Village, Weather & Regional information

The Village of Cazouls Les Beziers

The ancient village of Cazouls Les Beziers founded by the Romans in the 1st Century, has everything you need to make your stay comfortable, with bars, restaurants, takeaways, a choice of 3 patisseries for your daily fresh bread, croissant and other regional favourites like Tart au Pinot (pine nut tart) 2 wine tasting shops (and domains within 5 mins drive), local shops as well as a typical village square (with a yummy chicken rotisserie take out shop!), an ancient church well worth a visit, various fetes throughout the year and on the edge of the village a large Carrefore supermarket. There is a local market in the Town Square Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for fresh local produce, it’s quite small, don’t expect a grand market on the scale of St. Chinian! Cazouls Les Beziers is a wine growing village and it retains it’s character rather than a typical “tourist” village. The Maire and the residents welcome their many tourists and visitors,and are very proud that their village attracts so many visitors throughout the year.

The village centre is a short and easy walk from the villa (about 4 minutes). Take a right out of the villa, walk a few yards to the pathway on the right (between houses), follow this and then go up a slight hill, left at the top, follow this and you’re in the village centre. On your walk in, notice the wonderful old houses, some dating back to the 15th century and look out for the bullet marks on some of the older houses, left there from the 2nd World War, where the Languedoc region was heavy with the French Resistance, where the inevitable gun battles with the Nazis ensued. It’s a little known fact that the South of France was heavily involved in the Resistance movement and the French are surprisingly reluctant to talk about this, but there are a few books on this out now. See Cazouls Les Beziers website for more information about medieval history.

Or take a left out of the house and you’ll be in the middle of vineyards and hillside walks within a couple of minutes. A nice walk (although uphill a bit) is to walk left out of the villa, left again at the end of the road and keep going up the hill, where you’ll find the most spectacular views and the Table D’Orientation . Then take a right to miles and miles of vineyards (nearly destroyed in 2009 by bush fires).

Situated just 10 minutes drive from Béziers town the property is also convenient for the various cultural events available here. These include 'the Féria' in mid August, and the Fete Occitane celebrations in June to mark the 'Occitan', the ancient and still used local language and culture. The Languedoc has a long history, far too much to discuss here, but get some books out of the Library to give you a flavour of this rich and fascinating area. Also a “must- read” is brilliant The Labryinth by Kate Mosse, a fictional set in medieval & present day, about the rich history of this wonderful area and the persecution of the Cathars in the 12/13th Centuries by Simon de Montfort. Cazouls gets a mention! Kate Mosse has a house in Carcassonne. The countryside around Cazouls is stunning and offers many opportunities as well, being ideal for cycling, rambling, fishing, climbing in the hills of the Languedoc, skiing in the Pyrénnées just 2 hours drive away, or canoeing and swimming practically on the doorstep at Réals on the River Orb.

The Canal du Midi is also within a short drive and as well as boats and picnics provides an ideal place for walking and cycling on its towpaths. Golf is available at St Thomas near Béziers or Lamalou the spa town in the nearby Languedoc National Park.

Cazouls is a 20 minute drive to the beaches and a 30 drive towards the Orb Valley road and more serious walking (the Espinouse Mountain Range and the High Languedoc National Park). Take a left out of the road and it’s a 5 minute drive to Reals (or a 20 minute walk). Follow signs to Reals (take a right at a very sharp bend) to the beautiful fast flowing, glistening crystal clear River Orb, where there is a canoe centre and cafe, and further along, river swimming. You can tailor your canoeing trip to suit your skills, they cater for children, really easy canoeing trips to very advanced trips. Just up above that is the Auberge de Reals, where you can have lunch or dinner from a varied menu (open all year). Follow that road on to another ancient and pretty (circulade) village Murveils Les Beziers.

The tourist information centre is on the main road going out of Cazouls, towards Béziers. The staff are very friendly and there are often many impromptu events to join in with. Look at the posters on the patisserie windows and booklets and brochures in the patisseries and shops, for news of all forthcoming events.

Get a tourist information leaflet on the local sights. Easy walking to the table of orientation set amongst the vineyards. On clear days it is easy to see the Pyrénées and the sparkling azure Mediterranean sea.

On the way you will pass the Parapluie, the remains of an ancient Roman hot spring used until fairly recently. You will also pass a winery; knock on the door and buy a bottle or two!

