La Maison Caignac
Things to Do |
Things to Do Here is a selection of places to go/things to do. In no particular order and certainly by no means exhaustive; if you come across a new ‘must do’ shove it in the visitors’ book so that we can all appreciate it…. Towns and villages Toulouse. A great city, fifth largest in France. Vibrant, the home to the second largest University campus outside Paris and EADS the European aerospace manufacturer of Airbus. If you came through Blagnac you maybe saw the hugely impressive new A380 jumbo. High tech, bags of youth yet a big history as a regional centre with a 13th century past steeped in the Inquisition (the Catholic suppression of the Cathars). A happening place – do the centre (obviously) and the Citie de L’Espace – an exhibition devoted to the Arianne rocket and the European Space Programme (on the peripherique east – take the Bordeaux exit coming in from Caignac – first exit). Journey time to the centre; 45 minutes. Carcassonne. Also a must do – France’s third most visited National Monument after the Tour Eiffel and Mont St Michel. Visit La Cité and walk the ramparts - scene of Simon de Montfort’s siege of the Cathar stronghold in 1208. There is a marvellous (free) 50 minute firework display every Bastille Day (14th July) starting at 2200. Join 200,000 other people and take a picnic, park in the fields just out of town (so you can make a getaway that night!) and watch the citadel light up. Magnificent. The quick way is to take the A61 and take the Carcassonne (east) exit – the second one. Journey time to La Cité; 50 minutes There are many other smaller towns that are worth stopping by if you find yourself in the area or have established an historical/archaeological/gastronomic reason for being there. Revel is the High Wycombe of France (furniture ancient and modern) and the nearby Durfort (a village devoted to copper and fireside furniture!) is worth a visit – especially if you are combining it with a trip to the nearby Lac St. Ferreol for walking, dipping or lazing after lunch amongst the pine trees. This lake is notable in that it is the waterhead for the Canal du Midi (otherwise the water from the canal would drain into the Atlantic or the Med and would become un-navigable!). It is the markets that usually give a reason to visit a place and after stocking up one might as well have a coffee and patisserie and soak up some culture. The local market at Villefranche is on Friday, the best one at Mirepoix on a Monday and Revel’s and Carcassonne’s on a Saturday. Naturally there is one every day of the week if you care to travel and Sarah will mark your card. 0800 to noon. Further afield (two hours’driving) is Lourdes should one be inclined to appreciate the religious connotations and visit the cave where Bernadette (allegedly) had her vision. The shops are extremely tacky and it gets very busy with coach tours but you pays your money… We like Castelnaudary – home of the cassoulet (if you’re not from Toulouse), the high point of the Canal du Midi (well nearly) and it has a large bassin where all the boats can turn around at the top of three locks. Hours of fun! Journey time 25 minutes. Go boating at Lac Ganguise– it has a clubhouse/bar and snacks, a rather muddy shoreline off which one can swim, but its main attraction is the hire of pedaloes, canoes, wind surfers, lasers and a couple of cats. Obviously ideal for boatees but it is safe fun for beginners. It’s currently 5kms in length but they finished raising the dam in August ’05 and it will now take 4 years for the water level to rise an impressive 9 metres – it’ll then be 8kms long and the boathouse will be nearer the water! Journey time (turn left after the 24/7 petrol pump in St Michel de Lanes) 15 minutes. Cycle/walk/boat the Canal du Midi. You could start at Gardouch (where you came off the motorway) or head to Castelnaudary where the boat hire is. You can walk/cycle to Toulouse - 38kms or to the Mediterranean (118kms) if you choose! Fancy a gamble? There’s a new casino complex in Toulouse – just off the ring road (périphérique) south after you pass the turn off for Rangueil – you will see it on your right as you drive clockwise. There is another one at Alet les Bains on the D118 between Limoux and Quillan. Trouble is it’s a 70 minute drive back via Fanjeaux which is a real bummer if you’ve just lost your shirt…There’s another one at Ax-les-Thermes if you’re taking the spa water or up there for a ski or the hill sports/walking in summer. Go canoeing or white water (well, mountain river) rafting. There are many signed places as you head into the Pyrenees – head south on the A66 and when the dual carriageway finishes at Tarascon it all starts to happen – or off the road heading south from Limoux. Journey time; 40 minutes to Tarascon Go skiing in winter or have hill fun in summer. Again go to Tarascon and go up the valley to Ax les Thermes (a delightful old spa town in itself – faded