Saint-Jaume Gorges and Fenouillet Fortresses

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When the valley was unsafe, the men would retreat to the heights. The hills surrounding the Boulzane and Agly valleys are dotted with prestigious strongholds (Puylaurens, Fenouillet, Quéribus, etc.). And getting there was no easy task, as the Gorges de Saint-Jaume demonstrate.

Technical sheet

n°790689
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.87 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 319 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 322 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 588 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 366 m
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Photos

Sabarda Tower
Chateau Saint Pierre
Castel Fizel
View of the ruined fortress near Caudiès

Description of the walk

Start: RD9E, bridge over the Saint-Jaume river, above Notre-Dame de Laval in Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes.

(S/E) Leave the road and take the bridge. Set off on the path that enters the gorges. For about 20 minutes, you will follow a path that winds its way between the cliffs and the torrent, a few metres above the roaring water (see "Things to see during the hike").

(1) When you reach Les Nautes, the first hamlet in Fenouillet, turn left then right and follow the signposted route (GR®®36Red and White) which leads to the hamlet of La Vilasse. The route alternates between paths, trails and the road that connects all the houses in the commune.

(2) The pretty village of La Vilasse is dominated by the Château Saint-Pierre, which is well worth a visit, and the Tour Sabarda opposite. Take the path on the right that leads to the latter, but continue straight ahead without going up. Turn left, then follow the path to the campsite and the Fenouillet lake.

(3) The trail continues along the path that crosses the reservoir dam. Follow it until you reach the RD9 road at a place called Pal Ficat. Turn right and follow this road uphill to the Col del Mas.

(4) At the pass, continue left on a farm track.

(5) After about 800m, leave the path and take a rocky trail that climbs left towards the ridge. As you approach the ridge, leave theGR®® (white and red markings) straight ahead and turn left to cross the "col".

(6) As you approach the ridge, leave theGR®® (white and red markings) straight ahead and take the path on the left that goes into the pine and holm oak trees on the north side of the hill. Follow it for about a kilometre before crossing over to the other side, then descend through the box trees along a beautiful, straight but stony path until you reach Castel Fizel. It is hard to imagine that there was once a village at the foot of this other fortress.

(7) After Castel-Fizel, continue downhill until you reach the RD117. Take a steep left turn that cuts across the last hairpin bend, before turning left onto the last section of the departmental road that takes you back to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 372 m - Bridge over the Saint-Jaume
  2. 1 : km 1.45 - alt. 442 m - Les Nautes
  3. 2 : km 1.97 - alt. 490 m - Towards the Sabarda Tower - Tour Sabarda
  4. 3 : km 3.3 - alt. 492 m - Water, on the left towards the dam
  5. 4 : km 4.69 - alt. 551 m - Col del Mas
  6. 5 : km 5.5 - alt. 559 m - Turn left towards the ridge
  7. 6 : km 5.84 - alt. 567 m - Ridge, on the left
  8. 7 : km 7.64 - alt. 478 m - Castel-Fizel Castle
  9. S/E : km 8.87 - alt. 370 m - Bridge over the Saint-Jaume

Practical information

If the few parking spaces available along the road downstream from the bridge are full, leave your vehicle below the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Laval. You will find plenty of space for your vehicle there, but you will have to add 350 metres to your walk at the beginning and end of your hike.

Plan for a self-sufficient hike, as apart from filling up with water at La Villasse, there are no refreshments available along the way.

In the nearby area

Although small, the commune of Fenouillet was once the seat of a powerful county, which gave its name to this corner of the Pyrénées Orientales: the Fenouillèdes.

At the exit of the Gorges de Saint-Jaume, you will pass by the water collection facilities, which then transport the water under the path built in the gorges to Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes and Prugnane, further down the valley.

If you are lucky enough to find the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Laval open, take the time to admire the painted wooden and stone altarpiece. It is a marvel, unfortunately missing several of its paintings. I had the pleasure of discovering it on the eve of the annual pilgrimage on 15 August.

Between (S/E) and (1), miniature bridges and passages carved into the rock face make it easy to follow the stream, provided you don't suffer from vertigo. This remarkably well-maintained path was not built for the enjoyment of hikers, but simply by a wealthy patron who ensured the supply of drinking water to the villages in the valley. The path and its features are merely the corollary of the pipe that brings water collected upstream to these villages.
Sabarda Tower.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 35 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
fabiendelzenne
fabiendelzenne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant and peaceful route. The gorges at the start are superb. The 900 metres on tarmac aren't great, but the rest of the walk is very enjoyable

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CECE66
CECE66
• Last modified:

Hello,

Thank you very much for your quick response.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at the Tourist Office for any information you may need or if you notice any lack of signage, maintenance or any other problems on our hiking trails.
You can find all the walks in Fenouillèdes and their detailed descriptions on our website:
We wish you some wonderful days of walking in Fenouillèdes.
Kind regards,
Céline ERY
Fenouillèdes Tourist Office

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Hello,
Thank you for this information. I have just deleted the warning message.

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CECE66
CECE66

Hello,
I am Céline from the Fenouillèdes Tourist Office in St Paul de Fenouillet.
I am contacting you to ask you to remove the following sentence from your advertisement:
"Trail temporarily closed due to landslide."
The trail has been reopened for some time now and, following the rockfall, safety work has been carried out.
I am making this request because many people who see this information on your advertisement call us to ask when the Gorges St Jaume will reopen, when in fact they are already open.
Thank you in advance for making this change.
Kind regards,

Céline ERY
Fenouillèdes Tourist Office
21 Avenue Georges Pézières - 66220 St Paul de Fenouillet
tel: 04.68.59.07.57
email: info@tourismefenouilledes.com
website: www.tourismefenouilledes.com

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DanyA
DanyA

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

In general, I download your routes, which are reliable, but I adapt them to some extent. For example, on this hike, I went via the Sarbada tower, avoided walking on tarmac, and extended the route to finish at Notre Dame de Laval, the starting point.

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SylvainO'
SylvainO'

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant hike to a surprising site in the first half, followed by a loooong stretch on the road (which must be tough in summer when it's hot) and a gentle descent through the woods. So, mixed feelings overall...

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Dom310002
Dom310002

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A lovely walk, mostly in the shade, easy to do and virtually deserted

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ALAIN1807
ALAIN1807

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice walk, nothing more

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fcourtois
fcourtois
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Walk reopened on 27 May 2023.

Very nice walk. Beautiful gorges. Pretty village and good honey. Most of the walk is in the shade and only about 1 km is on a quiet road. Easy walk and not too long. Very pleasant despite the heat (27 May 2023). A leisurely 2 hours 45 minutes (excluding breaks).

Thanks to the creator.

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renegely66
renegely66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Very good route. Partly shaded (the gorges)

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philrandovilaine
philrandovilaine

good evening
Thanks for the information, I'll pass it on right away. If you get a chance to go back, please let me know if the trail is open again.
Best regards
Phil RV

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BADADEI
BADADEI

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

please note that today, 20 April 2023, the road has been closed for several days by municipal order due to the risk of landslides.
Please check with the town hall before setting off. We will return as the setting is beautiful and the route should be enjoyable

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Go66
Go66

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

a lovely walk to enjoy with the family.

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Jean-Luc Christol
Jean-Luc Christol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful route. The fortresses of Fenouillet are magnificent, as are the Saint Jaume gorges.

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PAT le lion
PAT le lion

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful hike with several points of interest and ending in the narrow gorges of Saint Jaume.

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.