Why Occitania?
While Athara Adventures will lead tours in several locations, we chose to ground our business in the Occitanie region of France. The fantastic network of trails, local cuisine, and spectacular views provide plenty of reasons to love the area, but there is another reason to consider visiting this unique region: its long history of comradery and courage.
We are always amazed by the strong and lasting bonds that are formed in shared experience on the mountain, celebrated over food and drink in the evening, and through tales of adventure. The Pyrenees have provided this space to travelers and residents for centuries.
During World War II, the Chemin de la Liberté was a secret route through the Pyrenees used to smuggle downed airmen out of France, so they could continue to fight the Axis Powers. Local sheep and goat herders, farmers, and other residents risked their lives to help soldiers cross the border. For the airmen, it required the trusting of complete strangers.
The Chemin de Bonhommes, another historic, important passage, was used during the 10th Century as an economic route between France and Spain. It was also used in the 13th Century by Cathars who were fleeing religious prosecution. Another common route for Cathar travelers is now known as the Sentier de Cathar, used frequently from the 11th-to -13th Centuries.
The Cathars were a religious sect that flourished during this period and were regarded as an advanced society for their egalitarian beliefs around honor, loyalty, and comradeship. Eventually, due to the growing popularity of their simple values and teachers who lived among the common folk, the Roman Catholic Church began to view them as a threat to their wealth and power. Through decades of systemic terror and murder known as the Albigensian Crusade, the Catholic Church unleashed its fury on the Occitan region and its people. The Cathar castles that we will encounter and tour during our hiking and e-mountain biking adventures were used as military strongholds during the invasion and attacks from the Catholic Church. Some are now in ruins, but some still survive, giving us a view into their world. To this day, the Cathars are seen as a symbol of autonomy, defiance against oppression and illegitimate authority, and tolerance.
Throughout our years hiking and touring the Occitan region, we have continued to draw inspiration from its historical figures who chose to fight for what they knew was right, no matter the cost. Check out the Athara Adventures tour page for booking information, so you too can walk in the footsteps of history.