The Four Castles of Lastours

Okay, it sounds epic.  And it is.  Just imagine a ridge walk, with the additional attraction of four random summit-located castles on the route...

Here's a view of the village of Lastours, with its rather spectacular backdrop:-

As you can see, the weather wasn't particularly good that day.  In fact, the conditions were positively Scottish (though slightly warmer, admittedly!).  But the landscape was undoubtedly French, what with all the cypress trees, etc.:-

These four castles are located in a mountain range known as the Black Mountains, and they have their origins in the time of the Cathars.  But - as with Carcassone - the visible remains post-date the Albigensian Crusade, dating instead to the French occupation of the area:-

The situations of these castles are spectacular, and over the next couple of days, I'll give you a more detailed tour of each of them:-