Cami dels Bons Homes ( route of the holy men)

Cerdanya Day Two.

After a leisurely breakfast of apricot madelaines and walnut bread we set of to visit the Lake of Orri which lies to the north of Martinet about 8k from Lles, we left the car at the Refugi Cap del Rec, and prepared to hike the final 4 k to the lakes only to meet some southward heading walkers who told us the way was impassible because of deep snow. We returned to the refuge and after an early lunch set off along the lower stretches of the Cami dels Bons Homes which runs for 130 kilometres from Montsegur in France to Berga in Spain. This is the route the Cathars took when fleeing from their last stand in the Castle of Montsegur, over the Pyrenees to the shelter given to them by many Catalan nobles. In 1243-1244--the Cathars were besieged at Montsegur by ten thousand Royal Catholic French troops. In March of 1244, the castle finally surrendered and the Cathar defenders were burned en masse in a bonfire at the foot of the peak.

The path follows the valley of the Llosa river before climbing to over 2800 metres to traverse Puig Peric in the northern Pyrenees. The shot of the old bridge is at a spot called Sal de Moli which is near the village of Villella. It crosses the upper reaches of the Llosa near a spectacular waterfall overlooked by the ruins of a Water mill. In such secluded places along the route it is easy to think yourself back to 1244 and imagine a stream of refugees contemplating the long walk still to be tackled before they reached the sanctuary ahead.