17 January, 2008 Author: Terina Bilby
Visited and written up by guest Nigel
Montsegur is easy to reach from Maison Famille and takes no more than an hour to get to. Go to Foix and then take the N20 south towards Andorra. Come off the N20 almost immediately onto the D117 signposted for Perpignan. Go through Nalzen and then within a few Kilometres take a right turn onto the D9 signposted for Montsegur (it is then signposted all the way to the top).
The road up is a good surface and quite wide, although with the usual hairpins. As you almost get to the top you will see free car parking on either side of the road. Park there and walk uphill to the beginning of the path (on the bend). Keep following the path upward (past the monument) and you will enter the trees.
After climbing for a while you will suddenly come upon the ticket booth set under the trees. When I visited, the booth was inhabited by a melancholy man who sussed I was English from my execrable French and complete lack of fitness. Adult entry was 4 Euros and for that you also get a brochure (in English).
Say goodbye to the jolly man and keep climbing to the top. I climbed in a thunderstorm with hail stones so the rock path was quite tricky in parts. The climb to the top is probably no more than 20 minutes in total although it felt a lot longer! When I had recovered from my heart attack I discovered that Montsegur itself is no more than a roofless ruin. So you are visiting more for the significance of the site than the building itself.
There are no facilities at the top. On a good day the views will be spectacular but on the day I visited the low cloud emphasised the isolation of the site. If you don’t explore, you will miss the wooden steps on the left of the building which show you a few small rooms on the upper level.
When back at the car park I suggest you go down the other side by the D9. This way takes you to Montsegur village which from memory had a cafe and other shops (although I didn’t visit). This way you also avoid Lavelanet and if you turn right when back on the D117 it takes you to Puivert which has a Chateau and other attractions.
Not recommended for young children unless you are prepared to carry them up to the top or elderly people who are not steady under foot.
For further information see www.montsegur.org
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