I knew I had about 100km to do today (102.85 to be precise), and there was a bit of climbing involved as well (a total rise of 2359m, including a category 1 climb - Col de Jau. It was part of the Tour de France after all!). So I had an early breakfast, bade farewell to Hazel and got on the road. Yesterday afternoon there had been a little drizzle, but this morning it was dry, but also very cold! On the first section to Limoux there was a bit of mist, and I was wearing all my gear to keep warm. Limoux looked like a very pleasant town, and from there I criss-crossed along the valley of the Aude to Quillan, then followed the D117 through the stunning narrow Gorges de la Pierre-Lys to Axat, where I stopped for lunch in 'Le Central' snack bar at the South end of the town, overlooking (or perhaps overhanging?) the river. Outdoor sports are a feature of this area, and there were lots of billboards advertising canoeing, white water rafting etc.

After Axat, there was another even more stunning Gorge, The Gorges de Saint George (featured on my YouTube summary). The road here is cut into the rock face, with sections of rock overhanging the road, so presumably high sided vehicles are banned. Shortly after this the road, which had been rising very gently most of the way, really started to kick up. At the 60km mark I left the River Aude and the D118 and headed left on the D17 then the D84, up the River L'Aiguette. This was quite a stuggle with the loaded panniers, and it was now a warm sunny day. I stopped at one point to move a rock off the road. I got an appreciative wave from a car driver, and it afforded me a little rest! Eventually, after about 20km of climbing along twisting forested roads, with an average gradient of 6% (max 17%), I arrived at the bare summit of the Col de Jau, at 1505m, so quite a bit higher than Ben Nevis! At the summit 'Menteur Cornut' had been painted on the road. Presumable M. Cornut was a local polititian?

I hung around at the top for a while drinking in the view (and some water), then it was great to wheech down the other side to Catllar, thus completing my circuit of the Pyrenees. I arrived at my friends' house at 17:00, and celebrated with a bottle of champers!