grandeur stuff). Park up and get the telecabine (all year round) which takes you up from 700m to 1400m in about 12 minutes (about 10 people in each bubble). From Ax Bonascre where one skis (check out the Plan des Pistes on the mezzanine) you can get a six person bubble up to 2100m off which there are three greens, five blues, five reds and three blacks. During summer Ax Bonascre is the centre for ‘slope sports’ – career down the hill in a go kart – come down on huge scooters – come down on a mountain bike (you get dragged up by the button lifts). Great fun for young and oldies alike. Or just go mountain walking in the wonderful fresh air. Journey time; 60 minutes (A-l-T) or 70 – you can drive up also - to Ax Bonascre. Go Sky diving (or just watch the other mugs). Go to the airfield at Pujols east of Pamiers. Take the Carrefour exit from the A61 (the last Pamiers one) and take the road to Mirepoix. The airfield is on your right after 3kms. You can train and jump in a day. Motor water sports. Most inland lakes prohibit motor craft but you can go water skiing and jet skiing at the Base Nautique off the first exit (coming north) once you’re on the dual carriageway from the roundabout at Tarascon. Journey time; 45 minutes. Go to the Mediterranean. The nearest point is Narbonne plage – but not necessarily the nicest. It is probably worth heading south and doing the beaches east of Perpignan. . Collioure is a delightful ‘in’ seaside village, reminiscent of a Cornish port, full of artists and the region’s centre of anchovies! Journey time to the Med; just over the hour. Add another 30 minutes for Perpignan. Visit some pre-historic caves. As always the French do historical sites really well – take the second exit from the ‘end of dual carriageway’ roundabout at Tarascon. Journey time; 50 minutes. Do the Cathar Castles. Up until the 13th century (the remaining Cathars had mostly been wiped out by 1245) the region was dominated by the existence of people who did not follow the religion of Rome but believed in the forces of lightness (good) and darkness (bad) and were led by Perfects whose presence in each village encouraged fellows to aspire to a life of abstinence in order that the ‘perfect state’ may be achieved. Not surprisingly the accepted religion of France saw these people as a threat and in the early 1200s Pope Innocent (sic) 3rd encouraged a crusade led by Simon de Montfort (he of the Leicester family) to rid the area – stretching over the Pyrenees into Spain – of the Cathars. The campaign had many bloody and murderous sackings of Cathar strongholds with the unfortunates burnt on pyres or thrown off the ramparts or tossed down wells. There is a long Cathar trail but you may wish to content yourself with a visit to the odd castle – Puivert, Montsegur and Roquefixade are three such but essentially the whole region to the south of Caignac is steeped in the history of 800 years ago. Familiarise yourself with the 20th century mystery of Rennes-le-chateau (try Googling that one!). How did the local Priest get so wealthy? Why did he keep shooting off to Paris? Did he discover the Cathar treasure/Holy Grail? Why didn’t his housekeeper who survived him by 20 odd years not spill the beans? Why did Dan Brown give his victim the same name in the Da Vinci Code? Why all these questions? Start at Foix and work eastwards. Journey time; 50 minutes Naturally the Pyrenees are home to many geological eye openers. We like the Cirque de Gavarnie which is 30 minutes or so into the mountains from Lourdes; a huge amphitheatre of hollowed out rock 4kms across. It takes 40 minutes to walk into it (or take ponies) from where you park your car (Gavarnie). Magical If you’ve got that far (and it would demand an early start) come back via the Pic du Midi du Bigorre. Stop at La Mongie (the ski resort) and take the telecabine up to the Pic du Midi which is a telecom tower/astronomy/defence ministry communications centre perched on top of a mountain at around 2900 metres! The cable car is awesome – there is a half way stage where the 30 odd passengers decant into the final stage where two coach like cars go back and forth over the abyss to the summit. Don’t look down – there’s 1500 feet of space there. Great views and a good exhibition at the top. Worth a visit on its own. Journey time; two hours. Go to Andorra for the day. Take the A66 to Tarascon and the road to Ax-les-Thermes (50-60 mins). The climb now starts in earnest to the border at Pas de la Casa. Resist it, it’s horrible, and push on to the capital – Andorra la Vella. Be careful – French customs may stop you as far down as the Pamiers tollbooth!
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Recently renovated and refurbished High standard accommodation Sleeps up to 13 Private heated swimming pool Private tennis court Barbeque and Outside dining Lovely gardens Pool Table, Pin Table, Pub Darts, Table Football Garden Chess Cricket Net Boules Court |