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THE CORBIERES & THE
PYRENEES
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The Corbieres are an extension of the Pyrenees, and connect
them to the Cevennes Mountains. The highest point is 1231 m.
The Corbieres are well wooded, with wild gorges, and majestic
mountains, and there are many hidden villages.
Castles and
religious buildings abound here, and one of the best
preserved is the Abbey of Sainte Marie d'Orbieu in the
village of Lagrasse.
 You will find many gorges, and one of the best known is the
Gorge de Galamus, a short gorge, but with extremely steep
sides, where the road in places, has been cut into the side of
the cliffs.
There are vast areas of vineyards in this region, producing
fruity wines rich in alcohol. The best wines coming from
around the villages of Tuchan, and Lezignan Corbieres
There are many remains of the
Cathar wars in this region,
with some of the most inhospitable castles nearer to the
Pyrenees.
In Villerouge Termenes, the last cathar parfait, Guillaume Belibaste,
was brought to trial by the Inquisition, and burned at
the stake in the year 1321. This was the final destruction
of catharism in the Languedoc.
On arrival at the Pyrenean end of the Corbieres, you will
find many fruit farms. Because of the mild climate, these
provide the first crops of fruit in France.
If you decide to take the direction of Andorra you will pass
through the town of Prades, famous for its classical
concerts, and opera. This is almost the Glyndebourne of
France.
The
Pyrenees
Arguably the best way to enter this part of the Pyrenees, is
to drive from Perpignan, in the direction of Andorra.
Generally, this valley runs parallel to
the valley to the Vallespir valley,
but is much longer, and with many more things to see for the
visitor.
Mont Canigou, at 3000m, can be seen towering over the
countryside from all directions, and the peak is snow
covered for much of the year. There are special excursions
by 4 wheel drive vehicles to its summit. The route is
difficult, the ascent is arduous, and requires a whole
day. On a clear day the views from its peak are superb. The
peak has been the sight of many sporting feats, including an
ascent by bicycle in 1901, and horseback in 1907, when a
police lieutenant rode to the summit without setting foot on
the ground.
Mount Canigou, 2784m high,
lies about 10km south of Prades, and for the locals, more
than just a mountain - it is considered to be the spiritual
h ome of Catalonia, and Catalans from across both the French
Catalan, and Spanish Catalonia regions, gather here for the
summer solstice. When they gather on the summit, and light a
huge bonfire at midnight.
Many people hike on the mountain, starting from either
Prades or Vernet-les-Bains. It is best to make the
ascent on foot in summer, leaving early in the morning, to avoid the heat.
If you’d prefer to sit down whilst seeing the view, then
there are 4x4 trips from Prades.
Prades
Situated at the confluent
of several rivers, and the base of the Canigou mountain, Prades enjoys many hours of sunshine. In Spring it is awash
with the colour of the peach blossom. This area being one of
the biggest of France's fruit growing areas.
It was this setting, that inspired Pablo Casals,
the world famous cellist
to choose Prades as his second homeland. It was in
1950 as a commemoration of the Bicentenary of Bach’s death,
that Casals created the first Prades Festival of
Chamber Music. Since then,
this famous composer and
musician is honoured, every summer, when the
renowned Pablo Casals
Festival of Chamber Music takes place at the Abbey
of St Michel de Cuixa.
The
town, and its surroundings are in a natural setting, ideal
for hiking, and discovering the nearby Mount Canigou.
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Shortly after Prades, is the walled town of
Villefranche-de-Conflent. This beautiful walled town probably looks much the
same as it has done for hundreds of years. Constructed by
Vauban, this fortress was built to protect against Spanish
invasions.
It is very busy with tourists in peak season, but it’s
worth taking a stroll through its historical streets, and
squares. Nearby there are several caves open to visitors,
the most spectacular of which are the Grottes des Grandes
Canalettes, about 1km south of the town, and open between
April and October. Villefranche is the start point for the
“little yellow train” that winds its way up to Le Tour de
Carol, a distance of 63km. The train runs throughout the
year, but its greatest use is by tourists.
The Little Yellow train (Train Jaune)
The Yellow train (Train Jaune (Tren Groc in Catalan), running on narrow gauge track, consists of
both closed carriages, and open trucks, with wooden seating.
The closed carriages have reasonably comfortable seating, and
a balcony at either end, that enables you to stand on the
outside for photography.
