The Cerdagne, Pyrenees Oriental
The Cerdagne is the high plateau between Font-Romeu and Saillagouse. The countryside is covered with grassy meadows and animals have been raised here for centuries.
Font-Romeu is mainly a ski village and has lots of rented accommodation. Originally the village was centred around a hermitage which is now a littel way outside the centre. The hermitage has superb baroque reredos.
Odeillo is close by along the track of the yellow train. It is well known for its .
As you carry along the D618 you pass by Targasonne with its heavily eroded and jumbled landscape.
Angoustrine is next with its own granite church and this is followed by Dorres with its open air hot water spa.
Bourg-Madame is a former border post, and nearby is the hamlet of Hix.
The Cerdagne was originally the home of the Ceretani and became famous for charcuterie. With its altitude and being surrounded by mountains it inevitably became a place of political refuge and independence. In the middle of the 9th century there were already 84 parishes in teh Cerdagne.Byu the 10th century there were Counts who ruled the valleys to the North and East.
After the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 it finally became French.
The Cerdagne is a great boat shaped depression with meadows. The French part, to the north east is 12 miles from end to end and approx 4 miles across. It is the bed of an ancient lake.
The river running through the Cerdagne is the Segre which flows into Spain.
If you come into the Cerdagne from the west ( La Tour de Carol) the road divides north and south. The northern side is called the Soulane or sunny side. The Southern or shady side is the Ombree.
The Soulane has a great reputation for many days of sunshine....even as many as Algiers. This along with the dry air helped the reputation and establishment of Font-Romeu which is at 6000 feet altitude. Historically Font Romeu was a centre for pilgrims and its nam emeans the fountain of the pilgrims. They came to see a wooden statue of the virgin which was lost when the arabs invaded during the middle ages but was then rediscovered near the fountain by a bull!
Modern Font Romeu began as a hotel when the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Midi built the enormous Grand Hotel overlooking the valley.
At the eastern end of the plane is the church at Planes. The church has a very unusual layout. It is a domed circular structure within an equilateral triangle with 3 semi circular half domed apses built on the triangles 3 sides. This gives it an air of a muslim mosque and there are legends to match.
Holiday house for rent in Carcassonne
The picture below is of typical meadows and is taken from on board the yellow train looking towards font romeu.
colin corlett