Upper Aude: Rafting the Pierre-Lys Gorges, Rennes-le-Château and Puivert
Occitanie, France
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300
XP
+100 France
= 400 total
2 days
Upper Aude: Rafting the Pierre-Lys Gorges, Rennes-le-Château and Puivert
300 + 100 XP
Above Quillan the Aude runs white through the limestone gorges of Saint-Georges and Pierre-Lys, and rafts run it from Axat. On a spur to the east, the priest Bérenger Saunière spent the 1900s building a villa, a garden, a greenhouse, a terrace and a small mock-medieval tower beside his church at Rennes-le-Château — money no one has ever accounted for, though no treasure has ever been shown to exist and the only proven sources were a traffic in masses and the robbing of village graves. West of Quillan, the keep of Puivert holds a vaulted chamber whose corbels carry eight carved musicians.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Raft the Aude with a guide on the 13km run through the gorges of Saint-Georges and Pierre-Lys, about three hours
2
of 5
Walk Saunière's domain at Rennes-le-Château and out onto his terrace, where on a clear day the snowy Ariège Pyrenees show up as far as the pic de Thoumasset, then go into the church and find the dalle des chevaliers, under which he dug up a pierced skull in 1895 that turned out to belong to a man of fifty who died between 1281 and 1396
3
of 5
Climb the four floors of Puivert's keep to the salle des Musiciens and find the eight figures carved on the corbels of the rib vault — bagpipe, flute, tambourine, rebec, lute, gittern, portative organ, psaltery and bowed vielle — then go on up to the defensive platform for the view over the Quercorb
4
of 5
See the reconstructed medieval instruments in the Musée du Quercorb at Puivert
5
of 5
Cross the 3,200 m2 of Puivert's bailey to the keep, 15 m square and 32 m high and dated to 1310, and on the way up look into the 14th-century chapel to find the Virgin and Child and Saint Michael killing the dragon on its keystone
Raft the Aude with a guide on the 13km run through the gorges of Saint-Georges and Pierre-Lys, about three hours
Walk Saunière's domain at Rennes-le-Château and out onto his terrace, where on a clear day the snowy Ariège Pyrenees show up as far as the pic de Thoumasset, then go into the church and find the dalle des chevaliers, under which he dug up a pierced skull in 1895 that turned out to belong to a man of fifty who died between 1281 and 1396
Climb the four floors of Puivert's keep to the salle des Musiciens and find the eight figures carved on the corbels of the rib vault — bagpipe, flute, tambourine, rebec, lute, gittern, portative organ, psaltery and bowed vielle — then go on up to the defensive platform for the view over the Quercorb
See the reconstructed medieval instruments in the Musée du Quercorb at Puivert
Cross the 3,200 m2 of Puivert's bailey to the keep, 15 m square and 32 m high and dated to 1310, and on the way up look into the 14th-century chapel to find the Virgin and Child and Saint Michael killing the dragon on its keystone
Before you go
The Aude is a snowmelt river and the rafting season runs with the water, strongest in spring; book with a licensed outfitter at Axat and expect wetsuits and a minimum age. The Musée du Quercorb at Puivert shows the reconstructed instruments from the keep's carvings, including a bagpipe rebuilt in 2010, so do it after the castle rather than before.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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