If you are feeling energetic you can carry on walking to the Abbey Fontcaude. Here,in the ancient hamlet of Cazardnes, there is a beautiful, medieval church and visitors centre.

For the less energetic the hamlet can be reached from the main Saint Chinian road. Go out of Lottissement Les Tonnelles and take a left , follow the road a couple of miles and take the left road to Cazedarnes, well worth a visit.

Street Markets in and around Cazouls Les Beziers

Agde Th
Autignac Tu, Th, Fr
BÉZIERS

Paul Riquet Fri
pl D. d'Angers Fri
pl du 14 Juillet Fri
Capestang We, Sun

Cazouls-lès-Béziers Tu, Th, Sa
Cessenon-sur-Orb Tu, Sa
Maraussan Tu, Fr
Marseillan Plage Tu
Marseillan Ville Tu
Maureilhan We, Sa
Mèze Th, Th pm*, Su
Murviel-lès-Béziers Tu, Th, Sa
Nissan-lez-Enserune Tu, Th, Sa
Olargues Su
Pézenas Sa
Puisserguier We, Fr
Roquebrun Tu, Fr
St-Chinian Th, Su till 2pm
Sète Mo, We-Fr
Valras-Plage Mo, Fr
Vendres Mo,Tu*, We, Th*, Fr, Su*

Recommended are:

Pezanas – Saturday market, fantastic, colourful, yummy food, look out for the meze foodstalls selling hot meze nibbles etc. You can buy anything here

St. Chinian Sunday market, the best market in the area, only 10/15 mins drive from villa. Well worth going but get there early, it finishes around 1.30/2.00pm. Fresh and local produce, clothes, shoes, great baskets etc. This is especially great as all shops are closed on a Sunday, so you can buy fresh food for your Sunday lunch/dinner
Puisserguier – Friday market, recommended to us, but never actually been (5 mins drive)

Saint Chinian market on Sunday in Languedoc

FRENCH BREAD: LE PAIN - THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE TO BE INTRODUCED TO FRANCE THAN AT THE BOULANGERIE The seminal image is of a man on a bicycle carrying a loaf of bread - a long crispy baguette - there is something elementally suggestive about his prowess - but after all its just a loaf of bread; then there is country bread - for the hearty farmer - the pain de campagne - hardy with a certain grit; the ficelle - for those looking for finger baguette - for that quick bite - a chomp on the road; the batard - a broader baguette - great for garlic bread or slabs of jam and butter. For the more health conscious there is pain complet made from whole wheat flour and my favourite - pain aux cereales - where you have a hearty french version of muesli in a loaf of bread. For the more individual there is pain de seigle - rye bread - nice with cheese; or for something fluffy and soft - pain au mie - square bread better for sandwiches; and pain au lait - soft rolls from milk and butter.
FRENCH SAUSAGES - CHARCUTERIE - THE MARK OF THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISAN No market would be complete without a good display of sausages and charcuterie. Rows upon rows of sausages, dressed, sewn, plump, dry, red to black, - each one tempting the viewer to taste to sample. From cooked ham - jambon cuit to cured ham - jambon cru (dried, smoked or salted). The efficacious rillettes - pork meats stewed endlessly in its own fat; and the delicious patés placed in large bowls as a course in themselves in the traditional restaurants. The boudin noir - for those seeking a french version of a northerner's dream - black (blood) sausage, great with baked beans and lentils. The long spiral of saucisse de Toulouse - a great winter warmer or for over the barbecue. The more adventurous enjoy the dilectable taste of andoiulletes made from chopped pigs stomach mixed with an array of seasonings, onions, herbs and often can be quite chewy!
AUTUMN SPRING - SQUASH, PUMPKINS, GOURDS - COUGOURDONS, COURGES, POTIRONS In amonst the chestnut festivals that abound in Autumn, there are the displays of the oddly shaped pumpkins (Potirons or "Citrouille) and squash, ready to made into winter warming soups, or wholesome side dishes. Nice in April celebrates the Cougourdon at the Courgourdon festival. There is a strong movement in France for organic food and the weekly markets in villages are often the best way to find vegetables and fruit, that are free of pesticides and other nasties. For more information about
OLIVES - TAPINADE - ANCHOIADE - AND OTHER DELICACIES

