Walking route: Verzeille – Pomas – Cornèze – Couffoulens – Leuc – Verzeille

As I am currently staying in Verzeille, this village was the start and finish point of my walk. Excluding a couple of kilometres where I had to walk back on myself, this walk follows a circular route, totalling approximately 15 km.

I passed through 5 different villages on my walk, all of which are small traditional villages of the region: pretty and interesting to have a quick look round, but lacking anything to keep you entertained for any longer. Just nice breaks on a day’s walk.

The stretch between Verzeille and Pomas is pretty but not particularly note-worthy, though there is a charming little side road you can take which crosses the river virtually at water level. I presume it is actually more of a ford when the water is higher. As it was, I could just wander across on foot.

The first vilage, Pomas, 3.5 km south-west of Verzeille, is the largest of the 5 villages, and therefore is complete with a shop, a post office, a ‘cave’ selling cheap local wine, a school, a Mairie, a church, and an old château.

The château is not open to visitors. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem to have been looked after in any way, and it is locked up.  However, I somehow enjoyed peering round the castle more because of this.

Not a lot is known about Pomas’ castle. The first mention of it was written in 1319, when the Lord of the castle was Simon de Goloin. Indeed, much of the castle seems to date back to that period.

To access the castle, you have to cross a rather rickety bridge, which one would be well justified in questioning the safety of. I carefully picked my way across and found myself at the main gate of the castle.

The next village, Cornèze, is 4km north of Pomas. The walk follows a beautiful and virtually deserted little road. On the way, you will see almond trees, vineyards, picturesque hills in the background, and, on a clear day, even the Pyrenees.

The village itself is absolutely tiny, with the narrowest, most cobbly little streets I’ve ever seen in the western world. It is hard to believe that you are in 21st century Europe whilst wandering this village!

Couffoulens, about 3 km north of Cornèze, is a slightly larger village, though still small enough for a small church to be its dominant feature. The river Lauquet, which is a tributary of the Aude, runs through the village, and its banks make for a lovely spot to rest or picnic.

The 3rd stop of my tour, Leuc, is only 2.5 km from Couffoulens, in a south-easterly direction. This stretch of the walk is highly enjoyable whilst you are still following the Lauquet, but becomes slightly uneventful after that until you come to Leuc.

Leuc is a very small village which surrounds the road you will come in on. The wall paintings along the walls by this road, which depict many scenes of everyday village life, are charming, and a true highlight of the village.

Leuc also has a castle, which is used officially for administration purposes, and isn’t open to the general public.

The castle’s gardens however, which are very green (rare in this area!) and pretty, and border the river, are open to all, and even have a car park to make them more accessible.

The last stretch of the journey back to Verzeille is short at only 2.5 km.

This walk is suitable for any level of walker really, as there are very few hills, and they are not steep.

Here is the route plotted on google earth.
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