A day in the hills

There aren't many roads in the Corbières and round about that we haven't used, but we found a couple
yesterday.  The main reason for the trip out was to go up to the Col de Pailhères (Ariège), a regular venue for the Tour de France, since the road rises to 2001 metres.  Starting from Ax-les-Termes (as we did yesterday) the climb is over 1000m.  I just can't imagine how a human body is capable of such exertion - I was tired enough driving it, with power steering and an automatic gearbox, and I was noticeably short of breath in the thin air at the top!

Col or Port de Pailhères, sheep and Haflingers

 To get there, we went up from Quillan and across the Plateau de Sault, which was at its most beautiful in the

clear air and sunshine, stopping for our sandwiches at the cross-country skiing centre at the Col de Chioula (a mere 1431m).  A herd of cows and calves was grazing in  the field nearby so we were serenaded by cow bells as we and they chomped our respective lunches.  The Col is pretty popular with bikers, many of whom leave club stickers on the sign!  It's also a favourite of ours, since the views of the mountains from the top are so fine.

Ever the intrepid navigator, Martyn chose an Interesting Road through the Fenouillède and up over the hills towards Bugarach.  Unfortunately, in Cubières-sur-Cinoble we acquired a slow and dithery driver in front of us (she had insisted on her priorité à droite) so Mr Navigator found yet another Interesting Road over to Laroque de Fa.  So, wot wiv the hairpins up and down the Plateau de Sault, the spectacular Pailhères road

and the two Interesting Roads in the Corbières, one's biceps got something of a work-out.  But the route did give us a chance to look at the south side of the Pic de Bugarach, which we usually admire from the north side near Bouisse.  The highest mountain in the Corbières, at 1230m, it's also known as the upside-down mountain, since the top is older than the bottom, having been heaved over when the Pyrenees were formed.

Not content with all this geology, we passed nearby a couple of Cathar castles we hadn't seen before, at Usson and Puilaurens. I'll see how I feel about them next time I have a canvas in front of me: Usson is semi-derelict and craggy; Puilaurens looks altogether quite well maintained, though in what state of authenticity, I know not.  Some odd things have been done to historic sites over the years: Carcassonne is a fine example: those conical roofs that give it its unique appearance date only from the 19th century.

One meets some hair-raising (or in my case, scalp-tingling) driving hereabouts.  This week's cactus goes to the young man in the burgundy Clio in Trèbes.  As he waited to turn left across the traffic at one of the most dangerous road junctions in France (which is not short of the same, goodness knows...) he was nattering away on a fluorescent yellow hand-held mobile phone.  A little later, he hurtled past us, at about 90 (in a 50 limit zone), crossing a solid line in the process, and of course still talking on his mobile.  I think it's the brazenness of it that shocks, as much as the lunatic risk-taking.  As I think I've observed before, there's never a gendarme around when you need one.