Berlou - Berlou is renowned throughout the region for it’s fabulous wine and this quiet and picturesque village is naturally surrounded by the rolling hills and vineyards that make this area uniquely beautiful. We have a high quality wine shop for the cave co-operative, a selection of family run independent domaines, such as Domaine Rimbert who supplies Gordon Ramsay and a very special new bistro Le Faitout famed for their use of local fresh ingredients.
Parc Naturel de Haute Languedoc – we are nestled in the foothills of the national park and you only have to pass through the back of the village to find yourself amidst stunning lush mountains criss-crossed with paths to explore on foot, mountain bike or by car.
The Orb River Valley & the Caroux Mountain range, make up the Languedoc National Park and have everything from Medieval villages clinging to the sides of the mountains that overlook the Orb River with it’s canoeists and riverside picnic spots to tiny traditional mountain villages, lakes, and gorges.
Roquebrun, or ‘little Nice’ as it is commonly known is 20 minutes away. A fairytale town with restaurants and a Mediterranean Garden full of exotic plants overlooking the river and its weir for the children to swim and play safely all day long.
Vieussan, 25 minutes away through Escagnes is home to our favorite little café ‘Le Lezard Bleu’ specialising in Belgian Beers and tapas and exhibiting the work of local artists. Climb up above to the top of the village to gain fabulous views off either side as the river bends around the village. Our most relaxing day would be spent in Vieussan having a lazy long lunch at the Blue Lizard and spending the afternoon soaking up the sun on the rocks and dipping into the river.
Tarassac and the Gorge d’Heric and Gorge Colombiers are a little to the north of Vieussan. Work your way up either, stopping for a dip in the crystal blue pools to cool off, it’s a good day’s walking and not for the faint-hearted but worth it for the sense of achievement at the top!
From Tarrassac head west for the spa town of Lamalou-les-bains and it’s golf course, through the busy market town of Bedarieux and onto the stunning Gothic village of St. Guilhem Le Desert. Heading east will bring you towards Medieval Olargues with it’s many historic bridges and buildings and then onto St. Pons de Thomieres and the Montagne Noire .
The Route des Lacs lies half an hour to the north of St. Pons, about an hour from Berlou, reached by climbing up the meandering pine forest road, where you will be rewarded with several beautiful clear lakes. A few degrees cooler than down in Berlou, you can escape the heat and the crowds of the coast and find quiet lakes for swimming surrounded by pines with rocky deserted beaches and wooden pontoons or busier lakes such as Lac de Raviège near to Salvetat-sur Agout, where there are all the amenities and watersports you could wish for.
St. Chinian is 10 minutes south of Berlou and you will discover the lively market town where people come from all over to the popular Sunday market to browse the stalls, drink aperos and eat oysters along the pavement cafes. Keep heading south and you will come across the Canal du Midi 20 minutes from Berlou.
The Canal du Midi is great for cycling and walking in the shade or boating to towns such as Capestang, Homps, La Croisade or Béziers where if you love to do the Locks, there are the famous 9 Ecluses, 9 locks one immediately after the other.
Béziers is our nearest city and has theatres, restaurants, street cafés all along the main avenue, halles every morning and clothes, flower and food markets on a Friday. The back streets to the Cathedral are a labyrinth of tiny shopping streets full of boutiques and cafes. The Cathedral with it’s sad Cathar history sits above the city with fabulous views following the Orb River up through the national park to the Gorge d’Heric and the ‘Sleeping Lady’ mountain formation.
The Mediterranean is 35 minutes from Berlou if you go directly south. To the West you can visit Agde, Cap d’Agde, Marseillan, home of Noilly Prat, the beautiful waterways (with river jousting) and beach at Sete, La Grande Motte and Montpellier, lively student town with a great mix of modern buildings and mediterranean culture. Down the coast towards the west you will find Narbonne (world class windsurfing spot and site of many windsurfing speed records), Gruissan and further south still you will discover Coullioure, Perpignan and the ancient Cathar Country with the fabulous castles of Perepytuse, Le Chateau De Queribus and Le Chateau De Puilaurens.
Carcassonne is just over an hour from Berlou, a magical walled Medieval city with it’s fairytale turrets, museums, cobbled streets, giftshops and jousting during the summer months. Last stronghold of the Cathars and renovated in the 1800’s it is truly magnificent and must be seen at least once in a lifetime!
Pezénas, 40 minutes west of Berlou was previously the capital of Languedoc, had a huge influence on Molière and is a wonderful town during the summer. The heart of the place is packed full of the small boutiques of local artisans, and restaurants and is well-known throughout the region for it’s dozens of antique shops. It’s worth a guided tour to discover the history of the place and all the different types of architecture found here too.
Minerve, 40 minutes from Berlou in the opposite direction, this town is famed for it’s natural beauty and sits atop a rock surrounded entirely by a deep gorge and accessible only by a single bridge. It’s a remarkable site and within the town you will find cafes, eateries and craft shops and plenty of winetasting …. Particularly if you like muscat wines! You can walk down into the gorge bed and walk around the village that way for a different perspective!