When you arrive at the sleepy, pretty village of Roquefixade you will find a well kept area suitable for picnics, there you will enjoy some stunning views looking at snow capped Pyrenees peaks (depending on the time of year) and lush green rolling countryside and woodlands, suitable before or after your visit to the Chateau.
Chateau Roquefixade
At the beginning of your walk you could possibly come across climbers scaling the rock face leading up to the Chateau, on this occasion I met Pauline Gleizes and her climbing partner, Pauline made the assent look surprisingly effortless and fast, it was a pleasure to sit for a while and watch, looking further at the faces of the rock you will notice various climbing articles embedded here and there, indicating that this is a popular climbing point, and with it`s beautiful surroundings, I can see why.
The walk up to the Chateau Roquefixade is well trodden and at times can be a little steep, this climb only requires a medium level of fitness and will take around 25 minutes, giving you time to take in the fantastic surrounding countryside and amazing rock formations.
If you are taking kids along, there are a few points at the last quarter of the walk where you will need to be vigilant, if they are running around there are some steep faces which are only noticeable at the last moment, other than that, they will enjoy the rocky climb and enclosed entrances to the Chateau.
There is little left of the original building, a few existing walls with carved stone windows, if you look closely you will find a few sculpted stones embedded into the building suggesting the existence of grand arches and doorways.
On some of the arched windows within the building you can also notice some interestingly eroded sand stones, sculptured by the elements over many years, some with an almost gargoyle like appearance.
The remains of previous doorways and windows fires the imagination of the views of the high Pyrenees mountain range from within the once complete Chateau.
Chateau Roquefixade is a very pleasant experience and well worth the effort, together with a lazy afternoon picnic, a great way to spend a few hours of your day.
Chateau Roquefixade can be found in the Eastern Pyrenees on the D117 between Lavlenet and Foix.
Editorial and photos by Steve, April 2008
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