A paved narrow bumpy road to Château de Quéribus
Perched high up on a rocky hill, Château de Quéribus is a ruined castle in the commune of Cucugnan in the Aude département, in the Occitanie region of France.
The road to the castle, sometimes regarded as the last Cathar stronghold, is paved but pretty narrow, bumpy and very steep, with sections up to 16.4%. You can drive almost to the castle (the road ends at 614m above the sea level on a big parking lot) walking just the last few hundred meters.
Starting from Cucugnan, the road to the parking lot is 3.3 km long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 316 meters. The average gradient is 9.57%. Located up in the mountain, the summit is very windy. Quéribus is high and isolated. It stands on top of the highest peak for miles around. From a distance it can be seen on the horizon, sticking up into the sky. It is accessible to visitors. The entrance to the castle itself is very steep and narrow – a defensive measure.