MTG1 17 Roundtrip Foix Puivert Montsegur Lavanet
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 18-08-2025
Route Summary We drive along beautiful winding mountain roads with many hairpin bends and through mountain gorges along rivers through the beautiful Ariège region.
This route is worth 4 stars because of the beautiful winding roads, beautiful panoramas, the visit to Château de Montségur and the nice little villages
Share this route 
Animation
Verdict
Duration
7h 31m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
201.44 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review Bert Loorbach, the author, is an avid motorcyclist himself and lived in France for a year and a half. During that time, he dedicated himself to mapping France's lesser-known and beautiful back roads specifically for motorcyclists. Hotels, campsites, sights, parking lots, and restaurants are included as points of interest.
The ride starts in Foix. If you have less time and want to speed up the initial stages, you can take the (four-lane) N20 to Ax-Les-Thermes. This route is very busy in the summer, and we take our time and prefer scenic back roads. So we head south on the D618 to Bompas, where we turn left onto the D20 to Unac. Then, a stretch with many bends leads to Ax-Les-Thermes. Note that these roads are very narrow.
We continue to Quillian via the very winding D25, D118 and D117. This road runs along the Aude River and partly through a mountain gorge, making it a beautiful road to drive and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
From Quillian, we head west again via Puivert, where we stop for lunch, to Montésegur. Along the way, we stop briefly to take a photo at the Fontestorbes spring, one of the ten largest Vaucluse-type springs in France. It resembles a monumental arch that flows into the cliff bordering the Sault Plateau to the north, from which a veritable river, five meters wide, erupts in waterfalls and with a deafening roar.
The next stop is the Château de Montségur. Montségur Castle is known as the Cathars' fortress, perched atop the mountain. In 1204, when Pope Innocent III launched his campaign against the Cathars (which culminated in a crusade in 1209), the Cathars rebuilt the ruins of an old fortress on this mountaintop. This stronghold was declared the nerve center of Catharism in 1232 by the Cathar bishop of Toulouse.
In 1243, Montségur Castle was the main fortress of the Cathars. During the Third Albigensian Crusade, the Crusader army besieged the castle, initially unsuccessfully. Catapults couldn't be used due to the fortress's height, and the view from the top is magnificent. It's about a 30-minute walk from the parking lot to the castle.
Via the Col de Montségur (D9), the D10 and the D1, a beautiful and relaxing route, we drive back to Foix, where you can spend the night in a hotel or at a campsite nearby.
Links 
Usage Want to download this route?
You can download the route for free without MyRoute-app account. To do so, open the route and click 'save as'. Want to edit this route?
No problem, start by opening the route. Follow the tutorial and create your personal MyRoute-app account. After registration, your trial starts automatically. 
Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Nearby routes 
Occitanie
About this region
Occitanie (French pronunciation: [ɔksitani] (listen); Occitan: Occitània [utsiˈtanjɔ]; Catalan: Occitània [uksiˈtaniə]), Occitany or Occitania (), is the southernmost administrative region of metropolitan France excluding Corsica, created on 1 January 2016 from the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. The Council of State approved Occitanie as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, coming into effect on 30 September 2016.The modern administrative region is named after the larger cultural and historical region of Occitania, which corresponds with the southern third of France. The region Occitanie as it is today covers a territory similar to that ruled by the Counts of Toulouse in the 12th and 13th centuries. The banner of arms of the Counts of Toulouse, known colloquially as the Occitan cross, is used by the modern region and is also a popular cultural symbol. In 2015, Occitanie had a population of 5,839,867.
Read more on Wikipedia
View region
Statistics 
78Amount of RX reviews (Occitanie)
27466Amount of visitors (Occitanie)
3952Amount of downloads (Occitanie)
Route Collections in this region 25 Magnificent trails in France
This MRA route collection contains 25 beautiful motorcycle routes in different parts of France, such as the Ardennes, the Alsace, Vercors, the Drôme, the Ardèche, Cote d'Azure, Gorges du Verdon, the Ariège, the Dordogne and Brittany.
The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
View Route Collection
24 Magnificent trails in France
It is clear that France is one of the most beautiful and best touring countries. It offers an incredibly varied landscape with good roads and a pleasant climate. It is not for nothing that you see so many motorcyclists there. My previous collection of 25 routes in France (25 Magnificent routes in France) were based on the route descriptions from the Motortourgids France part 1 made by Bert Loorbach.
This collection of 24 routes comes from Motortourgids France part 2. In this collection, a difference has been made between approach routes and motorcycle tours in a certain area. The approach routes can also be used in combination with the routes from Motortourgids France part 1
The routes are sometimes slightly adjusted based on the tips that Bert Loorbach gives in his description, or because of another place to spend the night, or to reach the minimum length of 2 hours for the MRA Library. For each route, the review contains a more detailed description, including options to stay overnight or places of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a POI and if possible with a short description.
Two or more routes have been created for a number of areas, such as for Burgundy, Auvergne, The Alps, Tarn and Cévennes and Nord-Pas de Calais. These routes can be nicely combined in a multi-day trip.
This collection of 24 routes comes from Motortourgids France part 2. In this collection, a difference has been made between approach routes and motorcycle tours in a certain area. The approach routes can also be used in combination with the routes from Motortourgids France part 1
The routes are sometimes slightly adjusted based on the tips that Bert Loorbach gives in his description, or because of another place to spend the night, or to reach the minimum length of 2 hours for the MRA Library. For each route, the review contains a more detailed description, including options to stay overnight or places of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a POI and if possible with a short description.
Two or more routes have been created for a number of areas, such as for Burgundy, Auvergne, The Alps, Tarn and Cévennes and Nord-Pas de Calais. These routes can be nicely combined in a multi-day trip.
View Route Collection