The Cathar Castles Road

I’ve had the chance to visit friends in the Aude region—Cathar country—several times and explore this area between Leucate and Carcassonne, including the famous Corbières Road 20 and the Cathar Castles Road.

Check out my article for a list of the castles and abbeys to visit along this route. Read the full post soon, and I look forward to hearing from you! Post

Check out my article for the list of castles and abbeys to visit along this route. Read the full text soon—I look forward to hearing from you!

Hello, I loved this region and really enjoyed your post. However, I’d strongly encourage anyone who loves hiking to explore this area on foot by following the Cathar Trail (GR367), one of the most beautiful routes for me, along with the St-Guilhem Way. Still, you can skip the first two stages from Port-la-Nouvelle to Tuchan, as they’re mostly through vineyards.

hi Jean Michel

It’s official—our fortresses are now UNESCO World Heritage sites (they forgot Roquefixade, what a shame)!

https://ariege.fr/actualite/le-chateau-de-montsegur-est-inscrit-a-lunesco/

I’m lucky—I get to see Montségur right in front of me every morning... But I remember climbing up there hundreds of times before the hike became paid entry.

We leave our castles to the tourists now...

yes, the GR 367 is beautiful, and the *Chemin des Bonshommes* is even more stunning...

Interesting your GR trail of the little men I need to check it out in detail, but I’ll start at Montségur Also missing the "last one"—the Château de Foix—from the UNESCO list!

Good evening Jean Michel, I imagine Foix wasn’t included on the list of fortresses because it was never a refuge for heretics? And because its state of preservation doesn’t justify funding? I know Montségur will be the focus of new excavations and upcoming restoration work, but more importantly, its accessibility by bus for just 2 € from Pamiers (SNCF station) is going to attract a lot of curious visitors. From the pog, there’s no visibility of the mountains—just the Plantaurel, the Lauragais plain, and the Montagne Noire on clear days. Nothing transcendent. (My photo was taken last month from a shepherd’s hut in the Tabe massif; you can spot Montségur.) From Montségur (via the Gorges de la Frau on foot or by mountain bike), a village you absolutely must visit: MONTAILLOU!! https://www.cathares.org/montaillou-intro.html Then, from Montaillou, the tiny ski resort of Camurac, where from its ridges you get a breathtaking view of part of the Ariège, Aude, and Catalan Pyrenees. (Photo taken last June—quite a few peaks and summits are missing...) Welcome to Ariège, the land of the hardy and the brave🙂