알류‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪4‬개의 천연기념물

Steady and tough climb from the Col de Portel. 360° panorama at the summit on the cross-border massif and the Valier, magnificent. Superb grassy descent then in the undergrowth afterwards.

Couserans is a Gascon country of mountains, hills, meadows, lakes, waterfalls and forests which is entirely part of the Pyrénées Ariégeoises Regional Natural Park. Among its 18 valleys located at the foot of the majestic Mount Valier, some remained landlocked until the recent past, which allowed them to maintain their own identity, such as the Bethmale valley. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was an overpopulated country whose small agricultural plots did not allow families to live, which is why the inhabitants had to show a lot of imagination to find survival activities. This is how some became “bear handlers”, peddlers of vanilla, fake stone, ice. Others became itinerant “raw distillers” or gold prospectors.

The climb is on an off-center road, so little traffic. The ascent is partly in the shade and offers some breathtaking landscapes during certain turns!

On wet ground, I found it complicated to manage the roots, the grease and the leaves 😕 On the descent, the lower pins the ice would not have been worse 🥴. Afterwards, I'm used to riding in the gravel of the South East, I'm not yet impregnated with the Ariegois terrain 🤣

Nice climb on bitumen from Castelnau-Durban to reach Balès and a magnificent and balaise (steep) grassy track to join the forest of the Col de la Rille. Passage to the Croix d'Esplats, characteristic for its pink marble base. Be careful, the Tour de la Crie hiking trail is very stony and requires a few pushes… You can avoid it by staying on the road but you go down to go back up.