The Imperial Guide to the Land of the Cathars
OK I've dug out various books and maps and consulted with my father on this and so I've drawn together about a decades worth of trips to the region (my folks bought a house down there to retire too and I've spent many a holiday there but, my mum died and we've now sold it but I still love the area and will certainly be going back).
Essentially you'll need Michelin Yellow map 86 (and possibly the green guide to the Pyrenees) although you might need others if venturing further a field (esp. as Carcasonne is right on the top edge). The whole area is really a big rectangle and (hopefully) you can get a general feel for the area from this map:
Micelin Map
I have created a simplified version (
which is attached) to show the main towns and places of interest and the key is:
=================================
Main towns:
P: Pamiers
C: Carcasonne
N: Narbonne
M: Millau
Q: Quillan
P: Perpignan
V: Villefranche de Conflent
FR: Font-Romeu
A: Ax Les Thermes
F: Foix
T: Tarascon
G: St. Girons
------------------------
Cathars
I'd recommend you get the follwoing reading (it has had mixed reviews but it has a lot of maps and pictures even if you don't like it):
The Yellow Cross:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140276696/revenantmagaz-21
Cathar locations on the map:
1: Montsegur
2: Pic du Bugarach - a very unusual hill with all sorts of legends/history - it is also on the Paris Meridian.
3: Peyrepetuse
4: Querebus
5: Rennes le Chateau
[note: the line on the outline that 2, 3, 4 and 6 are on isn't the main road it is the River Algy which parallels it to the north and the drive up from Tautavel across that area is amazing]
------------------------
Palaeolithic:
The region is nearly as rich as the Dordogne with very important sites going back 400,000 years:
6: The Museum at Tautavel based around the impressive Lower Palaeolithic finds at Arago.
The whole Ariege is fully of later Palaeolithic painted caves and important sites but it might be wise to fo to the Prehistoric Park in Tarascon before going up to the caves just to get advice, book, etc. (I think the ticket for the park also gets you into Niaux)
7: Niaux - pant wettingly good. You drive up high above the valley onto the shelf outside the cave. You then plunge on into the cave an amazing journey down deep into the cave and then then after a while they start showing you all sorts of wonders - paintings, sculputure, amazing caves, etc.
8: Mas d'Azil - needs to be seen just for its setting. You drive around corner and the road plunges into a huge cave and out the othe side. You can then go for a tour up into the sub caves above the road which are well worth it.
There is another cave like Niaux but without the tourist numbers - possibly Portel (it was wide and had a German plane factory in it during the War and someone once took off from inside it) which is worth a visit its more of an intimate litle trip (I'll try and dig the name out).
Good guide:
http://www.ariege.com/what_to_do/castlescaves/info.html
If you were going to go more into the Palaeolithic art angle (through the Ariege and up into the Dordogne perhaps)
then I'd recommend Paul Bahn's "Journey Through the Ice Age" - it was my constant companion on various jaunts around
the painted caves of France:
http://www.sciencesbookreview.com/Journey_Through_the_Ice_Age_0520229002.html
http://www.rock-art.com/books/bahn2.htm
----------------
Templars and sundries on the way down (its on the Michelin yellow map 80):
9: La Couvertoirade - one of the main Templar storng holds
10: Cirque de Navacelles - an impressive natural 'arena'
These last two depend on your route there - if you drove down the main (nearly complete?) motorway through Millau (one of the best routes if you don't fly) then there are some interesting thigns to see there and the amazing Gorges of the Tarn are also there.
================================
Anyway just a quick outline - feel free to pick my brains if you like but it should also help provide places to search for on the Internet, etc.
Just digging ot all the info has made me exicted again and I want to go back - if you only see a small part of the above you'll have a great time
[edit: The Rennes Le Chateau thread is here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73 ]