Be warned, the temptation to travel in the open
carriages is high during the summer months, but remember, the
sun, in the clear Pyreneen air, can burn severely, and there
are no connections between the carriages to enable you to
escape the sun once the train is in motion.
The Litle Yellow train is an extension of the main line
service from Perpignan to Villefranche les Bains, and again
at La-Tour-de-Carol, there is a connection to the SNCF main
line, service to Toulouse.
On June 9, 1883, a convention called for the building of
this line, and the building started in 1903. The fist
section of the line, from Villefranche to Mont Louis, was
opened on July, 2nd, 1910, and at the end of June 1911, the
line reached Bourg Madame. The last section to La Tour, was
finished in August 1927 and established a link with the
Transpyrénéen line to Spain.
The 63 km (about 40 miles) length of railway, is the highest
in France. Bolquère Eune is the highest station with an
altitude of 1592 meters. Over 30 km (about 18 miles) of the
track is above 1165 meters with slopes of 60 mm/m
(approximately 2 feet per yard).
The whole length of the line is picturesque, but irregular.
It required the construction of 650 civil engineering works
of all kinds, including the driving of 19 tunnels, the
erection of 2 bridges.
The Séjourné Viaduct constructed entirely in granite, is 65
meters high (60 yards), 230 meters long (250 yards) and is
composed of a main arch of 30 meters wide, supporting 16
smaller arches in the Gothic style, above the Têt River.
The Gisclard bridge, built between 1905 and 1908, was
considered at the time, to be a technical innovation. It has
a central span of 156 m between two piers and two half spans
of 39 m. Its deck has a slope of 6% and is 80 m high. The 32
m high piers support pylons of 30 m. At the top of the
pylons are fixed retaining cables.
Theses cables are in turn fixed into the mountain. It was
the first bridge of a new generation that solved the load
bearing problems the railways were having. Albert GISCLARD,
a mathematician and engineer born in Nîmes, was the designer
of this new concept. Unfortunately he was killed on October
31st, 1909 during an
official test ride across the bridge. His train was not yet
equipped with the electric braking system, chosen for this
line. The train carrying him ran out of control, and plunged
450 meters to the rocky mountains below.
Since this tragedy, no other incidents have occurred.
If you take the train as far as far as Font-Romeu - Odeillo (35km. and
about 1h. 40m. from the start) you can walk to the site of the Solar Furnace
(the largest in the world) and about 1km from the station.
To travel on the Little Yellow Train is a wonderful
experience. You will enjoy a fascinating trip, taking you
through changing landscapes, from luxurious greenery, to
steep rocky valleys passing near to Mount Canigou, Cambre
d'Aze, Carlit, Puigmal and the Serra del Cadí. You will
discover the sumptuous scenic beauty of this region of
France.
Mont Louis
Mont Louis, at 1600m above
sea level claims to be the highest fortified town in France.
The town of Mont Louis which stands within the fortress is
not large.
The fortress of
Mont Louis survives almost intact, and
houses the barracks for the 10th Commando Regiment of
the French Army. Guerrilla warfare training takes
place there, and the military are very much in evidence -
there are scramble nets over the ramparts in places, and on
some days on the surrounding peaks you can hear the sound of
gunfire, and other explosions.
Mont Louis is also known for housing the first 'solar oven',
This is a large surface of mirrors that focus the suns rays
to a central point, that develops intense heat. On it's other
side, Mont Louis is probably the first of the skiing sites
on the Pyrenees when coming from the direction of the
Mediterranean.
Bourg-Madameis situated
on the border with Spain, and across the Spanish border
it becomes the town of Puigcerda. It is near the Spanish
enclave of Llivia. The municipality of Llivia has a total
population of 1,388 (2007), and is separated from the rest
of Spain by a corridor about 2 km wide. In 1659, under the
Treaty of the Pyrenees, Spain ceded the areas of Roussillon,
Conflent, Capcir, Vallespir, and northern Cerdanya ("Cerdagne")
to the French crown. Llívia did not become part of the
French kingdom, as the treaty stipulated that only villages
were to be ceded to France. Llívia was considered to be
a city, due to its status as the ancient capital of Cerdanya
and therefore remained in Spain.
Bourg Madame itself is a tourist town, and is a good spot to
stop, when travelling on the Little Yellow Train, as there
are many restaurants, and shops available.
If you decide to continue to the end of the line at la Tour
du Carol there is very little there to pass the time, whilst
waiting for the train to take you back to Villefranche.
