self-catering houses, cottages or apartments in the countryside or along the coast. These too vary considerably in size and facilities, but quality is generally good and they can offer excellent value for families or small groups who want to establish a base for a week or two and go out on day excursions. You can get particularly good bargains if you book out of the main holiday periods. Contact Gîtes de France: La Maison des Gîtes de France et du Tourisme Vert, 59 rue Saint-Lazare, 75439 Paris Cedex 09; tel: (00 33) (0)1 49 70 75 75; www.gites-de-france.fr.
There are plentiful chambres d’hôtes, the French equivalent of bed and breakfast establishments (indeed, an increasing number are advertising themselves as ‘bed and breakfast’). Gîtes de France also promotes chambres d’hôtes and is a good source of information. Bed & Breakfast in France 2004 (£12.99) is a co-publication by the AA and the French Gîtes de France which lists over 3000 bed and breakfast establishments around France.
Hotels are not quite so abundant, but you won’t have any trouble finding one if you stay in towns like Carcassonne and Quillan, or head for large villages like Montségur and Cucugnan which are close to the best-known Cathar castles. Hotels which bear the Logis de France label seem to be invariably reliable and good value. The Logis de France guidebook to its recommended hotels is sold in some bookshops in Britain and France and is worth buying; for central reservations tel: (00 33) (0)1 45 84 83 84; see also www.logishotels.com. The famous Michelin red guide to hotels in France can also be invaluable. Lists of hotels in and near particular towns can be looked up on www.viamichelin.com.
Auberge is a term adopted by a wide variety of establishments. Some are gîtes d’étape, others are hotels. What they generally have in common is that there is a restaurant of some sort on the premises.
Campsites abound; for information see www.campingfrance.com.
Stocking up
There are many towns and large villages along the main transport corridors where you can count on finding at least one store, like a supermarket or épicerie (grocer’s-cum- general store), open on most days throughout the year. Bear in mind that, like almost everything else in France (apart from restaurants), they will probably be closed for two or three hours from midday. Most such places also have a chemist (pharmacie – look out for a flashing green cross), a boulangerie (bakery) and other shops.
Banks and post offices are more widely spaced out. The opening hours of many banks may be restricted (for example, mornings only). If you can’t find a post office and you only want a few stamps, try a tobacconist – they usually sell them.
Stock up when you can. Several farms along the way sell excellent produce, as here on the Pech de Bugarach walk (Section 16).
Distances between petrol stations can be quite considerable, even along the main transport corridors. When they are not staffed, some operate automatically with credit card machines – but the machines may accept only French credit cards. Remember too that some of the simpler accommodation establishments will not accept payment by credit card. That can also be the case in many small shops, bars and restaurants that will only accept payment by French cheque or cash.
Away from the main transport corridors, many villages are now without permanent shops, bakery and even bars. Some have such facilities, but they are only open in the peak holiday periods. Local residents may rely upon ‘travelling shops’ – vans and lorries loaded with food and everyday items, which tour villages, acting as a mobile épiceries.
Along long-distance paths and other well-used walking routes, farms will often sell cheese, milk, honey, fruit and so on to passers-by.
It’s a good idea to keep well stocked-up with essential foodstuffs (if you are on a cross-country trek), with petrol (if you are motoring), and with cash – however you choose to travel.
Maps
The sketch maps accompanying the walk descriptions in this book are intended only to offer an indication of the key features in the areas crossed. It is strongly recommended that walkers also equip themselves with the relevant 1:25,000 maps published by the Institut Géographique National (IGN), the French equivalent of the Ordnance Survey in Britain. These excellent maps contain very detailed topographical information. Each walk description specifies the 1:25,000 map (or maps) which cover the relevant area.
There are two types of 1:25,000 map. Maps in the Serie Bleue series each cover an area of about 15km x 20km. Maps in the Cartes topographiques TOP 25 series vary in size but typically cover an area of about 27km x 22km.
Always keep a map in your pack (seen here below Puilaurens castle, Section 11)
The TOP 25 maps show long-distance paths, local walking routes and a lot of other valuable tourist information, much of which is not shown on the Serie Bleue maps. They cover coastal, mountain and other tourist areas. In Cathar castle country, most of the 1:25,000 maps are in the TOP 25 series.
A grid of numbered kilometre squares covers the maps of newer editions of both 1:25,000 series. The newer editions can also be used with global positioning devices (a GPS symbol is shown on the front). At the time of writing, about two-thirds of the 1:25,000 maps referred to in this book are GPS-compatible. The newer editions of all 1:25,000 maps are also being marketed as Cartes de randonnée (walkers’ maps).
Many newsagents, bookshops and supermarkets in France sell IGN maps. TOP 25 maps cost around 10 Euros each (about £7), while a Serie Bleue map costs around 8 Euros.
The publisher Rando éditions has produced a series of 1:50,000 maps covering the French Pyrenees and their northern foothills, using IGN cartography and also called Cartes de randonnées. In this series, no 9, Montségur, covers an area between Quillan and Foix and is useful for planning walks in the area. It costs around 10 Euros.
The IGN also produces a series of 1:50,000 maps, but these are not usually available in shops and, for walkers, are no adequate substitute for 1:25,000 maps.
For route-planning purposes the IGN’s series of 1:100,000 maps (the Cartes topographiques Top 100 series, or Cartes de promenade) is very helpful. Nos 71 (St-Gaudens Andorre) and 72 (Béziers Perpignan) cover most of Cathar castle country.
IGN’s 1:250,000 maps (Cartes régionales series) are also designed for route planning by road. Cathar castle country is covered by Midi-Pyrénées (R16) and Languedoc- Roussillon (R17). In France, the 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 maps currently cost around 5 Euros each.
IGN’s website is www.ign.fr (in French only). Their maps and other products can be bought via that website using a British credit card. But, with the additional postage and cost of currency transfer, their final prices seem to work out a little higher than those charged by British suppliers of the same maps.
BRITISH MAP SUPPLIERS
Stanfords, 12–14 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9LP; te1: 020 7836 1321; [email protected]; www.stanfords.co.uk.
The Map Shop, 15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcs WR8 OHJ; te1: 01684 593146. (Freephone: 0800 085 4080); [email protected]; www.themapshop.co.uk.
Weather, equipment, risks
On the whole, the weather in Cathar castle country is very agreeable. Nevertheless – although the Mediterranean is not far away – don’t imagine that this region is similar to torrid Andalusia or bone-dry Crete. Rather, the weather is like that of Kent – only more so. Winter days are often cold and blustery, but springtime starts earlier and the summers