Cathare
Castles, Canal du Midi and much more...
-
Roquetaillade,
situated in the heart of the Limoux wine region and surrounded by mountainous
terrain, is an unspoiled medieval hill-top village with pretty narrow streets
and almost all houses made of local stone. From the church, which is one
of the highest points of the village, you can enjoy far reaching views over
the vineyards with the Domain du Moulin nesting near the bottom of the valley.
-
Limoux
is famed for the longest carnival in Europe and its excellent sparkling
wine "Blanquette de Limoux“ which is produced using the Champagne
process. Cooking fans should earmark Fridays, the market day, with many
delicious local products on sale. Limoux also has a good range of shops
and restaurants.
- Carcassonne
is famous for its beautiful medieval fortress 'La Cité', which is a
World Heritage site. This fantastic castle inspired Walt Disney and was used
in many films including Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood". Inside La
Cité there are many medieval buildings but sadly most of them are now
shops or restaurants. The least spoiled are the perimeter walls and indeed
worth a tour with its views over Carcassonne and the countryside.
-
The
Canal du Midi, another World Heritage site, is nearby and
you can enjoy boating or cycling along it.
-
Mirepoix
- with its wooden arcades on the main square dating back to the 13th century
invite you to sit down and enjoy the medieval atmosphere.
- Toulouse
with its cathedral and many more historic sites has a very pretty city centre
with beautiful parks, flea markets and designer shops. So nice that you could
get carried away and not have enough money left to try one of the many inviting
restaurants. On the outskirts of Toulouse is the famous Space Museum - entertainment
and education for budding astronauts of all ages.
- Narbonne,
the ancient maritime centre with its Archbishop’s Palace is a jewel
to be discovered buried amongst the fabricated holiday resorts of this coastal
area.
- The Cathar castles,
most of them occupying spectacular sites perched high on top of rocky mountains
with breathtaking views, give testimony of the force of this medieval religious
sect, which has its followers to this day.
- The Pyrenees
- the activities and places to visit here are too numerous to mention.
- The Mediterranean
and its endless beaches are just over an hour away. Some of the beaches appear
to have indeed no end.
- There are many gorges
and caves to explore in the Languedoc. One of the most impressive
of the gorges is the 'Gorges de Galamus' with the rugged road carved out of
the rock. Near one end of this narrow gorge there is a small hermitage precariously
clinging onto the steep cliff.
- This area of Aude is
rich in prehistoric fossils. In Espéraza is a Dinosaur
Museum (next to the Hat Museum) where you can see many fossils and reconstructions
of local finds. There are often school trips organised to look for fossils
in the disused quarry next to Domaine du Moulin.
- For the more energetic
amongst you there are many exciting activities and sports
available in the area. Below is a list of some of them:
walking/hiking, cycling/mountain biking, canoeing/kayaking, white water rafting
(in spring only), swimming, canyonning, caving, fishing, paragliding, ballooning,
rock climbing, abseiling, adventure playgrounds, horse riding, archery, tennis,
golf and skiing (yes, really, the nearest resort is just an hour away).
- Additionally to the above
there is a large collection of guides, maps and programmes of activities available
in the gites. For further information please also see the Links
page of this web site.
