Around

The Chateau is set in the beautiful Vallee d’Orb. The nearest large town Bedarieux, (Pronounced, Bay – da, as in Dad – ree – er), the Maison de Tourisme has lots of leaflets with ‘What’s On’.

The mountains you see are the Espinouse, which are the foothills of the Cevennes. This is one of the last unspoilt areas of rural France. There are some lovely walks and drives around the surrounding area.

There is a beautiful drive to Roquebrun. Take the road out of Bedarieux towards Lamalou and continue on following the signs to St Pons. After about10 km there is a signposted road to Roquebrun. When you arrive there you will find a beautiful hillside village. There are several good restaurants and cafes. There is also a plage by the banks of the River Orb, which is ideal for children as the river is very shallow. There is also canoeing down the Orb from here. I can also recommend a drive through the vineyards of Caussiniojouls and Caberolles. These are to the right on the Beziers road.

Some of our recommendations:

Supermarkets:

Lidl, in Bedarieux.(Open all day). They have a good selection of
wines and beers. The quality of food is excellent and cheap.

Provence Halles on the left past Lidl for the best fresh fruit and veg.

Super U (open all day), on the road to Lamalou on the left, and further on,

Intermarche (open all day), on the right, both of these have fabulous meat, fish and cheese counters.

There are Poissonneries in Bedarieux that sell fresh fish direct from the Med.,but be there early. Look out for the Bouzigues Oysters which are the local ones. The town of Bouzigues is between Meze and Montpelier. Loup de Mer (Sea Bass). Dorade (Sea Bream).

Markets:
Bedarieux Monday morning
Lamalou Tuesday morning
Pezenas Saturday.

Restaurants:
Herepian – Sergios’s Pizzaria – L’Ocre Rouge
Bedarieux – La Forge, La Rapiere, Le Chantiers just outside the town on the road to Clermont L’Herault.
Lamalou – Belleville, Arbousier. Hotel de France (Chez Hugo) Les Capitelles at the Lamalou Golf Club on the left.
Lunas – L’Auberge Gourmande.
Lac du Salagou – Auberg du Lac, overlooks the lake, a beautiful setting for a long lunch. .
Chateau de Grezan on the route to Beziers ,past Faugeres on the left, is also a wine Domaine.
The restaurant at the Karting on the road to Beziers on the right.

Wine: Wine: The Languedoc is the largest wine producing area in the world. If it were a country, it would be the 3th largest wine producing country in the world. The main appelations are Faugeres and St Chinian. We have our wine yards in Cessenon Sur Orb there are we producing some fantastic wine BIO that we store in the cave the Chateau. The TOTAL petrol station on the left at Faugeres keeps a large selection of all the local Domaines and Chateaux. The prices are the same as if bought at the Domaines.

Places to visit:
Meze, which is a small port with restaurants set all around the quayside. If you like fish, then this is the place. Make sure you are there before 12:00 to get a table. Sete is like Meze but very much larger. Bouzigues is where the local Oysters are produced and is near Meze, drive along the Route des Huitres and see the Oyster beds.

Carcassonne. The old Cité. Unfortunately it gets very busy in July and August, but still worth a visit. This is where some of ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’ was filmed. Castle was ‘Nottingham Castle’. There is a square with lots of restaurants, again be there before 12:00 to ensure a table.

Cap d’Agde is a modern marina with a long promenade lined with shops, cafes and restaurants.

Nimes, has some buildings dating back to the Romans, including the arena. It is a large town where modern and ancient stand together. About 20 minutes past Nimes is the Pont du Gard which is the astounding Roman Aquaduct. Avignon is nearby with the Palais des Papes and the famous bridge

La Salvatat. There is a lake with a beach and restaurant, ideal for kids and beautiful scenery. Take the road past Lamalou and Olargues, it takes about 1.25 hrs.

Valras Plage. A long sandy beach with shops and restaurants. I can get very busy in August.

Serignan. The town of Serignan has a large main square full of restaurants. It also has a long sandy beach (plage), which is blessed by the absence of shops or restaurants.

Beziers. The wide shady Avenue Paul Riquet,(he designed and built the Canal du Midi), is lined with shops and restaurants. Take a stroll up the narrow streets towards the Cathedral of St Nazaire, with their small specialist shops. When you get to the Cathedral there are wonderful views over the City towards Narbonne. There is also a new Polygon shopping centre with some great restaurants.

Lac du Salagou. Is a vast man made lake with swimming, boating and windsurfing, with beautiful scenery all around. On the way to the Lake is the village of Salasc, sit at the local Bar/Bistro and watch the world go by.

Pezenas is the birthplace of Molliere. Spend a day wandering around the numerous antique shops and the historic quartier. There are many good restaurants and cafes.

See the Flamingos on the Lakes at Frontignan between Sete and Montpelier. There are so many places to see it is impossible to name them all, but wherever you drive through this beautiful area you will be astounded by the diversity of the landscape.

Barcelona is only 3 hours down the motorway and it is quite easy to pop down for lunch and a walk down La Ramblas.