Les Corbières

The Corbières are a range of hills in southern France, southeast of Carcassonne, which form a transition between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, reaching a height of 1,231m/4,039ft in the Pic de Bugarach, to the east of Quillan. For centuries this was a region of strategic importance as a bulwark of the French kingdom against Spain, its natural strength being reinforced by a string of fortresses - Carcassonne, Puylaurens, Peyrepertuse, Quéribus, Termes and Aguilar. The castles of the early medieval period in this area served as refuges for the Albigensians during the Albigensian war. Since the region is only thinly populated, it is best explored in excursions from Carcassonne, Perpignan or Quillan.

The Mediterranean climate favors the growth of cedars and cypresses as well as firs and oaks.