Walking tours
For experienced hikers and casual strollers alike, for lovers of both flora and fauna, the Aude is a paradise with hundreds of kilometres of marked trails, with no major technical difficulties. With its different "countries" - the Lauragais, the Corbières, the Montagne d'Alaric, the Minervois, the Haute-Vallée de l'Aude and the Montagne Noire - the Aude is home to a great diversity of landscapes. Some trails are accessible on foot, of course, but also on horseback, bicycle or mountain bike. On the Aude.fr website, it is possible to download a map of hiking routes.
Bike rides, bicycle touring and mountain biking
Bicycle enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice: loops, maps, signposted circuits, accessible circuits, themed circuits "Between vineyards and mills", "Pechs and Plats", "Col de Mairolles", "From the land of shepherds to the land of vines"... Each route is detailed: starting point, distance, difference in altitude, difficulty, signposting, duration and sometimes even a scout: sheep, lizard, eagle... In addition to the sporting side, there is also the local heritage, the art of living, the Minervois and Corbières PDO region, the tourist sites...
Mountaineering, climbing and via ferrata
In the Aude, 4 places allow you to enjoy climbing. La Clape, which has about 500 equipped routes on 5 sites, with different levels, offers a view on the sea, the lake or the Pyrenees. You can climb in all seasons in this massif where you can always find a sector adapted to the weather conditions: sunny cliffs sheltered from the wind for the winter, and shaded walls for the summer mornings. The type of rock present at La Clape can be found in the Haute Vallée, in the middle mountains, on the sites of Cardou at Rennes-les-Bains, of Pierre de Lys and of Termes in the Corbières. As for Caunes-Minervois, this site is exceptional for climbers, but the routes are quite technical. Finally, the Montagne Noire, less frequented, completes the picture. Discovery and improvement courses are offered to rock-climbing enthusiasts, young and old alike!
Fishing
The department offers fishermen many options. First of all, the Mediterranean coastline allows you to fish on the beaches or on the numerous jetties that discreetly go into the salty depths. The ponds also allow beautiful catches of eels, wolves or mullets. The rivers and lakes of the second category are home to pike-perch, perch, pike, black bass and catfish. In the mountains, the fario trout is the queen of high altitude water bodies and crystalline streams, well oxygenated and with a steady current. You will find it from the Montagne Noire to the Plateau de Sault, passing through the Hautes Corbières and the Haute Vallée de l'Aude, a sector which is home to a no less interesting fish: the common grayling. Notice to fly fishers!
Water sports
Kitesurfing. The temple of kitesurfing is undoubtedly in Leucate, and particularly off the beach of La Franqui. It is also the place of the Mondial du Vent world cup, in spring. It's a magical spot where locals and holidaymakers alike make the public dream all year round. There are other spots on the coast, more or less exposed to the wind, more or less dangerous. You can choose your favourite spot according to your level, the strength of the wind on the day and its orientation. Not far from there, the pond of La Palme is also one of the most popular spots in the area, with its turquoise waters and the fact that you can walk almost everywhere. Some schools come here to give lessons but there is plenty of space.
Canoeing, kayaking, etc.: Thanks to the presence of the river Aude, to which the department owes its name, all white water sports are practicable: canoeing, kayaking, rafting, white water swimming, canyoning... in Alet-les-Bains, Axat, Couiza, Limoux, Quillan. Be careful: the production of electricity from hydroelectric plants leads to water releases that can cause sudden rises in river levels. Even in good weather, the water can rise very quickly. Find out before you set out on your own.
Rugby
"A sport of thugs, practiced by gentlemen...". It is difficult to escape the rugby culture in the region. The matches that are commented on before, during and after, the fiestas that revolve around the stadiums and also, for the initiated, the beauty of the game and the pleasure shared by a whole population during the matches at the weekend. All this does not date from yesterday: the first traces of football-rugby are visible in Narbonne since 1894. After the terrible events of 1907, caused by the revolt of the wine growers, which traumatized the city and its region, the city hosts the garrison of the 80th infantry regiment whose rugby team is a finalist of the French championship.
Passed on for generations, many people from Narbonne have worn the colours of the French team, everyone remembers Spanghero, Codorniou, Benesis, Maso, Sangalli, Tournaire...
The Spanghero family
How many families in France, if not in the world, have given as many of their sons to the oval ball as the Spangheros? None. Unique in the history of French sport, the family has given six boys to the king of the South West. Six brothers - and two sisters! - fought on the stadiums from the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s: Laurent, Walter, Claude, Jean-Marie, Guy and Gilbert, along with Anne-Marie and Maryse. A record. These giants, often described as "forces of nature with an Olympian calm" or "mountains of courage and generosity", have set the stands of the world's greatest fields alight. With the wind in their sails, the Spanghero family created a meat company around 1975, which gradually diversified into ready-made meals, such as cassoulet, the emblematic dish of the department. It was to be a second family success story, until the explosion of the horsemeat lasagna scandal in 2013, which permanently tarnished their name, even though they had already sold their company.