One of the most colourful and interesting displays at the market is the olives, dried fruit, nuts, and other mixes stalls. In colourful containers, with exotic and intense names - they are a must to taste, experiment, and to take home. The art of living in France is to taste from many different pots, to take the leisure in exploring and experimenting. Olives provide the excuse to rant back to pre roman times (some olive trees still remain from roman times at the Pont du Gard for example), to suck and bite these oldest of fruits at almost any time of the day, with aperitifs or during the course of short one course meal or a marathon 16 course dinner. For great olive shopping visit the Olive shop and farm, near Bize Minervois, between Beziers and Carcassonne. The delightful strong mixture that is of garlic and anchovy - specially from Collioure - known as Anchoiade = perfect on toast - and I suppose one could says its like a fishy version of marmite! Tapinade is the olive version - of olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil, which also goes down well on French bread, and glass of white, rosé or red wine at any time of the day or night

The surrounding area

A short 3 minute walk brings you to the charming village of Cazouls les Béziers, which has 2 bars/cafes, 2 restaurants, three patisseries for your morning croissant, local shops and a large Carrefore supermarket.

Cazouls les Béziers hosts many festivities throughout the year, including the 6-15 July village festival week with outdoor concerts, summer balls and fireworks, and the 5-21 October Cultural Fortnight. In and around the village, you can try the famous local wines at the numerous Caves and Chateaux (Corbières, Minervois, Faugères and Cotes du Roussillon, among others).

Spend long lazy sunny days at the Maison Arc-en-Ciel, where the only decision you'll have to make will be whether to lie on the sun loungers by the pool, drive to the miles of long sandy beaches (15/20 minutes) or visit the numerous, historical and magnificent sights of the famous Languedoc-Roussillon region with its rugged mountain peaks, gorges and medieval hill top villages and cities. It's easy to see why this region is fast taking over from Provence as the most popular and beautiful holiday destination, as recent TV programmes about the region have confirmed ('French leave', 'A Place in the Sun' many times over!).

Beziers

Seven minutes drive from the villa, Beziers is the capital of wine for the region (St. Chinian, Corbieres, Minervois and Faugeres, etc.).

Beziers is a beautiful city, with many squares with pavement cafes and restaurants, excellent shopping, and the famous flower market. A covered market ('Les Halles') is open every day, selling superb fresh fish, cheese, paté, etc., plus outdoor markets every week.

Visit the magnificent Cathedral and other historical buildings, art galleries and museums, and the famous Canal du Midi, a truly magnificent engineering achievement that connects the Mediterranean with the city of Toulouse, now a paradise for cruising and leisure. Hire a boat for the day or have a meal on one of the riverboat restaurants to complete the experience.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is the magical and beautiful medieval city within the city walls - a real fairytale castle! Historical buildings, wonderful shops, pavement cafés, restaurants and museums all add up to great days out for the whole family. Anyone who has read Kate Mosse's Labyrinth (Kate also has a house in Carcassonne), will want to visit this fascinating city.

Languedoc-Roussillon generally

The luscious Languedoc-Rousillon region of France, hovering near Spain and dotted by the Pyrenees Mountains, is sun-kissed and delightful. It features great beaches, hilltop medieval villages, outdoor recreation and the world's most popular nudist town. The wineries here produce wonderfully rich and robust varieties - St. Chinian, Faugeres, Minervois to name but a few.

Now fast taking over from Provence as the most popular holiday destination, it far exceeds anything found in Provence in terms of sheer diversity of stunning scenery, beautiful medieval villages, cities and fortresses, beaches, shopping…..Those who know it keep it a well guarded secret! It has been the subject of numerous UK television holiday and lifestyle shows including “French Leave” and “A Place in The Sun”, "Relocation - Home & Away (return to the Languedoc region year after year), and many books have been written by Northern Europeans moving to the area. The famous author Kate Mosse (Labyrinth, Sepulchre, The Winter Ghosts etc.) who has a home in Carcassonne and bases all her books in the Languedoc, frequently Beziers, St. Chinian and Carcassonne. All her books are a "must read" when visiting the villa!

With its long, sandy beaches, rugged mountain peaks and medieval hill top villages the Languedoc-Roussillon boasts one of France's most diverse landscapes. Officially the sunniest region in the country (sunnier than Provence!), with in excess of 300 sunny days per year, it is also France's wine growing capital and probably the largest wine growing area in the world.

