If you don’t want to waste a minute of your trip to the area, perhaps you are just having a weekend break, why not let us help you organise activities in advance?  We can put together itineraries and collect you from the airport and drive you if you’d like, contact us for further information.  However, many people like to have a very relaxed and spontaneous holiday and decide upon whatever takes their fancy from day to day, here is a sample of what’s on offer in the area (also have a look at the local area e.g. for Carcassonne, Pezenas, Montpellier,  Beziers and the Mediterranean etc for the complete picture) 

Cookery courses – at La Vieille Forge John, who trained as a chef in Switzerland and has worked for years in the hospitality industry, can provide a whole range of cookery courses depending on your abilities.  You can come alone or with friends and get lots of individual attention and complete hands on experience with a maximum group size of 3.   Most popular are our 4 day courses for people catering ski chalets, although there are many shorter courses to choose from such as one day stocks & sauces, dinner parties, cooking meat and fish and starters, main courses or desserts courses.
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Wine-tasting – Languedoc Roussillon is the largest wine producing area in the world and some of the best wines are from around the Orb valley, particularly from Berlou, St. Chinian, Roquebrun, Minerve …. So there is plenty of opportunity for wine tasting.  You can stay in the village with it’s fabulous cave co-operative and 4 independent family run 'domains' or go further out to any of the surrounding villages and towns to explore the wonderful wines of Herault, we can recommend our favourites and will pick you up if you get too carried away!  Click here for more informaion

Art & Craft courses – France is the home of stained glass and at La Vieille Forge, Alex can give you a taster and take beginners through the basics of stained glasswork with a day or two of glass-cutting, foiling and soldering, giving you the skills you need to make candle holders, mobiles, lampshades, and glass panels.  Within Berlou we have a very talented German sculptor and mosaic artist, Gautie whose work you will see in many locations in the region.  We can organise a variety of courses for you from one-day beginner’s courses where you will make a mirror to a longer and more advanced course where you will make a beautiful sculpture from local stone 

Fetes & Festivals – this part of the South of France has many markets, fetes and festivals throughout the entire summer, from cherry festivals in local villages in late spring, to music festivals, from classical to jazz often in the beautiful setting of local churches, beneath the cloisters and Cathedrals.  There is a 3-day Medieval and 3 day traditional Occitaine festival and the famous Feria de Beziers which is a weeklong celebration of Spanish influences in the region with bullfighting and street restaurants and entertainment, flamenco in the Cathedral and dancing till the early hours throughout the streets.  The arts festival lasts all summer long in Pezenas with many artisans coming to this historic and beautiful town, famous for its connections with Moliere and the old Capital of Languedoc.  Scattered throughout the bigger festivals are of course the oyster festivals, river jousting festivals and wine festivals.  Whenever you visit, there is always something happening!!!  Click here for more information

River Sports – the River Orb which runs through the Haute Languedoc Park Naturel  is very popular to escape the crowds of the Mediterranean beaches.  Find a secluded beach, take a picnic and relax for the day on the water’s edge with mountains all around, dipping into the clear fresh water whenever you like.  Or try Roquebrun, sit beneath the Medieval village that hangs off the side of the mountain with it’s weir which is safe and fun for the youngsters. 

Canoeing/Kayaking – you can canoe or kayak all along the Orb River, along stretches ranging from 7km to 25km, starting at Tarrassac and going down to Reals where there are international white water competitions in the winter.  You choose how far you want to go and any canoeing team along the river will drive you upstream. Take a picnic and stop off at a secluded stop for lunch and a refreshing dip whenever you like and wind up back where you started.  Click here for more information.

Lakeside Watersports – about an half an hour north of St. Pons there is a scenic lake route (Route des lakes).  You will wind your way up through shady pine forests and at the top you will discover several exceptionally beautiful lakes surround by trees and with beaches where you can escape the heat a little as it is a few degrees cooler that at the coast.  You can choose a tiny remote place to spend the day, go walking, or go to one of the bigger lakes such Lac de la Rivierge where you will find a spacious beach, a restaurant, all amenities, quad biking and lots of watersports from windsurfing to kayaking and pedaloes.

Walking / Hiking – you can walk just about anywhere in this area and be astounded by it’s beauty.  From Gorges to forests to the Canal du Midi towpath and there are many signed walks too which we can advise you about or even take you on!  Almost every other day from May to September there is a ‘Balade de Vigneron’ which is a guided walk run by one of the wineries in the area.  You have to be prepared to get an early start as it’s too hot to walk in the afternoons but it’s worth it for a relaxed and look at some of the local produce and history, with a wine-tasting and often a midday meal afterwards which are very sociable and good value for money.

Cycling – there are hundreds of different cycling routes in this area.  We can organise mountain bike rental from St. Chinian, if you don’t have your own, and help you plan your routes, providing advice on the difficulty of the terrain, maps and picnic lunches.  In the immediate vicinity of Berlou, the terrain is quite hilly and goes into the mountains with plenty of cols to conquer, or for something less strenuous, what could be better than cycling in the shade along the Canal du Midi, stopping along the way perhaps at Capestang, Croisade or Homps at waterside watering holes for refreshments and food.

Golf – there is a 9 hole golf course at Lamalou-les-Bains and an 18 hole course at Beziers down by the coast, both around a 35 minute drive from Berlou. There are 36 holes at Cap D'Agde.

Boating on the Canal du Midi – A day spent on the Canal du Midi can be a party, good fun with the children, very peaceful or even romantic.  You can hire a boat on the Canal du Midi and wind you way along this famous waterway that runs from Castlenaudry through Beziers and onto Sete.  Pick an easy section or if you are more adventurous, head for the famous ‘Ecluses’, or locks of Beziers where you have to go through 9 Locks one after the other.

Donkies / Pony trekking – there are donkies and ponies available for hire in Berlou itself for a short ride.  For a longer trek, about 15 minutes into the mountains are guided treks, some of which are moonlit, which take you through the beautiful scenery of the surround area.

Waterparks – like most places on the coast, you will find waterparks scattered all along and our nearest Aqualand at Cap D’Agde

Treetop adventure park – there is a new treetop adventure park in Reals near to the Kayak base.Treetop walkways and pullies await you if you have no fear of heights!

Wildlife Park – much more sizeable than the farm zoo is the Sigean Wildlife Reserve about an hour away. with everything you would expect from lions to zebras and of course giraffes.  It’s very close to Fitou too, if you have any time to spare on the day and fancy some more winetasting, different wines to around Berlou but also great!

Farm Zoo - if you don’t want to go too far to amuse the children with something different, there is a great little farm zoo just 15 minutes from the house near Cessanon.  Combine it with a trip to the river if you have time after the children have admired all the creatures on offer, from rabbits to water buffalo to Kookaburraghs!!!

Grottes – wherever you go in the Languedoc, you will see lots of leaflets for ‘grottes’ or underground caves with incredible rock formations, some of which are walkable and some of which involve boating around underground rivers.  Although there are many more to the east towards Provence, our closes is Grottes de La Devize and is about half an hour away if geology and the wonders of nature are of interest to you or your children.

Museums – There are an array of museums in the area, ranging from Paleanthology, through pre-historic, Greek and Roman  through to art museums such as the Toulouse Lautrec Museum in Albi.