|
|
My First Foray into Cathar Country Belatedly Illustrated in 2003 |
|
The ride to Montsegur (link is to a French site with photos and history) via the town of Quillan was dramatic in that the mountains were higher, the valleys deeper and greener than at Peyrepertuse, and the views going over passes were just brilliant with fall foliage here and there, especially in the higher reaches.
Montsegur is scary from a distance. A building on top of a huge rock hundreds of feet above the valley, barely discernible in this next photo:
And when you get closer you see that it is not the only castle ruin on top of a hill in this region. But it is the one made famous as the longest Cathar holdout against the invaders from the north:
The trail is steep and rocky. The guidebook says 800 feet elevation gain, my watch suggested just over 500, and my French brochurer said 500, so it is 500! In the setting sun it felt higher, since the whole way up the sun that seemed to be setting got itself pretty high in the sky again. I was glad to get to the top and out of the sun:
The views from the fortress were spectacular, to the west:
The village of Montsegur lies in the valley below, the Pyrenees are on the horizon to the south:
Towns are visible in the surrounding valleys to the northwest:
and to the north:
And to the west, no towns but lots of green hills and mountains:
The castle interior used to have poles sticking out of thse holes in the wall and tent-like dwellings and arms and munitions buildings all around. The stairs to the top made entry by an invader from atop the wall problematic:
Behind that wall at this end were meeting rooms that included what I thought to be a chapel:
Getting back to the trail required walking along the shady north wall and through the castle again:
My next stop was a good hotel in Tarascon on the Ariege. Since I have visited Tarascon twice after this initial visit, I will let my pages that show that town be enough.