The Gorges de Galamus (66), jewel of the Corbières-Fenouillèdes Regional Natural Park by Hilke Maunder

About "The Gorges de Galamus (66), jewel of the Corbières-Fenouillèdes Regional Natural Park"

by Hilke Maunder

About the artwork

The young river Agly, which takes its sources at Pech du Bugarach on the slopes of the highest peak in the Corbières, has carved hundreds of metres into the rock in the Gorges de Galamus above Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (66), creating spectacular gorges with pools, waterfalls and huge boulders in the river. Holm oak, boxwood, juniper and rosemary cling to the steep slopes. Bonelli's eagle and griffon vulture circle in the sky. A wilderness for hiking, canyoning and swimming that is the jewel in the crown of the new Corbières-Fenouillèdes Regional Nature Park. The Gorges de Galamus are a stop-off point on the 250-kilometre-long Sentier de Cathare, which links Port-la-Nouvelle to Foix. Shorter hiking trails to and through the gorges begin at Cubières-sur-Cinoble and Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet. For many, the gorge is at its most beautiful in late September and October, when the foliage colour of the Central European trees, which otherwise stand out little in the vegetation, sets golden accents against the dark, Mediterranean permanent green. Then the hustle and bustle disappears and the gorge becomes a magical place where the rocky peaks are reflected in pools that remain refreshing even in summer. And the Agly gurgles softly, sometimes blue-green, sometimes sky-blue. Then the world is silent and time seems relative. The magic of the Gorges du Galamus is palpable.