Page 210 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - France

208 BACK ROADS FRANCE

The Cathar Trail
MINERVE
The Cathar Trail combines a remote and beautiful region of Aigues-
Caunes- Félines- Vives
France with a rich variety of historical sights. Castles, Minervois Minervois
perched on seemingly inaccessible summits, Mazamet Olonzac
Peyriac-
are framed by wild herb-scented garrigue, Villegailhenc Minervois Homps Ginestas
vineyards, deep gorges and tumbling Pezens
Puichéric Aude
rivers. Originally built as defences Carcassone- Trèbes Canal du Midi
against the Spanish, these castles Salvaza Capendu Lézignan-
CARCASSONNE Corbières
sheltered the Cathars in the 13th
century. A Christian sect that rebelled Fabrezan
against corruption in the church, the Villefloure Montlaur
Montséret
Cathars flourished at first, but then St-Hilaire Lagrasse
Pope Gregory IX and the king of Aude AUDE Orbieu St-Laurent-
de-la-Cabrerisse
France joined forces in the cruellest Limoux sur-Lauquet St-Martin- Talairan
Clermont-
des-Puits
crusade of the Middle Ages, resulting Villerouge- Villesque des
Durfort Termenès Cobrières
in terrible sieges and massacres. Alet-les-Bains Termes
THE CORBIÈRES CASTLES Félines-Termenès
Laroque- Chalabre
d'Olmes
Espéraza Couiza
PUIVERT Maisons C o r b i è r e s
Lavelanet RENNES- CHÂTEAU DE
Belesta LE-CHÂTEAU PEYREPERTUSE Tuchan
ARIÈGE Col de la Quillan Cubières-
Babourade sur-Cinoble Padern
Fougax-et- Pic de Bugarach
1,230 m
Barrineuf Cucugnan
MONTSÉGUR QUÉRIBUS
Lapradelle Caudiès-de-
Belcaire Espezel Fenouillèdes
Pic de Saint- Maury
Barthélemy Axat St-Paul-
2,348 m de-Fenouillet
Camurac Agly
PUILAURENS Ansignan
KEY 0 kilometres 10
Drive route 0 miles 10
PLAN YOUR DRIVE
Start/finish: Carcassonne to
Montségur.
Distance: 295 km (180 miles).
Number of days: 2, allowing half a
day to explore Carcassonne.
Road conditions: Usually good roads
with some steep approaches to
castles and gorges.
When to go: Any time of year.
Opening hours: Most sights stay
open from 10am to 6pm and close
on either Mondays or Tuesdays.
Main market days: Carcassonne:
Tue, Thu and Sat.
Major festivals: Carcassonne: Festival
de la Cité, Jul; Conilhac-Corbières:
Above Imposing citadel of Carcassonne, restored by Viollet-le-Duc, see p209 Jazz festival, Nov.