The Château des Maures and Malabrac from Caudiès de Fenouillèdes

Park in the tourist office car park, Place de la Fédération.

(S/E) Join the D117. Follow it to the left until the^{second street} on the right, Grand Rue, D9, towards Col Saint Louis. Walk past the town hall. First turn right then left until you reach a crossroads.

(1) Turn left onto the D9 towards the bridge over La Boulzane. Cross it and follow the D9 uphill for about 300 m.

(2) At the old transformer and the wayside shrine, take the small road on the left.

(3) You will come to a waterfall. Continue on, passing a restored aqueduct on the left. Further on, you will reach a junction of three roads: there is a large building on the right. Ignore the turn-off to the road on the left (D117) and continue for about fifty metres.

(4) Take the wide path that climbs to the right.

(5) Reach the ruined hamlet of Borde de Rivière. Begin a long climb through the woods towards the pass, with an average gradient of around 30%.

(6) You’ll reach the remains of the hamlet of Rabasteins. The climb is over for this section. Pass two car wrecks. At the second one, continue along the path to the right, heading due north. The track leaves the forest and leads to the D9. Beautiful scenery.

(7) Turn right and immediately take the path on the right which cuts across a bend in the road and descends towards the D9 viaduct.

(8) You’ll reach the upper section of the ‘snail’ viaduct. View of the valley and the village of Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes. At the foot of the viaduct, sections of the wall of the old Château des Maures are still visible. Continue down the road with care.

(9) You’ll reach the commemorative plaque marking the lunch stop of the Duke and Duchess of Orléans on their way to Port-Vendres, where they were to embark for Algeria. Further on, you’ll come to a right-hand bend on the D9. Take care. There are no signs.

(10) Climb steeply to the left along the concrete track for a few metres; it turns left then right. After several hairpin bends, reach the former hamlet of Malabrac.

(11) On leaving the hamlet, take the path on the right, pass in front of a fenced-off well (karstic cave) and join the GR®36 and the GRP® Tour du Fenouillèdes.

(12) Turn right, following the red and white markings. The descent, which starts off gently, becomes steeper with stones that can be very slippery and a fairly steep gradient (averaging 30–40%). You’ll come out onto the D9.

(13) Follow it to the left and return to the junction you passed on the way out.

(2) Head towards the village along the D9 until you reach the original junction.

(1) Continue straight ahead along Rue de La Bartasse (GR®), take the^first right onto Promenade des Basses and reach the D117. First turn right then left to return to the tourist office car park (S/E).

Hike suitable for experienced walkers with a head for heights.

(11) Hut that can be used as a shelter: tables and chairs.