits at 136 km, about halfway. Next is back through Château de Termes.
6. back through 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 through Château de Termes comes up about 215 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Château de Peyrepertuse.
7. 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
about 256 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Château de Peyrepertuse. 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 Massane.
9. 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
The route ends here after 356 km.
Leg by leg
Massane to Château d’Aguilar
Massane → Château d’Aguilar is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Château d’Aguilar to Château de Peyrepertuse
Château d’Aguilar → Château de Peyrepertuse is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château de Peyrepertuse to Château de Termes
Château de Peyrepertuse → Château de Termes is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château de Termes to Château de Quéribus
Château de Termes → Château de Quéribus is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Château de Quéribus to back through Château de Termes
Château de Quéribus → back through Château de Termes is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Château de Termes to back through Château de Peyrepertuse
back through Château de Termes → back through Château de Peyrepertuse is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Château de Peyrepertuse to back through Château d’Aguilar
back through Château de Peyrepertuse → back through Château d’Aguilar is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Château d’Aguilar to Massane
back through Château d’Aguilar → Massane is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.