Saint Barthélémy Massif Nature Reserve

Visible from Toulouse to Carcassonne via the Montagne Noire and the high peaks of Couserans, the duo of the peaks of Soularac and Saint-Barthélémy is the emblematic belvedere of the Cathar Pyrenees. Well known to hikers, it offers a unique panorama of the Pyrenees, from the Mediterranean to the 3000m of the central Pyrenees.

A massif of primary land, the nature reserve is crossed by the Trimouns fault, the heart of the immense Talc vein, which, exploited in the open air, constitutes the largest talc quarry in the world. It is thus divided into two very distinct geological sectors: to the West, the domain of migmatites (“mixture” of granite and gneiss) and to the East, that of dolomitic limestones (very old sedimentary rock).

With its geographical and geological particularities, the nature reserve, covering more than 1000 m of difference in altitude from the mountain level to the alpine level, concentrates on its 500 ha an exceptional diversity of natural environments.

Clinging to the ridges of Saint-Barthélémy and Soularac, the alpine meadows and short moors defy the mineral world of cliffs and scree. Taking their sources on the slopes of the Pic de Soularac, the Lasset and Font Frède streams cross successive glacial ledges and barriers to form ponds, lakes and peat bogs, jewels of the nature reserve. On the slopes, the Hook Pine mixes with the Callunes and Rhododendron heaths and rubs shoulders with the Purgative Broom heaths.

To the east of Soularac, the relief softens, forming open valleys with rounded summits. The valleys of

Pratmau and Mousquiès are occupied by a mosaic of mountain heaths and Nard grasslands whose floristic richness is maintained by the centuries-old practice of cattle grazing. The nature reserve is bounded to the east by the Sarrat de Caudeval. Here, water is rarer, only short-cropped lawns have adapted to the dry conditions and altitude of this limestone mountain, a true paradise for flora and butterflies.

Ranking & labels

• Nature reserve of France

Opening