Tour de la Batere

It looks like a large cylinder made of natural stones, about 15 meters high, roughly 10 meters in diameter, and with walls nearly three meters thick. The Tour de la Batère is a medieval signal tower and part of a communication system. From the nearby Castelnou Castle, the military monitored the surrounding mountain region and needed quick, secure communication. For this purpose, signal towers were built to transmit messages using smoke or fire.

The Tour de la Batère, located south of Prades (on the banks of the Têt River), is one such signal tower and can be reached via a gentle gravel path. From the D 25 and the D 13, you travel on a winding road to the village of Valmanya, then a few more serpentine bends lead to Col de Palomère (1,036 meters), where you turn right onto a gravel road. The road is in good condition, with a few ruts, but no major surprises.

After about seven kilometers, the Tour de la Batère comes into view. Stop below the tower, walk up to it, and enjoy the view of the Mediterranean – wonderful. A little further downhill, at Col de la Descarga (1,393 meters), the gravel ends, and the road continues as asphalt down through Corsavy into the valley of the Tech River.