In Limousis, prehistoric traces in the cave meet hiking trails with different profiles and viewpoints. Possible highlights include a guided cave tour, a short circular trail, a challenging hike or the view over the Aude Valley from Mont Simel.
The Grotte de Limousis and Its Circular Trail
The prehistoric Grotte de Limousis contains numerous remains of cave bears, tools, pottery and Neolithic bones. Scratch marks left by bears can be found on the walls of the first chambers. Visits are guided only and last one hour. The route is more than one kilometre long, passes through seven chambers and leads to two lakes.
This should be distinguished from Le tour de la Grotte de Limousis: this very easy loop is one kilometre long and takes 20 minutes. It starts and ends at the lower cave car park. Signs along the loop cover geology, fauna and flora; a panorama board names the visible peaks. This means there are two different timeframes: a one-hour guided tour and a short hike. The loop’s duration is not the duration of the cave visit.
Hiking with Different Viewpoints
La Combe de la Balboune is a difficult 4.1-kilometre circular hike, with a stated duration of two hours. It follows a small road along the vineyards of Limousis and offers views of the four castles of Lastours: Cabaret, Tour RĂ©gine, Surdespine and Quertinheux. This loop therefore combines specific distance and duration details with views of the named castles.
The Sentier du Bosc Grand offers a different landscape. The trail starts and ends at the car park opposite the Limousis cemetery, reaches the ridge of Mont Simel and offers views over the Aude Valley. The two routes can therefore be distinguished by their viewpoints: the castles of Lastours are in view on the Combe de la Balboune, while the Aude Valley can be seen from Mont Simel. They are not described as one shared loop; they are separate trails with their own starting points.
Winegrowing and Traces of the Past
Limousis winegrowing is now part of the AOC Minervois. Together with the vineyards along the Combe de la Balboune, this gives the subject of winegrowing a concrete connection to the surrounding area. The prehistoric finds in the cave belong to a different period. It was added to the list of sites and natural monuments in 1947; this year refers to the listing, not to the age of the cave finds.
Plan Your Stay Around Your Priorities
If you are looking for a holiday apartment for a stay in Limousis, you can start by weighing up your timeframe and main interests. The short loop at the cave, the one-hour guided tour and the difficult, two-hour Combe de la Balboune each require different amounts of time. When planning a hike, there is another choice to make: the viewpoint, whether the castles of Lastours or the Aude Valley from the ridge of Mont Simel.
Discover more destinations: Ginoles, Albières, Roquetaillade, Laroque-De-Fa, Pomas, Embres-et-Castelmaure, Mazerolles-du-Razès, Brousses-Et-Villaret.
For the main travel overview: Aude.
