Peaceful Bed & Breakfast central for family holidays, house-hunting, rambling & exploring
the Haut Languedoc, Aude, France

Near Carcassonne, Mediterranean and Pyrénées

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Peacefully Located

Homestay B&B with optional dinner; central to places of interest in the Languedoc and near Carcassonne, Limoux & Corbières. Our edge-of-village location overlooks fields and vineyards – ideal if you want to "get away from it all" and relax in the peaceful atmosphere of an informal English household.

We offer spacious, inexpensive rooms with local views of Pyrénées and Montagne Noire. Mediterranean only 70 mins. away. (CLICK HERE for MAP)

 

Activities

Set deep in Cathar country, this area is perfect if you just want to flump about. We have a rich variety of caves, lakes, castles & remote woodland. Take a picnic on a grassy hillside or plunge in the Mediterranean – it's an hour's drive away. Go white-water rafting (on the river Aude). Enjoy safe sailing, wind-surfing & swimming (at a large nearby lake ). Take a canal-boat trip from Castelnaudary & Trèbes along the Canal du Midi or find a shady spot there from which to eat, read or snooze. Cool off in the wonderful sea breezes created by two high–speed sea catamarans whose operators offer 1 or 2–hour excursions from Gruissan marina; scare yourself jet–skiing off the eastern edge of Narbonne plage or spend several hours enjoying challenges at Carcassonne's 02 ADVENTURE PARK.

Both the Razès and nearby Corbières provide easy walks or empty roads for cycling. More challenging trails at 800 to 2,000 metres altitude are reached quite quickly by car and the old Cathar footpath (GR7) is within sight of our house.

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Come and stay in the Razès hills . . .
Be central to places of interest in the Languedoc . . .
Have easy access to the high mountains and Mediterranean coast . . .
Unwind in our informal homestay environment . . .

B&B accommodation with optional dinner 

In three spacious bedrooms  we can easily accommodate a family of six, or limit the numbers staying to make you feel more 'at home'. Our large rooms comprise: twin; double, & triple (or single occupancy). Free early morning tea/coffee is brought to your room each day (watch out for the maid!) and both breakfast & dinner are taken in the dining room where a large open fire provides winter warming.

Our optional evening meals are freshly home-cooked from ingredients bought that day or the day before and include local pâtés, cheeses, wines and savoury dishes as well as generous portions of vegetables. Alternatively, substantial 2-course suppers can be offered when guests prefer something simpler in the evening. Special dietary needs can usually be catered for if we are advised in advance. Meals are frequently served outside and we often provide barbecue dinners on the patio. Guests can share our lounge as a place to read, talk, relax listening to music or watch satellite TV.

(To obtain printed HOUSE PHOTOS, Bed & Breakfast TARIFFS
and more AREA DETAILS, please go to LINK at the END of this HOME-PAGE.)

 

Easy access to the whole region

Carcassonne  (left-click PHOTO RIGHT for extra picture)  with its mediæval la cité centre, galleries, gift shops, varied restaurants, 52 towers, castle and two miles of concentric double-walled cité exterior – is only 25kms away, and Limoux – known for its Blanquette sparkling wine (and strong black coffee) – also boasts a charming town square bordered with inexpensive cafés just 12kms away. For those unfamiliar with the area, Toulouse lies to the west and is France's AEROSPACE CITY. To the east, we have the Mediterranean coastline (with expansive beaches & abundant fish-food). Northwards our house overlooks the Montagne Noire (water-source of the CANAL DU MIDI) and within a 70-minutes drive to the south you can visit the former Cathar strongholds  MONTSÉGUR and the ski-fields of Monts d’Olmes and Ax-Bonascre.

Languedoc-Roussillon is full of mysteries, such as the enigma of Rennes-le-Château, and it still bears the scars of the Albigensian Crusade & Cathar Inquisition which ultimately brought this Occitan nation-province under the control of the French monarchy.

Those of you interested in pre-history can see reconstruction of life 450,000 ago based on l’homme de Tautavel artefacts discovered in the heart of the Corbières or explore the Dinosauria museum at Espéraza. This land of ancient history also has an abundance of WILD FLOWERS; is a paradise for serious bird-watchers; has local towns with bustling markets, plus many attractive local walks,  particularly the nearby  GR7.

(TO PRE-VIEW Gérard Sioen’s images of CATHAR COUNTRY & Provence
– exhibited and available for sale in Carcassonne – please LEFT-CLICK the grey signature PANEL BELOW.)

 

 

 

Help planning your excursions

As we are English, you can natter to us as much as you like and may even find our knowledge of the area helpful in planning your daily excursions. We also have maps, leaflets, booklets for you to read – plus a completely useless cat you can pet – and videos you can see. In particular, we have both regional and  'Cathar specific'  walking guides (French) and some English translations of local WALKING ROUTES – the exploration of which may require heavier duty foot gear. Most castles can be viewed throughout the year, although in winter the hours of access are more limited and, for safety, you’ll need to use "sensible" shoes.

· Spacious & affordable rooms – single, double, twin or triple

· Optional 4-course dinners – ideal when you prefer not to 'drink & drive'

· Special dietary needs can usually be accommodated

· Near high hills, footpaths, fields and vineyards

· Easy rambling & good bird-watching country immediately adjacent

· Water-sports available at Quillan, Lac de Montbel and Narbonne Plage

· Home-stay comforts plus large open log-fire for winter warming

· Help with planning your excursions, whether wine tasting, exploring, touring or house hunting

· Varied scenery ideal for photographers and artists

3-month Limoux carnival commences mid-January; music festivals throughout Aude in Spring;
local mediæval procession and folklore festival in Summer. Vendange fête late October.

(Alternatively, IMMEDIATE QUOTES available via external links below.
More TRANSPORT INFO available in the printed details we mail you.)

 Ryanair —  scheduled services from several European airports to Béziers, Perpignan & nearby Carcassonne.

Flybmi (British Midland) — flies via Edinburgh / Aberdeen / Glasgow / Manchester to Toulouse.

 Flybe (British European) — includes flights via Birmingham or Bristol to Toulouse.

 LD Lines & Transmanche ferries — to Le Havre, Dieppe & Boulogne.

 Easyjet — for various routes including Bristol & Gatwick to Toulouse.

 Motorail — car and passenger service to Toulouse or Narbonne.

For more Cathar history  left-click our link below:

For tariffs, house pictures, more area details click here
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