The Area

The Aude is famous for Carcassonne's Cité - a World Heritage Site, and the largest fortified city in Europe - the seventeenth-century Canal du Midi (also a World Heritage Site) and unforgettable Cathar castles. The house is just twenty minutes from the medieval centre of Lagrasse, famous for its Benedictine abbey and the beauty of its historic streets and setting. Yet much of the magic is in the landscape on your doorstep, in the rocky hills and aromatic brush of the garrigue, in oak and cheshnut forests, and in obscure old stone villages.

Many towns have great markets and restaurants, and there's a wealth of fine local honey, cheese, wine, and other produce to sample. The house is just over an hour from the Mediterranean - via a relaxing backroads route - though you can swim too in a lake just five minutes from the village, as well as in nearby rivers. The access roads through the fields provide safe family cycling; horse-riding is offered locally, and canoeing not far away on the upper Aude River. In winter, lower altitude snowfields such as those around Camurac are accessible on a day trip (but more appropriate for children's fun than serious skiing).

The area is great for walking. A variety of walks, ranging from the most gentle to more adventurous, can be undertaken directly from the house. We are close also to several magnificent sections of the GR36, one of the France's most famous long-distance walking routes, and not far from the Sentier Cathare, which links several of the renowned chateaux.

On booking, we will send you a detailed guide, covering everything from swimming spots, walks and castles to vineyards, restaurants and shopping tips.