Boucle d'Avallrich

Start from the Corneilla del Vercol carpool area, on the edge of the D80 and along Agulla de la Mar.

(S/E) With your back to the railway line, head west along the cycle path and follow the Mar on your left. Note the castle of Corneilla-del-Vercol, built in the 13th century by the Knights Templar, where the Jonquères d’Oriola family has been producing wine since 1485. Pass under the D8 road bridge, then immediately turn right and join the D8. Turn right and you will soon reach the next junction.

(1) Turn right onto Chemin d’El Salobre. Walk alongside the fields, where you may spot donkeys on your left. Walk past the few houses in the hamlet of El Pa de Sucre (Sugar Loaf).

(2) At the corner by the hedge, turn left and continue straight on to Montescot.

(3) At the roundabout after the supermarket, take the^2nd exit on the right (D8), then turn into the^1st street on the left, Carrer del Pardal (bus shelters).

(4) Just after No. 5, turn left, opposite a fire hydrant, onto the small path between the houses and follow it. Pass a small house marked ‘Fabrègue’ and continue straight on, along the canal on a dirt track.

(5) When you reach a wooden bridge, just next to the cemetery, get off your bike to cross the bridge and join Avenue de la Méditerranée (D612). Continue to the right for a few metres and take the first street on the left. Pass a children’s playground on your right and a boules court opposite. At the fork near the post office, continue along Rue d’Avallrich towards Villeneuve-de-la-Raho. Follow this road, ignoring the turnings on either side, until you reach a roundabout.

(6) Take the first right. Follow the D8 towards Saleilles and return to the junction you passed just before the bridge over the Agulla de la Mar.

(1) Continue straight on, then take the cycle path on the left. Follow the route back along the Agouille to reach Corneilla-del-Vercol. During this section through the Prade de Montescot, you can observe numerous species of flora and fauna that thrive in these wet, salt-rich meadows. (S/E).

Le Mas Avallrich est un domaine viticole des XVIIe et XIXe siècle. Il est situé sur l’ancien château d’Avallrich. Régulièrement remanié, il n’en demeure pas moins un édifice surprenant avec pour arrière-plan le Canigou.