Places to visit
Carcassonne
With two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in La Cité and the Canal du Midi, the town has become a magnet for tourists from all over the world. For details visit www.carcassonne.org and www.carcassonneinfo.com
Canal du Midi
The canal is worthy of a visit in its own right. The locks and basin at Trèbes are 20 minutes away, but further afield it is worth driving along the canal east from Homps to see the attractive villages. For details visit www.canaldumidi.com and www.midicanal.fr
Lagrasse
This beautiful village, listed as one of the prettiest in France, lies just 15 minutes away through an attractive gorge. Rescued from impending dereliction a few decades ago, it has become home to several artists and has a large expatriate community. Its abbey, river, bridges and old village centre are well worth a visit. For details visit www.lagrasse.com
Narbonne
An old Roman port before its harbour silted up, this is the largest town in the department of Aude. It has very attractive tree-lined avenues, canal side walks, boutique-lined pedestrianised streets and excellent markets, both indoor and outdoor. For more details on the town visit www.mairie-narbonne.fr
For this and other markets in the area, visit www.odetoaude.com/markets.htm We recommend Narbonne on Sunday, Lezignan on Wednesday, Limoux on Friday and Carcassonne on Saturday.
Cathar sites
www.le-guide.com/catharindex.html gives a useful introduction to the beliefs of the Cathars, a medieval heretic sect which the Catholic church, with considerable help from some northern French landowners, hunted, tortured and eventually wiped out. Several chateaux in the Corbières provided temporary shelter for the Cathars, sometimes on precipitous sites, and are well worth a visit. More details can be found on www.cathares.org, www.payscathare.org, www.languedoc-france.info/12_cathars and lescathares.free.fr
The local chateau at Villerouge-Termenes provides an excellent audio-visual tour of part of the Cathar story.
Leucate Plage
This is one of the nearest Mediterranean beaches. It provides soft sand, safe bathing for children and ample parking. The nearby village of Leucate is attractive in its own right and provides some good places to eat. Visit www.leucate.net/index.asp
There are other Mediterranean beaches to choose from, all an hour or more away from the village.