Gorges de Rebenty, a balcony road in France
Gorges de Rebenty is a very scenic canyon located in the department of Aude, region Languedoc-Roussillon, in southern France. The drive is very lovely but can also be very challenging if you are driving. It’s one of the famous French balcony roads.
Located up the valley of the Rebenty, the tiny road through woods is totally paved, but very narrow. It’s called D107. Along the way you’ll have to face many sections too narrow for cars to pass and a strong chance you will need to reverse around a blind corner on a narrow road. The most treacherous, narrowest and deepest part of the drive is a short section known as Défilé d'Adouxes. It’s 2.4 km long, running from the town of La Fajolle towards Mérial. Walking and cycling are recommended because the road will require much of your attention, and you will see less of the scenery from the car window.
It is one of the most famous balcony roads in the country. A balcony road is a hair-raising lane cut into the sides of sheer cliffs. It’s a kind of road not for those who fear heights. There is little room for error on these roads. It’s normal for your palms to sweat looking at those photos, imagine what it must have been like before the barriers. It runs as a single track road along the mountainside for some distance with nowhere to pass another vehicle. Here one says a prayer that nobody is coming towards you until the road widens some kilometres further.