Quillan occupies the centre of a huge cirque as you enter the upper Aude valley. It is an industrial capital due to its production of hats, shoes and Formica. The castle, forges, sawmills and grand bourgeois homes speak of its past wealth.

Aude valley and gorges

Pierre-Lys gorges and the Trou du curé	The upper Aude valley is covered in woodland, with beech, pine, Scots pine and white oak trees. It is one of the most diversified of the main Pyrenean valleys, sheltering gorges and narrow passages. Along its narrowest part, the road and river share a valley just 10 metres across at the foot of rocky cliffs towering 300 metres high!

As you follow the Aude river along, stop off at the following three places: the Pierre-Lys gorges, the Dinosaur museum at Espéraza and the archaeological digs at Campagne-sur-Aude, most productive site of dinosaur bones in Europe.

Sault plateau

		Standing at an altitude of between 800 and 1,200 metres west of Quillan, Sault is an immense limestone plateau in the midst of the Aude Pyrenees. Accessible only by steep-sided gorges, it has lived its own life since time immemorial. Sault dwellers still exploit the resources their forefathers did -the omnipresent forest, sheep and cattle- but is slowly opening up to tourism. The thick woodland is home to various animals easy to spot: stags, wild boar and, further up, marmots and izards.

	Practical tips