Orgues d'Ille-sur-Têt, Eastern Pyrenees, France
© SFL Choice/Alamy Stock Phot
The art of erosion
Rising out of the otherwise green landscape here in the south of France, these otherworldly sand and clay towers could be a scene from Lord of the Rings – or another planet. Nature has been carving out this incredible landscape here in the Eastern Pyrenees for millions of years – and it hasn’t finished yet. The weather is still whittling away at the Orgues d’Ille-sur-Têt (orgues is French for organs, and they do bear a passing resemblance to church organ pipes) near the city of Perpignan.
Fortunately the south of France is not known for heavy rainfall so these ‘fairy chimneys’ should be around for years to come – but they are fragile so climbing is not allowed. At sunset, when the sun’s rays bring out the colour variations in the ancient rock, they look particularly spectacular.
Related Images
An old kasbah in the Tafilalet region, Morocco
Balsamroot wildflowers bloom below the Teton Mountains in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Cliffs of the Sierra Ponce and Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Cycling across a natural rock arch in the desert near Moab, Utah, USA
Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Australia
Kornati National Park, Croatia
Panoramic view of the Bernina Range with blood moon, Eastern Alps, Switzerland
Today on Bing
Bamford Edge, Derbyshire on a spring evening
Lyon astronomical clock, Lyon, France
A rufous-tailed hummingbird in Costa Rica
Scarlet rosefinch male perching
