Trekking the Cathar Way - Cicerone Press

The 260km waymarked trail from Port la Nouvelle on the Mediterranean to Foix traces the history of the Cathars through the Eastern foothills of the Pyrenees. Split into 13 stages and offering a northern variant, the route takes about 2 weeks to complete.

Seasons
Best walking between April and June and between September and October. The summer months can be very hot, with accommodation busier and more expensive. Accommodation may be closed in winter and higher parts of the route can be impacted by snow.

Centres
Port-la-Nouvelle, Durban-Corbières, Tuchan, Cucugnan, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, Puilaurens, Axat, Bugarach (north variant), Quillan (north variant), Puivert, Espezel, Montségur, Montferrier, Foix

Difficulty
Difficulty varies from day to day, with some stages fairly gentle and others more strenuous, involving steep rocky paths and as much as 1000m ascent. A moderate level of fitness will improve your enjoyment of the trek. There are no technical difficulties but some sections of the route can feel remote, with few facilities (although accommodation is available at the end of every day stage).

Must See
Cathar castles: Aguilar, Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Fenouillet, Puilaurens, Puivert, Montségur, Roquefixade and Foix; historic wine-producing villages such as Tuchan and Cucugnan; Galamus Gorge; the remote Boulzane River; the imposing ridge of the Pech de Bugarach; pretty Quillan (north variant); French Resistance memorials; fantastic panoramas from the Plateau de Languerail; Frau Gorge; views towards the Pyrenees

Introduction
Languedoc history
The Cathars and the Crusade
The Cathar Way route
Features of interest
Planning the walk
North variant
Alternative ways to stage the Cathar Way
Getting there
Getting around
When to go
Accommodation
Food and drink
Language
Money matters
Phone and Wi-Fi
Health and safety
What to take
Maps
Waymarking
Updates
Using this guide
The Cathar Way
Port-la-Nouvelle to Puivert
Stage 1 Port-la-Nouvelle to Durban-Corbières
Stage 2 Durban-Corbières to Tuchan
Stage 3 Tuchan to Cucugnan
Stage 4 Cucugnan to Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet
Stage 5 Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet to Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes
Stage 6 Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes to Axat
Stage 7 Axat to Quirbajou
Stage 8 Quirbajou to Puivert
Cucugnan to Puivert: north variant
Stage 4a Cucugnan to Camps-sur-l’Agly
Stage 5a Camps-sur-l’Agly to Bugarach
Stage 6a Bugarach to Quillan
Stage 7a Quillan to Puivert
Puivert to Foix
Stage 9 Puivert to Espezel
Stage 10 Espezel to Comus
Stage 11 Comus to Montségur
Stage 12 Montségur to Roquefixade
Stage 13 Roquefixade to Foix

Appendix A Villages and towns with amenities
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C Useful contacts
Appendix D French–English glossary
Appendix E Further information and reading