Local Info.

The village of La Serpent can be found 20 minutes south of the town of Limoux which is famous for it’s sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux and Carnival. It has a lively square with restaurants and bars.

Carcassonne, 40 minutes to the north sits at the foot of the Black Mountains where the river Aude changes direction and goes towards the Mediterranean. A must to visit. The old city is an impressive, lovingly restored fortress standing on an outcrop overlooking the banks of the river Aude. It is the largest fortress in Europe and has museums, restaurants and shops.

One of the most memorable events held here is the annual firework display when the entire citadel appears to go up in flames in honour of Bastille Day (14th July).

Close by , Rennes-le-Château stands on a plateau more than twenty-five metres above the Aude valley and from the car park there are excellent views of the surrounding area.

Rumour abounds in Rennes-le-Château about the enigmatic Béranger Saunière, parish priest here from 1885 to his death in 1917. Speculation tends to agree that the secret of his sudden wealth must have been the discovery of some hidden treasure…. This village was brought into prominence by the best selling book “Holy Blood/Holy Grail” and more recently the popular “Da Vinci Code“. Treasure hunters to this day still scour the area.

The spa town of Rennes-les-Bains is also nearby and this is the setting for Kate Mosse’s latest bestseller The Sepulchre.

Cathar Castles can be found all around this area. The Castles now associated with the Cathars were originally built as defensive outposts around 1000 AD. They were built by local noblemen seeking to protect their lands.

In the 13th century these bastions of Occitan independence transformed themselves into entrenched camps for Cathar refugees earning themselves the label “Chateaux Cathares”

They later defended territories but when the treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 pushed the French border further south many were left to fall into ruin. The story of the Cathars has been brought to life in the book The Labyrinth, also by Kate Mosse.

There are plenty of activities in the area, including horse riding, fishing, cycling, white water rafting, dinosaur museums etc. Painting holidays can also be arranged on request. The Mediterranean coast and beaches of Perpignan and Narbonne are an hour and a half away. Many activities are very reasonably priced too.