The Galamus Gorges via Cucugnan

Start from the car park at Place Pierre Mendès France, at the end of Rue Gilbert Brutus.

(S/E) Leave the housing estate and follow Rue Gilbert Brutus. At the next junction, turn left, then go straight on until you reach the end of Avenue de la République. Turn right onto the D619 and you will soon reach the junction with the D117.

(1) Cross it and continue straight ahead towards the Gorges de Galamus. At Place de la République, by the fountain, turn left onto Rue Léonce Rives, then left again onto Rue de l’Aude. Cross the railway line and turn left, heading towards the Gorges de Galamus. Leave the village and follow the D7, passing the microlight base, then head uphill for about 4 km, with varying degrees of incline. Ignore the first car park on the left and head for the next one, just after passing through a small tunnel.

(2) A lovely view of the Ermitage Saint-Antoine de Galamus, which seems to cling to the mountainside. There is a chapel in a cave, a magnificent statue of Christ and a reconstruction of the Grotto of Lourdes. The entrance is through a tunnel where an inscription in Occitan can be read; a sign before the tunnel translates the text. You can still see the marks left by the pickaxes. Continue along the narrow road with caution, cross the gorges and head for Cubières-sur-Cinoble. Do not stop to look down into the gorges. *

(3) At the junction, turn right onto the D14, towards Soulatgé and Château de Peyrepertuse. Follow this road, which is very undulating and alternates between meadows and woodland, to the village of Soulatgé.

(4) Drive through the village and carry on straight ahead on the D14, towards Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse. Pass the Col de Grès and you’ll soon reach a viewpoint overlooking the Château de Peyrepertuse, built on a rocky outcrop, on your right.

(5) Carry on along the D14, pass through Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse and continue along this departmental road until you reach a viewpoint overlooking the village of Cucugnan. Beloved by Alphonse Daudet, the village is perched on a hill; inside the church stands a rather rare statue of the Virgin Mary with Child, whilst the Château de Quéribus stands on its rocky outcrop. Reach the junction with the D123.

(6) Turn right onto it, heading towards Maury. After a lovely little climb, you’ll reach the access road to Quéribus Castle. There’s a stunning panoramic view of the Pyrenees and the Canigou massif, as well as the village of Maury, down below in the plain.

(7) Now continue along the D19, taking care on the descent. In Maury, stay on the D19 until you reach the bottom of the hill.

(8) Turn right onto the D117, towards Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet.

(9) At the roundabout at the entrance to Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, continue straight on along the D117 and, when you reach the square, turn left onto Boulevard Pierre Bascou to quickly reach Place Pierre Mendès France (S/E).

Please note: these are narrow country roads . Keep well to the right and drive in single file through the Galamus Gorges: visibility is very limited and there is a risk of vehicles meeting head-on.
>Operation Galamus Gorges.
>The somewhat tricky journey through the site could take up to three hours (instead of 10 minutes) due to its narrowness. Faced with this situation, the municipalities of Cubières-sur-Cinoble and Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet decided, with the support of the two departments, to introduce an alternating traffic system for walkers.

The scheme

This scheme is in place from 5 July to 31 August, seven days a week from 11.00 to 18.00. With a maximum wait of 13 minutes, you’ll be able to cross the Gorges de Galamus at your leisure.

* Stopping is prohibited in the Gorges! During this period

Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet.
The museum, the Chapter House and the 11th-century church.

The Galamus Gorges.
Peyrepertuse and Quéribus Castles, as well as the villages of Cucugnan – with its renowned bakery – and Maury.