Font-Romeu / Pyrénées 2000 (alt : 1800m)
Originally nothing but a small cluster of chalets,
Font Romeu flourished as a result of the
arrival
of the Petit Train Jaune in 1908, followed in 1911 by the building of the
fashionable and luxurious Grand Hôtel, frequented by royalty and the rich and
famous from all over the world during the 1920s and 30s. The Grand Hotel still
dominates the town but is now split into apartments.
Developed as a
ski resort as early as 1921, the linked ski area of Font-Romeu
and Pyrenees 2000 is the largest artificially covered
ski-area in Europe with 40 ski runs to suit all levels
(downhill and cross-country skiing), 52km of pistes, 80km of
slopes for cross-country skiers and the biggest snow making
machine in the Pyrenees.
Originally
nothing but a small cluster of chalets, Font Romeu
flourished as a result of the arrival of the Petit Train
Jaune in 1908, followed in 1911 by the building of the
fashionable and luxurious Grand hotel, frequented by royalty,
and the rich and famous, from all over the world during the
1920s and 30s.
Worth visiting
amongst other things, is the Chapelle de l’Ermitage built in
the 17th century on the site of a fountain (hence the name
Font Romeu - the pilgrim’s fountain) and Le Grand Hotel
itself. Also in this area is the Four Solaire d’Odeillo, the
biggest solar furnace in the world.
Here there is an exhibition, and a short video (in English
and French) telling the
story of the furnace, which is used for the testing of
materials at high temperatures, by using the focussed rays of
the sun. Outside you can see the giant mirror system
measuring1800 m2, that is used to focus the rays of the sun
to temperatures as high as 3,500 °C
The skiing-Font-Romeu
The combined
area has 26 lifts serving some 53 kms of pistes. There are
36 runs: 11 green; 7 blue; 7 red; and 3 black. Vertical drop
is 563m.
In 1968, it was
chosen as the venue to train French athletes for the Mexico
Olympics and remains the “Centre National d’Entrainement en
Altitude” for athletes of all disciplines to this day.
There are two
ski schools, Ecole du Ski Francaise (ESF) and Ecole de Ski
Internationale (ESI). As well as offering a range of
instruction both ski schools can look after young children
(from age 3) -the ESF in its Jardin d’Enfants “La Marmotte”
and the ESI in ‘Les P’tits Indiens”.
The facilities
for going from total beginner, to your first green/blue run,
are excellent. There are beginners’ areas of progressive
inclines, served by easy drag tows (téléskis) from which you
can move on to a chairlfift - the friendly kind that slows
down for getting on and off (télésiege débrayable).
Alternatively there is also a double drag lift. These lifts
take you to the Gallinera area, from where you can take a
green or a blue slope back to Les Airelles, or blues all the
way down to Pyrénées 2000 - a much longer run.
Don’t forget your snow chains or snow tyres.
They are a legal requirement and the ’gendarmes’ will prevent
you from continuing and very likely dole out an on-the-spot fine if you do not
have suitable security for the snow. Put them on as soon as you see the signs.
For up to date weather and road
conditions call 04 68 38 12 05
or visit
www.i-cerdanya.info
Puymorens
Situated in the
Cerdagne area of the Pyrénées Orientales,
Porté Puymorens is
just a fifteen minute drive from Pas de la Case, the tax
free ’haven’, and purpose built border town, between France
and Andorra. In the not too distant future, it is planned to
link Porté Puymorens with the vast skiing domaine of
Granvalira in Andorra, making it the largest skiing area
in the Pyrenees. For the moment however, Porté Puymorens has
limited accommodation, and facilities although there is
everything you need for a good day’s skiing.
Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig, Andorra
Pas de la
Casa has the biggest ski area, and highest lifts in Andorra. 
Experts
will find little to challenge them, but investment in
artificial snowmaking equipment, coupled with the area's
height, has meant very good snow reliability, and a season
that often stretches into late April.
It lies on
the border, between Andorra and France, and you require a
passport to enter the town as it lies over the border in
Andorra. The
town is better known for its numerous shops, selling
electrica,l and photographic goods at tax free prices,
although the prices reflect more, that the goods are often
last years model. On the approach roads in the summer, there
are often long queues of cars waiting to climb the long
twisting mountain roads, to access the town. On leaving the
town to return into France, more queues form, when the
Customs Officers put on a control to check for contraband.
Andorra is of course a non member of the EU, and therefore
subject to import controls and taxation. |
