So, who were the Cathars?
They existed 800 years ago called themselves Good Men and Good Women. History named them Cathars to define the followers of this new belief that took a strong hold in the South of France from the 12th century.
Catharism emerged in an era where the Church had become rich and powerful but was targeted by a succession of militant movements by dissidents demanding a return to the ideals of poverty.
It was their dualism, their belief that the pleasures of the flesh were the work of the Devil, that opposed the Cathars to the Catholics.
They lived by their own rules and recognised only one sacrament, the consolamentum, which replaced the rituals of marriage, extreme unction and baptism.
While it was a Catholic movement, Catharism was quickly considered to be heretic by the Pope of the era.
He launched the “Albi Crusade” in opposition of the movement.
The “Holy War” of the Crusade gradually turned into a full-scale geopolitical battle serving the interests of the King of France.
Some of the previously seigniorial castles became sanctuaries for the Cathar peoples.
One by one, the castles fell to the hands of the King’s lords.
The Good Men and Good Women had no choice but to flee.
The Crusade gave way to the Inquisition.
Faced with this tribunal, the Cathar followers had to choose between renouncing their religion or burning at the stake.
The Inquisition got the better of Catharism and the last Perfect was burned in 1321 in Villerouge-Termenès, nearly a century after the start of the Crusade.

We start our journey at ‘La Cite’ in Carcassonne. Located on the right bank of the Aude, the City, a medieval town still inhabited, has 52 towers and 2 concentric walls totalling 3km of ramparts. Access is free, day and night, through the Narbonnaise Gate near our start point.
Carcassonne has existed for nearly 2,500 years. Over the centuries it has been a Roman villa and a medieval viscountcy under the Trencavels dynasty. It has fallen to the terror of the crusades, it has been destroyed, rebuilt, extended and fortified. It has been abandoned and later saved from destruction, before eventually being restored in the 19th century under a large-scale project undertaken by Viollet-le-Duc.

Leaving ‘La Cite’, we head south following the route of the Aude river to St. Hilaire.
Here you have the option to visit the Abbey famous for one of the worlds earliest sparkling wines, Blanquette de Limoux, made from the Mausac grape.
The abbey was built by Hilaire, who was the bishop of Carcassonne.
The abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt twice, once during the battle against the Cathars, and again during the Hundred Year War.
During the French Revolution the monks were expelled from the abbey and the building was sold. Finally, the abbey was restored at the beginning of the 20th century and is currently one of the most beautiful monasteries of the Aude.
The sparkling Blanquette de Limoux was created here in 1531, long before champagne.

Continue south to Saint-Polycarpe, which takes its name from the abbey dedicated to this little-known early Christian martyr, a bishop of Smyrna in the 2nd century.
The abbey church was originally founded in the 9th century, and traces remain in the form of impressive Carolingian period carved stone chancel panels later incorporated into a pair of side altars during rebuilding and enlargement in the 12th century. Behind the abbey there's an interesting aqueduct which led water from local springs into the abbey buildings and gardens.

Soon you cross the Aude River, which gives its name to the Aude department, in Limoux.
The Aude river is 224 kilometres long.
Its source is high in the Pyrenees, it then runs to Carcassonne and finally reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Narbonne.

For the next 25km we again continue to follow the Aude south, on its west bank, along the flowing D118.

This valley saw several skirmishes during the last war signified by the memorials posted along this stretch of road.
The first of these is the tomb of First Lieutenant Paul Swank of the U.S Army. On 17th August 1944 Lt. Swank, with four U.S and eighteen French Maquis attempted to halt a German advance.
Overwhelming odds forced them to withdraw. He & his sergeant covered their withdrawal.
During this action Lt. Swank was hit four times by enemy machine gun fire before he fell, then he drew his pistol and continued to fight until he was dead.
The delaying action by Lieutenant Swank enabled his men to find cover to continue the battle.
He is buried in the Alet pass at the place where he died according to his last will. 

A bit further along the road the name of François Teulière appears on a small stele (stone) bearing the following inscription: "Here fell Teulière, François victim of war, August 17, 1944". It is thought that he perished during the same action as Lt. Paul Swank.

Near Alet-le-Bains, there is a memorial that pays respect to the Guerilleros, the Spanish fighters who, after fighting in Spain in the Republican ranks against the armies of Franco and his allies during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), went into exile in France and actively participated in the resistance against the German occupation, during the Second World War.
The term "guerrilla" is communist terminology, still used today.

Near Esperaza. you should spot the half sized Ampelosaurus beside the road, which advertises Dinosauria, the dinosaur museum in the village, which is another route option.
The museum exhibits at least 35 different species of dinosaurs, mounted skeletons or life-size models.
The museum has the complete skeleton of an Ampelosaurus atacis specimen, found nearby in 2001 during excavations near Campagne-sur-Aude a few km south.
This skeleton is the most complete dinosaur skeleton of its size ever found in France, and is nicknamed Eva, after the student Eva Morvan, who first discovered it during the 2000/2001 excavations.

Before Quillan, we turn east through the forest towards Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes.
Along the way you will encounter the Viaduc du Col de Saint-Louis, known locally as the “Escargot Pass”, due to the full loop of road here.
The pass was originally part of the border between Spain and France,
After Louis XIV acquired Roussillon in 1659, the pass was no longer on the border.
The slope of the pass was very steep and difficult to traverse, so in the 19th century, King Louis-Philippe authorised the building of the bridge and to collect a toll.
It is the first toll bridge rebuilt in France after the French Revolution which had abolished tithes and taxes.

