A lovely gite with extensive gardens and a large pool - Cottage Rental Listing Details

In the beautiful Aude department, close to Carcassonne with its ‘World Heritage’ Castle and to the enchanting Canal du Midi, Les Carries offers a very high standard of accommodation and equipment in utterly peaceful surroundings. The gite itself is newly renovated with a spacious kitchen complete with cooker, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, washing machine and microwave. there are two large bedrooms (one double and one twin/triple), and a large bathroom. The gite is set at one end of a typical Lauragais long farmhouse (the owners live at the other end) on 2½ acres of gardens, surrounded by farmland with views of the Montagne Noir and the Pyrenees. There is a large swimming pool set in charming surroundings and with sun loungers and parasols.

The nearest village is Labastide d'Anjou, (5 minutes by car if you happen to get stuck behind a tractor, 8 minutes by bicycle). It has a boulangerie/patisserie and boucherie/charcuterie (with a small selection of wine and groceries), not to mention a bar and a very good restaurant. Another restaurant offering typical French fare is right alongside the Canal du Midi, where you can watch the boats go by from your table on the terrace. Just in case, Labastide has a medical clinic and pharmacy as well.

The Area
Les Carries is ideally positioned for visits to all major sites in the area. It is about 60 minutes from Albi, 45 minutes from the Cité in Carcassonne, and 90 minutes to Collioure near the Spanish border. Toulouse (with its huge central square, medieval quarter, and excellent shopping), and the Cité de l'Espace space museum (excellent for kids, and still quite interesting for adults) are both an easy 45 minute drive. There is also excellent bus service to Toulouse. Limoux, Fanjeaux and Mirepoix are all about 30 minutes away, the Tarn Gorges and the beach in Narbonne are both about one hour away, as is Foix (with its astounding Cathar fortress). You can be shopping duty free in Andorra or hiking in the Pyrenees in about an hour and a half.
However, the countryside is chock full of interesting things to do and see much closer to home. Castelnaudary, birthplace of the local gastronomic specialty cassoulet, is 10 minutes away and has a very large market on Monday mornings, not to mention the Grand Bassin to stroll around, a three-level set of locks on the canal, two medieval churches and a beautifully restored windmill on the top of the hill with all the internal workings intact. Revel is 20 minutes away and has a Saturday morning market in and around its covered marketplace. The abbey in St. Papoul is 15 minutes away (see right). There are a number of wineries with tasting, and several excellent restaurants within short distance. There are two lakes nearby for swimming, sunning and boating, one in the Montagne Noir just outside of Revel, and the other in the hills just south of Montferrand. Each week in summer a different village in the area has a Thursday evening market, and there are various summer festivals celebrating the area's medieval and Cathar history.
Montferrand itself is home to the Seuil de Naurouze, the high spot on the Canal du Midi, which is not only interesting from an engineering standpoint but also a spacious and beautiful park. Just off the park in a lovely setting is a lock on the canal. The chateau at the top of the "mont" in Montferrand dates from the 10th century, and while the chateau itself is privately owned the courtyard is publicly accessible and you can walk through to an overlook with fantastic views over the countryside as well as an aviation light beacon from France's original air navigation system. Also in Montferrand are excavations of a Roman bath house and crypt (visits by appointment). From the house it is a 2 minute walk to La Rigole du la Plaine, which feeds into the Seuil de Naurouze and without which the Canal du Midi would not exist.
Bicycles are available for rent in Montferrand by the day or by the week, and there are endless kilometers of shaded tow path along the Rigole and the Canal du Midi to be cycled, jogged or walked. Speaking of bicycles, the Tour de France typically passes by within 30 minutes of Montferrand, and the pre-race hoopla is every bit as exciting as seeing the riders whizz by.
You can't possibly see and do everything the region has to offer in a week (or even two or three or four) and still make any pretence of relaxing, so you may as well just grab a towel and walk the 30-odd steps from the gite to the secluded 10x4 metre swimming pool with its view over wheat or sunflower fields. Or, you can while away an afternoon on the boules court.
Les Carries


2008 Prices for Les Carries

Week commencing Price in Pounds Sterling
3rd May – 30th May £475
31st May – 27th June £525
28th June – 29th August £675
30th August – 26th Sept £525
27th Sept – 31st Oct £475

Prices are per week and include linens, bath towels and electricity.
Please supply your own pool and beach towels.
To book or for more information contact Bob on
E-mail – robert.wilson@wanadoo.fr
Tel - 00 33 (0)4 67 98 53 97