The Col de Quitou, Trilla and the Col de Saint-Jean from Pézilla-de-Conflent

From Perpignan, take the dual carriageway (N116) towards Andorra. Take the first exit towards Ille-sur-Têt. Follow signs for Sournia via the D2. Drive through Ille, cross the dual carriageway and the River Têt. Continue towards Montalba-le-Château and Trévillach, heading for Sournia. At a junction, turn sharp right onto the D619 towards Pézilla-de-Conflent.
At the entrance to the village, before crossing the Desix, park on the right, or a little further along the old road.

Yellow markings

(S/E) From the suggested car park, head right along the old road towards the east, on the right bank of the Desix. Pass the other car park area. You’ll reach a junction at a track blocked by a barrier on the left.

(1) Climb to the right along the old road, leaving the track and the barrier behind. You will reach another fork.

(2) Leave the tarmac and take the track on the left. Climb and, much further on, at the small pass, ignore the two side tracks to the left and right. Continue along the track for about 250 m and cross a gully in a tight bend in the track, then continue for about 50 m.
Please note: the track has been re-marked by the DFCI, so the start of the path is not very visible.

(3) Turn right, climbing up a stony path that leads to the Col de Quitou. Beautiful scenery.

(4) At the pass, formed by the junction of the tracks and the path, cross over to descend opposite onto the DFCI track. Pass a cistern on your right and reach an S-bend.
Take care: do not continue down.

(5) Turn right onto the level path. A very scenic walk along a balcony path. Cross the Ravin de la Devèse and climb back up to rejoin a road at a sharp bend, at the entrance to Trilla. Continue left and reach the Church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption and the town hall. Let the^{GRP® trail} pass by on the left.

(6) Continue straight on for 50 m, until you reach the hiking signposts, then climb to the right heading due south towards the castle hill; further up, take a 20 m detour to the three orientation tables. Stunning 360° panoramic views. Continue south-east then south-west, skirting a vineyard. At its southern end, turn right for 50 m and reach a crossroads of tracks.
Take care: there are no signposts. Do not rely on the IGN map, which is inaccurate at this point.
Do not go down into the valley or stay on the hillside. In this specific case, it is still possible to rejoin the^GRP® by turning right after 200 m (old route).

Yellow + Red and Yellow markings of the^GRP® Tour des Fenouillèdes

(7) Head left, following the GRP® along the old path linking Vinça to Trilla. Here too, the IGN map is inaccurate. After about 600 m, pass a track on the right. A little further up, leave the steep path straight ahead and turn left into the forest onto the lovely^GRP® which winds its way up. Reach an open area and head left along the^GRP® to reach a large bend forming a junction of tracks and paths.

(8) You can continue straight on to the right to shorten this walk.
Lovely view. Continue due south along the^GRP® on the track until you reach another track at the Col de Saint-Jean.

(9) From this pass, there are two options:
- simply turn back and return to the previous large crossroads.
- continue along the^GRP® downhill to enjoy the scenery and have a bite to eat.

(10) Retrace your steps uphill to cross the Col de Saint-Jean again and return to the previous major junction.

Yellow and Red + Yellow markings
‘'The maps do not show the well-marked^GRP® trail that you should follow''.

(8) Turn left onto the track leading downwards. 200 m further down, ignore the track on the right leading down to Trilla.
Continue for 300 m, opposite, along the other track. Take care: you will need to leave the track.

(11) Head up to the left through the forest, still following the yellow and red markings along the old path from Pézilla to Trévillach. Very soon the path descends to rejoin the track further down; follow it to the left until you reach a large bend at the Col de Peyré at an elevation of 538 metres. Take care: you will need to leave the track.
The signpost has been destroyed, but there is a cairn.

(12) Head left, descending along a very beautiful path offering lovely views.
Further down, you’ll come to the relay mast. Turn right and return to the junction from the outward journey.

(2) Turn left, leaving the track and the barrier on your right, and further down you will reach the car park (S/E).

Toilets and water available in Trilla near the wash house next to the church. Water available at the Pézilla cemetery or the tennis club in summer.
No shelters identified apart from the wash house in Trilla.

This is a mid-mountain area. You will need: rain gear, water, a packed lunch, GPX track, route description, map, GPS or Visorando app, camera, good walking boots, a walking stick.

Hike completed on Sunday 28 November 2021, inspired by an article in L’Indépendant dated 24 October 2021.

Information following a comment from a visitor:

This hike is called "mémoire villageoise" (the sign at the start tells us this). The Agly-Fenouilledes local authority maintains it, marks the route and puts up signage, just as it does for the 32 other hikes found at: http://www.cc-aglyfenouilledes.fr/touris...

Fenouillèdes – Pézilla-de-Conflent
Fenouillèdes - Trilla

^GRP® Tour des Fenouillèdes

Excerpt from the article in L’Indépendant dated 24 October 2021:

The façade of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption has a render made from fragments of tiles. Also worth noting are the ‘génoises’ (painted tiles) decorated with a triangle beneath the eaves.