Roquefixade Castle and Coulzonne Cave

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We had a wonderful day in the beautiful December sunshine. It's a good idea to take the southern part of the GRP d'Olmes (when you turn right (3), it's another interesting route in summer for the shade). As we found the hike a little short, we took the path that climbs to the right (6), at the top took the diagonal towards Cap du Rouquet and at the end of the wood, we took the ridge immediately to the left, the view is worth it. There were a lot of walkers coming down this way. The path is only dotted on the map, and only in part, but there's no need to worry about getting to the château this way. At the end of the route, the setting sun illuminated the rocks, a superb sight.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely family hike with a variety of landscapes.
Part on the plain, then a shadier section in the forest.
There are several possible routes to extend or shorten the walk, which is practical with children.
Easy route, accessible without any special requirements.

Machine-translated

rather than numbers, use place names even your app didn't help us, really very disappointed we didn't do the 2h35 loop that we had planned we only did 1h00 following your instructions.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short, easy half-day hike. No problem following the route with the GPS.
The scenery is very varied, and the views of the castle are very beautiful. There are a few goats on the ridge and some remarkable beech trees in the forest.
At point 3 we hesitated to cross the meadow and took the path just above it.
Thank you for this trail.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The application's GPS tracking compensates for the fact that the markings on the ground are not always very obvious. However, the default map doesn't show the exact location of the cave, so you have to refer to the IGN map. But it's a very pleasant walk through varied landscapes.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Very poorly detailed and not at all clear when to turn left to go to the cave. It would have been a good idea to say at the second crossroads, as we turned off at the first crossroads and had to turn back: it's a good thing I had a compass. The route was badly signposted in yellow. We never saw a sign indicating the Grotto. The view of the castle from the top and the neighbouring mountains is still magnificent!

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

There are goats along the way, following us on the lookout for food!
Very nice walk. Beautiful views.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk, with a little difficulty at the start and superb views. We cross different landscapes and it's very pleasant.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The start after the castle is a little uncertain.... many signs indicating several hikes... but what a pleasure to be up there. Beautiful panorama.... nice, fairly easy hike. Nice loop and good description. Best climbed in the morning as there is no shade...

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This walk took place at the end of the morning on a fairly shady route.

Be sure to follow the GPS track, as there are so many different walks in the area that you could end up getting lost.

Nice view of the castle and Roquefixade at the finish.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice, fairly easy hike, best done at the end of winter (when there is no snow) or in mid-season. The first uphill section faces due south with no shade, which must be tough in summer, and then it's all forest. In very hot weather, it's best to do the route the other way round... and if you can't leave very early, it's best not to.

Magnificent views of the mountains still covered in snow in April: the Tabe massif, the Piques rouges de Bassiès and, from the Roc Marot, the Montcalm massif (azimuth 223).

Follow itinerary 1.
But be careful, the intersection at point 2 is preceded by another intersection (in the direction indicated by the route). The intersection at point 2 bears, among other things, a sign indicating the grotto (path to the N).
If you then retrace your steps from the cave back to point 2, you can shorten the route by taking the path that descends SW then W, as indicated on the IGN map.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk with views of the Tabe massif and the sister citadel of Montségur.
The keep at Roquefixade Castle is closed to the public, but you can still get into the courtyard.
The last part of the route takes you past the monument to the Resistance - Battle of Roquefixade.
This trail can be repeated, but try it the other way round.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The initial climb to the castle is steep, but if you take your time, it's well worth it!
It's worth noting that it's forbidden to visit the dungeon (too dangerous), but you'll get a good view even without it.
After the castle, there's one last grassy climb with a splendid view, and then it's downhill for 4-5 km through a magnificent forest. We recommend this outing!

One detail: after the grotto, don't retrace your steps on the way up (to the right), but continue to the left to find the path again, just follow the GPS.
Incidentally, I noticed that there was a gap of about ten metres in the track, but this may have been due to my iPhone and was not in any way a hindrance to following the route.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is very pleasant and rich in terms of its topography and the views from the castle, as well as the diversity of the flora. One drawback, however, is that it is not accessible to people with reduced physical ability.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

''Physical hike at the start with a magnificent panoramic view of the Ariège from the château. Then a gentle descent into the undergrowth, no problem following the Visorando track.''

Machine-translated