Walking holiday in Cathar Country

Cathar Castles of the Pyrenees. H80: All of the trail : From the Mediterranean or Carcassonne to Montségur.
Start in Carcassonne, Narbonne or the the Mediterranean sea at Port-la-Nouvelle. End in Montségur or Carcassonne. 8-14 or 15 days.

All details of the plus ** /*** version of this walk (H80- 3 ) on this page. For a standard ** version you go to H80-2

From the Mediterranean Aude to the Pyrenees Ariegeoises in the heart of the sun blessed Corbières region Quillan or Carcassonne you can find the secret trails and castles of the chateaux Cathares.

Imposing stone castles built high up in rocky crags of pogs. These fortresses are the symbol of a tragic, political intrigue and drama that shook the South of France.

This walking holiday combines a historical interest that stirs the imagination as well as some memorable walking through lush mountains and valleys.

We offer this Sentier Cathare walk as a 8 to 14 days package from East (the Med) to Montségur or Carcassonne.

Mystic Cathar Castles of the Pyrénées H80-3 ( 8 to 14 days )
Extra day/night possible in Carcassonne.In this "plus" package you'll stay in ** and **/*** hotels and guesthouses.Selfguided trekking French Cathar trail in the Pyrénées

WALKING STAGES DAY BY DAY

Narbonne

Port-la-Nouvelle
Not very special a place to stay. Only if you want to start the Cathar walk at the med. First walk of 29 km.
the package starts with a transfer from your first hotel in Carcassonne or Narbonne early in the morning. The transfer will let you start where you decide to start on the Sentier Cathare.

Optional is to cut the first stage in 2: first walking stage from Port-la-Nouvelle to Roquefort-des-Corbières and second stage from Roquefort-des-Corbières to Durban Corbières.

Durban-Corbières.
Very old town In the centre of Corbières vineyards.
 

(Long stage of 13, 19 25 or 28 km, max 8 hour).
If you start from Carcassonne or Narbonne we advise to start the walk at the Col Extreme from where only 13km to Tuchan.

Tuchan
Tuchan lies in a plain and bordered to the west by Mont Tauch which at 900 meters dominates the town. It has always been productive but whereas you might at one time have seen flocks of sheep or goats wandering around and cereals being cultivated you can now only see varieties of vines like syrah, carignan, grenache, muscat all growing in orderly rows. The town lives off the grape and its current relative prosperity is due to the success of Fitou wine and the successful marketing by the Mont Tauch Co-operative.

Cucugnan (Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse)
The village at the foot of one of the most beautiful Cathar-castles: Chateau de Peyrepertuse : in the mounts and hills of the Hautes Corbières, Peyrepertuse stands out and above at 800 m high above the the garrigues (brushwoods). From the castle you look at the other phenomenal Cathar castle of Quéribus, only 5 km ahead.

Camps-sur-l'Agly
On a place with a Breathtaking view on the Canigou mountain and the Gorges de Galamus, you could stay easily for another day.

Bugarach
You'll walk to the top of it Pech de Bugarach.

From Quillan to Puivert
Start at your hotel in Quillan. (If you want a transfer to shorten this first walk you can get one from Quillan to Nébias. Suppl. 5,-Please let us know in advance). Nebias is a small Pyrenean village, the walking trail known as the Sentier Cathare leads all the way to Puivert castle. In its time this castle was far more festive than military a castle of troubadours. The surrounding terrain is scrubby, there is a pleasant vegetation of box tree, and juniper which gives a subtle fragrance to the air, to be enjoyed in the shade of the oaks. From undulating valleys and hillsides the castle comes suddenly into view, the imposing site gets ever nearer. A ridge walk will lead you towards the castle doors, it's possible explore the towers, dungeons and the famous hall of the musicians. This feudal castle was a hive of activity in the XII century, a meeting and performance place for the most famous troubadours of the era. The village of Puivert itself also represents an interest and vestige to the past, the museum of Quercorb is a superb exhibition that really evokes the life of the area at the end of the last century. There is a model of Puivert castle showing how it would have been in the XIV century. (Please note it is also possible for clients to be transferred directly to Puivert from Quillan and from their chambre d'hote walk in the village and visit the castle.)

