Three: Montsègur to Comus

Another up-down-up day in the course of which we traverse our first gorge & move from the wooded valleys of Ariège's Pays d'Olmes to the more mountainous Pays de Sault of the Aude. The shift between landscapes & administrative districts coincides with a change of waymarking as we start to see the blue-and-orangey-yellow waymarks of the Sentier Cathare. However, the waymarking is not consistent & some care is required, in particular during the first half hour (Wps.3-9), when there are some misleading, unofficial rough blue-and-yellow waymarks. In terms of Cathar history, the principal point of interest is our approach to Montaillou, the village at the heart of modern historical accounts of the Cathar experience. Despite its brevity, this is an arduous stretch that gets its exertion rating as much for the descent to Pelail (very steep and very muddy after rain) as the gruelling climb up the gorge. There is a good picnic spot at Pelail.