Things to do

For the active: Swimming, walking, mountaineering, ski-ing, white water rafting, sailing, caving, acro-parcs. There is a very good golf course on the road to Carcassonne and you will also pass riding stables. Kayaks can be rented in Limoux and Quillan and the Olympic-standard white water rafting is in Axat, around 40 minutes south, in the Pyrenees.

Walkers: If you are a serious walker there are Pyrenean Mountain Guides and the Club Randonee de France run regular walks too. Every village has leaflets for walkers which can be picked up at the town halls; the paths are marked by wooden posts with coloured symbols.

Ski-ing: The Ski Club of France give lessons every morning on the ski-slopes in the winter (1.5 hours south).

Festivals: Carcassonne (July), Limoux Carnival (weekends, January to March), wine festivals in the spring and autumn, fois gras and mushroom festivals in the autumn. Music, art and dance festivals every weekend during the summer months. There is always something going on!

Markets and wine: Limoux market every Friday morning, Carcassonne market every Wednesday and Saturday, Mirepoix craft market every Monday. Wine tastings daily (just drive in) at most of the vineyards in the area, and the growers are very pleased to sell you wine by the bottle or the case. Vin en Vacances is a vineyard tour company ran by Wendy Gedney an English woman with a passion for this wonderful area and its wines. Wendy is a wine teacher and during the tours not only will you have a thoroughly enjoyable day, you will also learn a great deal about wine and tasting. Her aim is to provide you with an experience that you can’t easily create for yourself and during the day you will explore the regions, meet some of the most interesting vignerons, taste their wines and enjoy a superb lunch.

Museums and attractions: Dinosaur museum (Esperaza), many local art galleries and studios (Lagrasse for pottery). Animations on the history of the Cathars at Catharama, walk the ramparts of the medieval city of Carcassonne. Visit the ancient sites mentioned in the Da Vinci Code and The Holy Blood and Holy Grail (Rennes Le Chateau).