The Bons Homes Way’s hike

The Bons Homes Way’s hike.

Discover the legacy of the Cathars across the Catalan and French Pyrenees

The Way of Bons Homes (Good-Men) is a trans-Pyrenean hike that recalls the migration routes of the Occitan Cathars. But beyond the experience of walking through the Catalan Pyrenees and the French, the path is an interesting historical and following a traditional transhumance route and centuries later it was a way of fleeing the Spanish Civil War. It is also interesting to compare the Mediterranean flora and fauna of Catalonia with the most Atlantic in France, even the villages on one side are different.

Description

Excommunicated in the 12th century, the Cathars, also called  Bons Homes Good Men, who advocated a Christianity based on spirituality and away from the authoritarian Catholic Church, were forced into exile in southern France. One of the routes they took departed from the Montsegur castle, in French country and reached the Queralt sanctuary in Catalonia.

The hike from south to north, from the sanctuary of Queralt at 1,200 meters to the castle of Montsegur, has breathtaking views, the route goes into the Pyrenees through the Rasos de Peguera.

Before undertaking the ascent to the Range of Cadi, you can visit the middle-age village of Gósol at the bottom of Pedraforca, having passed the Coll de la Balma and Coll de la Bena, a descent begins to the historic town of Bagà.

The pass of the Pendís, gives way to the region of Cerdanya, in which there is the welcoming municipality of Bellver de Cerdanya. From Prullans, the path goes up to Portella Blanca, the border point, from where the path continues in Andorran and French territory to Montsegur.

Anyone can make this hiking itinerary whenever the way is adapted to their conditions, but it can be done at any time of the year, usually in spring and autumn, when it is less hot and nature is more lush.

The way 138 miles 59 h hike.

Stages	Distance	Time
1.- Santuari Queralt- Gósol	18 miles	8h
2.- Gósol – Bagà	15 miles	6h
3.- Bagà Bellver de la Cerdanya	13,7 miles	7h
4.- Bellver de la Cerdanya– Porta	22 miles	9h
5.- Porta – Mérens les Vals	13,7 miles	7h
6.- Mérens les Vals – Orgeix	11 miles	4h
7.- Orgeix – Comús	14 miles	6h
8.- Comús – Montsegur	10 miles	4h
9.- Montsegur – Roquefixada	10 miles	5h
10.- Roquefixada – Foix	10,5 miles	5h