Near Narbonne and
Carcassonne
Off
the D 6113 - Narbonne to Carcassonne- just a 15 kilometre drive from
Narbonne - a country road leads
to
Raissac d’Aude, a tiny village
tucked away amid the lush vineyards of the Aude valley.
There
is one shop in the village, which sells everything (including bread)
but nearby Canet d’Aude has a supermarket, pharmacy, bakery, butcher,
tabac, and a bar / brasserie. There is a wide variety of
restaurants within a short drive and in Narbonne.
You must take a bike
ride along
the world famous Canal du Midi, e.g. from the chateau at Ventenac to Le
Somail which is towards Narbonne and a little gem. Or in
Homps,
towards Carcassonne, one can rent a canal boat to take a day trip on
the Canal or go on an organised tour.
Lézignan,
only a 10’ drive towards Carcassonne, is a prosperous provincial town
with a number of supermarkets and a bustling open air street market on
Wednesdays.
Narbonne, a vibrant town with a
beautiful old centre around the Cathedral and the Old Palace, boasts
the picturesque art deco Les Halles where one finds delicious seafood,
bread, pastry, fresh meat and vegetables, wines, cheeses. All the good
things of French life!
La
Clape, a mountainous protected natural resort between Narbonne and the
Mediterranean, beckons the visitor to its footpaths with splendid views
across the sea, beyond the Pyrenees towards the rocky capes of Spain’s
Costa Brava.
The Spanish border is just a 1 hour drive,
unless one stops in the Catalan capital of Perpignan.
In
the other direction, much closer, past Narbonne, there is poetic
Béziers to be seen and trendy Montpellier. Of course the endless sandy
beaches and the yachting marinas between Sète and Gruissan deserve a
lengthy visit too. There is almost too much to see
Medieval
Carcassonne, object of much desire during the Albigensian crusades, and
now one of France's most popular tourist destinations, is just forty
minutes from our house..
Carcassonne
was restored to storybook perfection in the 1800s. Nowadays Carcassonne
erupts every Bastille Day in an awesome display of fireworks.
Beyond
the Cité of Carcassonne itself, vast horizons open up to you. Perched
on their "Pogs" (peaks) of dizzying heights, the Cathar Country
châteaux await you, their indomitable silhouettes punctuating the Midi
sky. On windy evenings you just might perhaps hear the echo of the
crusade against the Albigensians. the breath of History as described in
The Labyrinth the bestselling novel by Kate Mosse.
The area is brilliantly suited to cycling. Use our bikes or hire
quality bikes from Mellow velos
who are based in nearby Paraza, which can be reached by way a
pleasant cycle along the Canal du Midi shaded by the plane trees.
Brian
cycled from Calais to Raissac d'Aude in September 2010 to mark his
retirement
from teaching and to raise much needed funds for the
Samaritans read
all about it
or the article which appeared in the Midi Libre
He also cycled from Raissac to Scotland in June
2012 in memory of David Noble to raise funds for
Bowel Cancer UK details here
Wireless Broadband and Windows 10 laptop
available
Quality
holiday village house
or gite for self catering vacation rentals in sunny Aude, Languedoc,
Southern France. Close to Narbonne, Carcassonne and the Mediterranean.
Private cottage lets in the south of France chez nous at www.lamaisondumurier.co.uk
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