After Caudies, you may be lucky to spot Le Train Rouge tourist train, as
for the next 10km you will run parallel to it’s route along the valley floor.
Known to locals as the Train du Pays Cathare et des Fenouilledes, the Red Train travels from Rivesaltes on the coast to the small village of Axat along a 100 year old route designed to connect Rivesaltes to Carcassonne.
Sadly the spectacular stretch between Quillan and St Martin-Lys became unsafe and was cut.
The trains are former SNCF “Picasso” autorails from the 1960s.
It is a popular attraction & runs frequently in the summer months.
In Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, take a coffee break before heading into the Gorges de Galamus.

Before entering the gorge, there is a parking are where you can visit the Hermitage or just take in the view down to the river.
The Saint-Antoine de Galamus Troglodyte Hermitage was cut out of the rock in the 7th century, on the side of the gorge.
Originally a single cave containing pools of water, but in 1782, after the Suette Miracle the chapel was added to it,.
The inhabitants of St. Paul-de-Fenouillet were infected by the ‘épidémie de Suette’ (a kind of gangrenous epidemic that made them sweat a lot), and were subsequently healed by Saint-Antoine. There is a Plane tree planted in 1782 that grows through the middle of a rock.

The Gorges de Galamus was formed over many centuries by the River Agly, and is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in this region.
The Agly rises, at 940m, near to Bugarach & flows through the gorge to the Mediterranean.
The river has a beautiful turquoise to deep green colour and winds over a length of almost 2 km through the gorge. The road through the gorge winds 100m above the river & is often so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. With a motorcycle there are a few opportunities to stop for photos. During the summer months, traffic flow is controlled by lights.

At Duilhac-sous-Peyreperthuse, we start the 400m climb up to Chateau de Peyrepertuse, which is one of the "Five Sons of Carcassonne" along with the castles Quéribus, Puilaurens, Termes, and Aguilar, all situated atop 'unassailable' rocky peaks.
The castle became a royal fortress in 1239 when Louis IX bought it from the Kingdom of Aragon. The Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659 moved the border with Spain some 60km to the south & the castle was decommissioned as a border point having lost its strategic importance.
Access to the castle is via a fifteen minute walk along a trail.
After scaling its heights you will have earned lunch at the auberge on the road down to the village.

Later, in Cucugnan, head for Chateau Queribus.
At the time of the Albigesian crusade, the castle was held by Barbaira, a knight and supporter of the Cathars, who allowed the castle to be used as a place of refuge for those escaping persecution. The castle was eventually besieged and captured in 1255, one of the very last Cathar outposts to be defeated. Over the next two centuries the castle was reinforced to retain its control over the border until it was moved 60km south. After the French Revolution in 1789 it was abandoned and fell into ruin.
On a clear day, assuming that you take the steep track to the top, the views from the castle stretch from the Mediterranean to the Roussillon Plain are quite spectacular.

In Tuchan, a short detour will take you to Chateau Aguilar.
First owned by the Catalan counts, it became the property of Carcassonne at the end of the 11th century, & later of the Termes family.
Simon de Montfort siezed the castle and used Aguilar as his main residence and base to support the revolt of Raymond Trencavel before the siege of Carcassonne in 1240.
Aguilar was enlarged and reinforced to become one of the 5 sons of Carcassonne to defend the Franco-Aragonese border.
When the Pyrenees Treaty moved the border 60km south, Aguilar lost all defensive purpose and fell into disrepair.

Retracing our steps to Tuchan, we head north over the Col de Ferreol to Villerouge-Termenès.
The 12th century Chateau here witnessed the last Cathar to be brutally killed.
”Bon Homme” (Good Man), Guillaume Bélibaste, was burnt there on 24 August 1321.
At the time, Villerouge was the centre of a vast domain, because the Archbishop of Narbonne was the lord of many villages in the region and he collected tithes, taxes or duties there. The castle played an important role during the Albigensian Crusade.
The last Cathar "bon homme” (Good Man), Guillaume Bélibaste, was burnt alive there on 24 August 1321.
The castle, now in ruins, is classified as a historic monument

Continuing north towards Lagrasse, the Abbey can be seen from the road.
The Abbey of St. Mary, in Romanesque style, was founded in the 7th century by the abbot of Narbonne, who adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict.
It was elevated to the rank of abbey in 779 and enriched quickly thanks to donations from lords from the neighbourhood and the county of Barcelona, acquiring lands, castles, priories and other assets.
In 1789, with the beginning of the French Revolution, the abbey was confiscated by the state and sold.
The Canons Regular of the Mother of God now occupy the Abbey.

Leaving Lagrasse, enjoy the flowing ride through the Gorges de l’Alsou towards Trebes.

As you approach Pradelles-en-Val, you may spot the local herd of buffaloes.
When the Italian Antonini family started their restaurant, La Bourdasso known for authentic Italian cuisine, in Pradelles-en-Val, they decided to make their own mozzarella with milk from their own buffaloes, brought over from Italy.

After Trebes, you are on the final leg back to the starting point at ‘La Cite, Carcassonne.
Hopefully you will have had an enjoyable day out.