Area and Activities

Wine lovers will appreciate the fruit of the local vines. Gaillac and the valleys surrounding it are famous for the full bodied vin rouge. A half hour drive away, nearly all the local vineyards provide tasting opportunities.

Throughout the summer, most local villages have their annual fête. This is a huge, community organised feast that is open to everyone. Local foods and wine are served outdoors in the Town Square with late night dancing to the local band.

Antique lovers and bargain hunters will be in their element. Summer is when the French "empty their attics" and nearly every weekend you'll find a nearby village closed to traffic allowing local residents to sell their wares.

The gites are located 1.5kms from the medieval market town of Puylaurens (market day on Wednesday) built on the crest of a hill in the Tarn overlooking the Plain of Lauragais with La Montagne Noire 8 miles to the East and the Pyrenees on the southern horizon.

The wildlife is amazing here. Buzzards circle lazily overhead, geckos bask in the sun and at night countless stars are visible. La Montagne Noire is a beautiful area for walks with swimming lakes and 15 minutes away is Revel with its bustling and famous market, a gourmet’s delight. Local shops, restaurants, banks and markets are 5 minutes away.

It is a wonderful central area for exploring the delights of SW France or you can just relax in the sun or walk forever in the unspoilt countryside. On a clear day, the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees are visible 100 kms to the South; the Mediterranean is about 1.5 hrs drive. Toulouse is under an hour to the West. Albi, Carcassonne and Castelnaudary on the Canal du Midi and the wine areas of Gaillac are also less than an hour from here. It is ideal for those wanting a holiday or to use as a base whilst in search of your French idyll.

The house is surrounded by many beautiful villages steeped in history all with their fetes, markets and antique "brocantes", centuries old castles and fortified bastides. It is in the heart of the Cocagne country, made rich by the production of blue dye from the plant Pastel.

The area is characterised by rolling hills, vineyards, and bastides, or hill-top fortified villages which date from the twelfth century. These are extremely pretty and full of fascinating medieval details as well as offering good, reasonably-priced restaurants, cafés, and craft shops. Also very close are the ‘Chateaux Cathars’, which are all that remain of a very cruel and bloody war against the heretic Cathars in the South West ending in their extermination. The many castles, now ruins, are perched on hill tops, providing superb walks and views.

The most famous attractions in the area are Carcassonne (60 kms) with its magnificent walled medieval city dominating the countryside, a wonderful day out, many shops and restaurants, often with open air concerts and opera, son et lumiere and fireworks; Cordes sur Ciel (70 kms) a superbly preserved bastide town, looking like something out of a fairy-tale and worth a day's exploration, and the city of Albi (55 kms), which was the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec and houses the best collection of his works. The entire town of Albi, built of red brick, including its truly awesome cathedral, is one of those dreamy Languedoc towns that give South West France its particular charm. This area is one of the authentic, unspoilt, havens you can still "discover" in Southern France, for example the awe inspiring granite rocks in the Sidobre (25 kms).

In addition, all the following are locally available:

• Horse-riding, cycling, canoeing nearby, sailing, sailboard, hang-gliding within half an hour
• Swimming, half an hour away in the clear water lakes of Saint Fereol and Le Bassin du Lampy)
• Castres: Goya museum

Distances: Toulouse - 50 km, Castres – 24 kms, Revel – 12 kms, Carcassonne – 60 kms, Andorra – 160 kms (2 hrs), Mediterranean – 150 kms (2 hrs), Barcelona – 400 kms (4 hrs)