Author(s): Alan Mattingly

Travel Guides

A guidebook to walking the Cathar Way, a waymarked trail through France's southwest, linking historic castles. This 250km (two-week) route runs through the foothills of the Pyrenees in the Languedoc region of southern France, from the Mediterranean to Foix. A challenging, fascinating and rewarding route, but not an arduous mountain trek. The trail runs from the Mediterranean coast westward to the historic town of Foix. It can be walked in two weeks or less by anyone who is well-equipped and moderately fit. Good-quality accommodation is available at regular intervals along the entire length of the trail. The trail traverses the dramatic foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, a beautiful countryside which enjoys plenty of sunshine and is rich in wildlife. The highlights of the Cathar Way are the 'castles in the sky' like Queribus, Peyrepertuse and Montsegur. These incredible medieval fortifications will forever be associated with the ill-fated Cathar 'heresy', which was brutally suppressed in the thirteenth century.