Night and evening meal in chambre d'Hôtes at Camurac.
5h45 effective walking, +115m altitude, -210m, 20,5km

From Puivert to Belvis
Today's trail is for the most part in the forest, the Cathare footpath traverses the forest of Lescale and Picaussel in the direction of the Pays de Sault. A vast, airy wide open plateau situated high up between 950 et 1300m, the plateau is the gateway towards the high mountain summits. Does, stags, roe deer are at home in these thick fir tree forests, if you don’t have the chance to observe them you will surely see their tracks and hear them nearby. The forest is also home to foxes, squirrels and fouines, just thirty years ago lynx, wolves and bears would also have been present.
During this day's walking you will be surprised by the diversity of the vegetation, different species of trees such as oak, fir, silver birch and ash. On the outskirts of the forest the land is covered with the box tree, heather and juniper. The village of Belvis has a traditional architecture typical of the style to be found in mountain villages between 900 and 1000m, slate roofs, houses huddled closely together and concentrated around the church interwoven with small alley ways.

Night and evening meal in Chambres d'Hôtes at Camurac.
4h15 effective walking, +583m altitude, -25m, 15,8 km

From Belvis to Comus
Today we have a section of the walk that offers a wonderful transition of scenery. The walk will lead you into the county of Ariègeand the ‘Pays d'Olmes‘ by a footpath that was once used at the beginning of the century by the local inhabitants whether for simple means of communication and travelling or for commercial exchanges. It was the main route between the ‘Pays de Sault’ and the ‘Pays d'Olmes’ regions.

Night and evening meal in Chambre d'Hôtes at Camurac.
5h15 effective walking, +660m altitude, -772m, 20 km.

From Camurac/Comus to Montségur
The lay of the land dictated the route and the natural route of access between the villages of Comus and Montségur was by the gorge of the Frau. For one kilometre the gorge is notched out of high chalk walls, the path passes between cliffs soaring impressionably straight up, vertically, towards the sky. The name itself Frau means fear or apprehension.
Before penetrating into the gorges, you will pass through the picturesque, rural villages of Camurac and Comus. It is here in these out of the way corners that the phenomena of the ‘inquisition’ hit particularly hard across the Pays de Sault and the lands of Ariègein the XII and XIII centuries, the views are captivating.

The castle of Montségur balancing high on the pog, a high mountain pinnacle is a very emblematic symbol. Built between 1204 and 1211 at the request of the local Cathare clergy, this site was to become during the first part of the XIII century the religious capital of the Cathare church. You will find here, a place and atmosphere out of the ordinary.

Night and evening meal in Chambre d'Hôtes at Montségur
3h15 effective walking, +660m altitude, -772m, 13 km.

Walk Around Montségur
The site of Montségur, the very bastion of the Cathare resistance certainly requires an additional day for exploring. The village itself is quite unique, the houses and buildings are in long curved lines one after another. They flank the mountainside in a well defined pattern and are linked by small streets and pedestrian walkways. There is a museum and some art and craft shops. From the museum a pathway leads to the foot of the pog, a high rocky buttress, it takes about 30 min to walk up to the summit where you arrive at a sumptuous belvedere. The panoramic view extends for miles around over the Massif de Tabe, with the Pic de Soularac and further East the mountain of the Frau. Having visited the castle a circular walk in the direction of the ridge of Taulat will allow you to discover high altitude mountain plains, still used to graze the local cattle.

Night and evening meal in Chambre d'Hôtes in Montségur.
6h30 effective walking, +774m altitude,-580m, 12km.

The program is an example of the itinerary we aim to adhere. If due to situations beyond our control the itinerary may be modified.

IMPORTANT PRECISIONS

LEVEL
You walk on walking trails with good footpaths and tracks. You need to be used to walking and taking regular exercise to enjoy this holiday. There is between 4h30 and 6h00 effective walking each day. The ascents and descents are constant. There will be between 350m and 750m ascension per day.

Walking holiday in Cathar Land

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