Sophie's Occitania and Templar Quest: Cathar Country with James McDonald

James McDonald

The History of the Cathars in Occitannia

In a lost corner of wilderness and vineyards peppered with castles and historic vestige discover the battles of Medieval France. The Languedoc today is stunning even by French standards and offers an authentic and unspoiled France.

James is an expert on Cathar beliefs and their struggle with the Catholic Church, that in the 12th century set out to eradicate their humane, gnostic beliefs.

The tours are not scripted and James shares this moving and important history with impressive erudition and genuine deep enthusiasm.

Sophie will take care that you have an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful cuisine, produce and wine that Occitania offers today and that routes are carefully planned to ensure that you enjoy a range of stunning varied landscapes.

A la Carte Cather Country Tours

Our A la Carte tours offer you the flexibility to design your own history immersion experience featuring Oxford-educated researcher and author James McDonald and professional collaborators personally selected by him.

While our tours will always highlight key Cathar sites and history, the Languedoc offers unique opportunities to explore a wide range of pre-historic and historic themes. Ancient hominids, Greeks, Etruscans, Romans, Celts, Visigoths, Moors, Templar Knights, Medieval Counts, Troubadours and others have all left traces behind and James and his colleagues are uniquely qualified to bring this rich heritage to life. The Languedoc is studded with spectacular mountains, megaliths, caves, castles, churches, abbeys, wildlife, thermal springs and even dinosaur fossils. This living library of human and natural history offers endless opportunities for you to gain unique insights into an amazing range of fascinating topics.

James brings a deep understanding of Cathar heritage to all Cathar Country Tours, but after living, researching and writing in the Languedoc for decaes, he is also uniquely qualified to customize tours that illuminate all aspects of the region’s pre-history and history. His extensive contacts with other researchers in the region enable Cathar Country Tours to customize a tour with James and/or independent collaborators selected him for their eminence in their respective fields his colleagues to deepen your understanding of virtually any aspect of the Languedoc’s natural and human past.

You decide when, where, what and how long – we respond with an itinerary that addresses all of your interests.

James’ carefully designed single-day and multi-day tour programs embracing over two-dozen Cathar sites paint a coherent picture of both the specific events and personalities linked to each site and its contribution to the larger historical tableau. His combination of wit and erudition – and his frequent use of colourful quotations from the Cathars and Crusaders themselves -- enable him to make complex historical themes accessible in a way that is unique and memorable. Your historical immersion experience with James highlights key places carefully selected by him to explain not only what happened in the Languedoc seven centuries ago, but also why it happened and why it still matters.

Like any credible scholar, James also knows the limits of his personal expertise and respects the fact that other researchers in the region can offer you insights into many other facets of the Languedoc’s story. Whether the focus is on geology, palaeontology, the dawn of man, antiquity, the Middle Ages or more recent history, we can customize tours for individuals, families and groups with guaranteed high standards of scholarship and attention to detail.

Because we have lived and worked in the Languedoc for over two decades, we can draw on deep experience and contacts to customize a tour for you or your group that meets your most exacting expectations. Some of the variables we can discuss include:

Topics, places and activities of special interest to you
The date(s) and length of your visit
Accommodation, food, transportation and other preferences
Prior exposure to topics of interest

We are headquartered in a restored 16th-Century castle located in the charming hill-top village of Saint-Ferriol, about an hour’s drive from Carcassonne. In addition to site visits throughout the Languedoc, we can host wine & cheese tastings, lectures, musical programs, meals and other activities here.

Whether you’re on the trail of dinosaurs, the Knights Templar or one of the region’s mystery-shrouded sites (such as Rennes la Chateau, which is visible from our chateau), we can arrange a tour by multi-lingual guides who not only take you to sites of interest, but offer you insights and local-perspectives you won’t find in anywhere else.

The same high standards of scholarship and teaching skills we insist on for our scheduled tours apply to the A la Carte tours. This format also allows us to incorporate other exceptional opportunities into your travel experience – including bicycle, equestrian, canal boat and other transportation options. Of course, we recognize that no visit to the Languedoc would be complete without sampling regional cuisine, wine, music and cultural offerings, so those and more can be incorporated into your itinerary – that’s why we designate this our A la Carte tour option.

Quite simply, we are determined to offer groups ranging in size from two to nineteen the most rewarding and insightful Cathar Country experience possible. Sketch out your dream vacation and rely on us to make those dreams come true. Here are some examples of thematic tours we have developed or are developing: