The Alaric ridges from the Col du Fer à Cheval

Park in the gravel car park at Fer à Cheval, on the edge of the RD57.

(S/E) Carefully join the RD57, following the GR®36 trail for 400 m.

(1) Before a hairpin bend, leave the GR®36 on your left and continue carefully along the road. Continue down the side of the road until you reach the entrance to Réquy.

(2) Turn right onto the road that crosses the hamlet and continue along the small dead-end road towards the Roquenégade wine estate. When you reach the estate after one kilometre, leave it on your left and continue along the track that climbs for about 300 m.

(3) At the fork, take the track on the right uphill on the GR®36 variant towards Miramont (sign). Continue to the pass.

(4) Continue straight ahead on a track towards the Prieuré Saint-Jean. The track turns into a single track and leads to the ruins of the priory.

(5) Cross the remains of the building (two walls and a large table) and head right into the undergrowth on a path that leads to the foot of a limestone ridge, evidence of an anticline fold. Follow the GR®36 trail, tackling the steep climb straight ahead over the rocks to reach the foot of a beautiful limestone rock formation (shelter). Walk along the foot of the rock and cross it, following the path on the right which leads to the plateau: 360° panorama.

(6) Continue along the plateau and begin the steep climb up Le Cachoche. At the summit (large cairn), admire the view of the Corbières and the Pyrenees, and through the vegetation, the Carcassonne plain and the Montagne Noire. Continue on the GR® trail towards the east.

(7) You can take a short detour by following the yellow markings to reach an information panel a short distance away. Return to the GR® by retracing your steps and resume the route on the path that disappears into the vegetation and descends, more or less following a valley.

(8) At this crossroads, continue to the right on the GR® which continues to descend and rejoins the starting point (S/E).

Follow the red and white markings of the GR® from the start (S/E) to (1), then after (5) to the finish (S/E). From (3) to (5), follow the yellow markings.

(S/E) Alternative: to reduce the paved section at the start and be safer, walk back 20 metres along the trail in the opposite direction and turn left onto a poorly marked black path. Follow it downhill to the D57.

(7) Alternative: continue on the path that joins the GR® a little further on. Not tested, follow the yellow markings of the geological trail.

There is no water on the trail and little shade. Check the weather forecast before setting off:

• the wind (Autan or Tramontane) can blow very strongly on the ridges: there is no risk of sliding down slopes or vertigo, but it can make hiking difficult with a headwind.
• In summer, the massif may be inadvisable or prohibited depending on the level of fire risk. Check the Aude prefecture website for information: https://www.risque-prevention-incendie.fr/aude/

Several panels (between A2 and A1 size) present topics related to the Alaric massif: geology, pastoralism, flora, birdlife, etc.

Panoramic view of the Corbières and the Pyrenees.

Roquenégade wine estate: tours of the cellar are available depending on the time, day and season. The estate is 3.5 km from the starting point and can be reached by car if you want to buy bottles after the hike.