The Old Adventure Continues; - Cathars and Cows.

Roquefixade to Montségur.

For now, this is the final part of this reminiscence of this adventure form 30 years ago (July 1987), as I finish the final leg of my eastern Pyrenean ramble from Foix to the famous Cathar castle of Montségur. There is plenty of fact and fiction available on the Cathars and their connections to the castle at Montsegur; and to learn more about why I was on this holiday and how I got this far, you need to read the two previous blogs.

So after my rough sleepless night in the ruins of Roquefixade castle, I set out early on the last part of my walk to Montségur, which was in theory a much easier hike than the day before, as it was on more level ground down in the valley. It was fine until I hit a large wood and got lost! Yes! I got lost in the woods! LOL!

I had a good map showing all the details I needed, but the problem was that there were many more trails on the ground than were shown on the map! And the 'Chemin des Cathars' was not clearly marked. So before long I had no idea where I was, and unlike the day before, when the walking had been much fresher on the high ridge, now I was down in a warm and humid forest, buzzing with insects of a less pleasant kind than the butterflies I had taken such delight in previously.

But I wasn't upset, or worried, after all this was a large wood, and therefore it had an edge! So that's what I did, I kept going until I hit an edge, and headed along that edge roughly in the right direction until I was able to identify where I was on the map. I hadn't got far off my overall route, and I was soon back on that.And then I saw it! 

My first glimpse of the Chateau!

And after that, despite the country getting rougher, and less level, I was soon in the village of Montségur and got myself booked into a hotel where I could leave my backpack, and then, with less to carry, it was time to take the long ascent to the castle.

But the weather of the day before had returned, and my first climb up to the castle was heavily shrouded in cloud.  So my pictures of this jaunt are a bit disappointing.

And what I didn't know at the time, was that most of the fortifications we see today are from well after the time of the famous siege and massacre!

And here's a treat for those of you who know me.

Yes! That was me 30 years ago, and my physical peak (mostly due to the regular folk ceilidhs I used to attend). But the funny thing was that I thought of myself as being fat. Whereas now I know I am fat, but don't like to admit just 'how' fat I am! LOL!

So, anyway, I soon headed back down to the village, where I discovered a couple of points of interest. One was the sight of the old public wash house, which looked like it might still get used!

And the other was the sight of the cows bringing themselves into town at milking time. Mmm???? Is that one of those Cabriolet cows that can roll its top down when the sun shines? Or is that a Charolais car?

That evening, I had a meal in the hotel restaurant, and had one of those moment that remind me of what I now know to be dyslexia/word-blindness. as I was looking at the menu I knew what the word 'agneau' was, but I had a complete block on comprehending what it 'was'! The more I got fixated on the word, the more I couldn't un-fixate on it, as such. The restaurant seemed to be full of locals, none of who seemed to speak English, and none could help. They then wheeled out a c.10 year old boy from the back, who had obviously been learning some English at school, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was. Then someone called out " Baaaaaaa!!" And we all laughed as I realised it was lamb, of course! LOL! Which I then proceeded to enjoy gobbling up with great enjoyment!

And then an early night!

The next day when I got up the weather was far far better, and as you will see, my second trip up to the castle was much more pleasant.

But it also meant I could actually see how steep the climb was too! LOL!

But the view from the top was well worth it. But the cloud was only just clear of the summit.  

and this was the view back down to the village. Take note of the twisty road.

I really enjoyed my exploration of the castle and the mountain top, and had a pleasant surprise. My first ever Swallowtail butterfly. (I still have never seen any in the UK, and later saw some in another part of the south of France, and in Hungary).

And finally while I was at top, I got someone to take my photo, to prove I had been there (it had been a criticism from people looking at my holiday photos of the summer before in Italy and France).

Yes! There I was. Indiana Cousins. Just about to become a world famous archaeologist (NOT).

And finally (again!), a couple more paragraphs on this trip.

Remember the twisty road back down to the village? Well while I was up the mountain, I got talking to this bloke and his family who was an Anglophile. Loved anything English, including his beloved Range Rover, which he gave me a lift in back down that twisty road to the village. It was a terrifying, but thankfully short, journey, as he insisted in keep turning to talk to me in the back as he drove down the hill with all those twists and hairpin bends!

After another night in Montségur (I think), I set off back towards Foix the next day, and was given a lift by some gypsies in the back of one of those wonderful old 'washboard' like Citroen vans. You know, the van version of the 2CV. This was a real thrill for me, as I had fairly recently got a 2CV myself, in advance of my becoming a student in the Autumn.

I then went on to Lourdes, and up into the hills to attend a village hall folk dance by the folk group I mentioned in part one of this story. I spent a day or two with them, and visited Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Bagnères-de-Luchon, and finally to Pau, before getting the train back home.

And all the time on this trip one character kept popping up. The local hero Gaston Fébus, 14thC Count of Foix.