Lastours: Four Cathar Castles on One Ridge
Occitanie, France
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Cabaret Keep
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300
XP
+100 France
= 400 total
1 day
Lastours: Four Cathar Castles on One Ridge
300 + 100 XP
Four castles stand in a line along one rock spur at 300 metres' altitude above the village of Lastours, cut off by the deep valleys of the Orbiel and the Grésillou: Cabaret, the Tour Régine, Surdespine and Quertinheux. The lords of Cabaret are first named in 1067, and in the 13th century this was a serious Cathar centre — Cabaret took in the Cathar bishop of Carcassonne and became the seat of his see — holding out against Simon de Montfort and then Humbert V de Beaujeu until Cabaret capitulated in 1229. The line along the crest is the king's work: before the crusade there were only three castles and they did not stand on the ridge, and the crown had the seigneurial towers pulled down to deny the Cathars a refuge and rebuilt up here out of reach of enemy fire, with the Tour Régine added to make the point. UNESCO listed the site on 26 July 2026 among the Capetian royal fortresses of Languedoc.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Start at the Belvédère, which needs no climb and puts all four castles in one view, then take the made path along the crest and reach them in their north-to-south order — Cabaret, the Tour Régine, Surdespine, Quertinheux — about two and a half hours on the ground
2
of 5
Walk Cabaret, the original stronghold, and pick out its three parts — tower to the north, keep to the south, hall between them — then find the wall-walk carried round on blind pointed arcades
3
of 5
Find the Tour Régine, the smallest and newest of the four and the one the king built — three storeys on a spiral stair, with the largest cistern on the whole ridge dug under it
4
of 5
Cross to Quertinheux at the south end, standing on its own isolated pinnacle, go in through the chicane that defends the gate, and look down from the round tower over the Orbiel and Grésillou and onto the ruins of the Romanesque church below
5
of 5
At Surdespine, once the largest of the four and now the most ruined, count the four round-headed windows and the handful of loopholes, then find in the cistern the piece of terracotta pipe that still shows how roof water was collected up here
Start at the Belvédère, which needs no climb and puts all four castles in one view, then take the made path along the crest and reach them in their north-to-south order — Cabaret, the Tour Régine, Surdespine, Quertinheux — about two and a half hours on the ground
Walk Cabaret, the original stronghold, and pick out its three parts — tower to the north, keep to the south, hall between them — then find the wall-walk carried round on blind pointed arcades
Find the Tour Régine, the smallest and newest of the four and the one the king built — three storeys on a spiral stair, with the largest cistern on the whole ridge dug under it
Cross to Quertinheux at the south end, standing on its own isolated pinnacle, go in through the chicane that defends the gate, and look down from the round tower over the Orbiel and Grésillou and onto the ruins of the Romanesque church below
At Surdespine, once the largest of the four and now the most ruined, count the four round-headed windows and the handful of loopholes, then find in the cistern the piece of terracotta pipe that still shows how roof water was collected up here
Before you go
The castle path takes about two and a half hours and climbs on rough ground — proper shoes, water and a hat, as there is no shade on the crest. Admission is around 9 euros for an adult, 4.50 for a child and 15 euros for a family. Winter closing is 4.30pm and the site shuts on weekdays in early January, so check the day before travelling. The Belvédère viewpoint is reachable by anyone who cannot manage the climb.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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