Bordered by the Spanish Pyrenees, Provence and the rocky Massif Central to the north, the area is noted for its relaxed pace of life. In recent years many resorts have been developed, offering wide, clean sandy beaches, excellent swimming with leisure and shopping facilities. These include Cap d'Agde, Argeles, Valras Plage, Vendres Plage and many others. This area is also well known for it's acres and acres of Lavender fields (far in excess of Provence) and Sunflower fields. There is a great feeling of space and the beaches do not get as crowded as you would expect given the climate, sea and development. Some towns and villages such as Sete, Agde, Palavas and Port-Vendres, still retain their traditional fishing industry and their harbours and streets still reflect this along with the delicious seafood fresh from the nets.

Towards the Spanish border the picturesque fishing village of Collioure inspired many famous artists who developed the Fauvist style. Heading north east from the Pyrenees you enter the land of the Cathar castles. (See the link on our useful information page) These are mainly to the south of Carcassone (right) a restored medieval town. Further north and inland from the Mediterranean coast, the hills and mountains offer wild countryside, with lush green valleys and the chance of white water rafting and canoeing on the rivers. The region has its own language, Occitan (from which Languedoc gets its name - literally 'Langue d'Oc', language of Occitan) and Catalan is spoken in many towns close to the Spanish border.

The city of Nimes, with its perfectly preserved Roman arena is the best example of a Roman city outside Italy. A few kilometres away the Pont du Gard - a spectacular Roman aqueduct spanning the River Gardan.

Further west is the university town of Montpellier one of the France's most thriving and dynamic cities. Its huge pedestrianised centre is filled with cafes and an ideal place to sit and watch the world go by. A labyrinth of winding back streets, filled with boutiques and restaurants, form the city's historic centre.

A few miles east lies the peculiar beauty of the Camargues - a vast low lying area of 37 salt water lakes On these marshy lagoons, flocks of pink flamingos are a common site, as are the white horses and black bulls which used to roam wild on this flat watery landscape. Just north of the Camargues is the town of Arles, famous for its association with the artist Van Gogh.

The vast vineyards in land from the coast produce an abundance of excellent if under-rated wines such as Corbieres, Minervois, and Cotes du Roussillon. For nature lovers, the dense green peaks of the Cevennes National Park are a hill walker’s paradise. Its pine and chest-nut tree covered slopes, dry stone terraces, isolated hamlets, and wealth of animal and bird life, can all be discovered from its 300 looped footpaths. The local goats' cheese, 'pelardons' is second to none. To the west, the emerald waters of the Tarn Gorge are among the best in Europe for watersports attracting hordes of canoeists and fans of kayaking and white water rafting to the town of Millau each summer. Nearby is the town of Albi famous as the home of the artist Toulouse Lautrec, whose paintings and sketches of Paris's nightlife took the impressionist art world by storm in the late 1800's.

Riding a slow barge along the Canal du Midi, a 200km waterway linking the Mediterranean with Toulouse, is one of the highlights of any visit to the Midi-Pyrenees. If its street parties you're after the city of Perpignan is one of the best places to bop till you drop. Just as much Spanish as French, it is the third largest Catalan city after Barcelona and Lleida in Spain. Nearby are the towns of Bedarieux, nestling in the foothills of the Cevennes, and Roquebrun with its Eastern Mediterranean climate on the River Orb. The endless variety of possible activities or visits makes this a great region for anyone to visit

The whole area offers many sightseeing opportunities, with the Camargue (1 ½ hours away) the Pyrenees and Spanish border (2 hours), mountains and gorges of the Cevennes (1 ½ hours) and the Regional Parc du Haut Languedoc (15 mins), all within a days outing.

Markets

ST. CHINIAN - Whatever you do, don’t miss the marvellous St. Chinian Sunday market, colourful, bustling, vibrant, wonderful smells, leather goods, local hand made produce, food etc. So much to look at and buy! A perfect place to get those presents to take home! Watch it all from one of the many on-street cafe’s in St. Chinian. Make sure you get there early, around 10am, as it finishes soon after 1pm

PEZANAS – another wonderful, colourful and bustling SATUDAY morning market – don’t miss it, but again, get there early! Don’t miss the wonderful hot Meze dishes from a wonderful guy on the market – too delicious to miss!

PUISSERGUIER – never been but have been told it’s a fab market

Minerve (40 mins) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED N.E. OF Carcassone, a fascinating ancient town built on a limestone cliff which dominates the vineyards of the Minervois that stretch for miles below and produce some of the best Languedoc wine. Wander the streets, quality arts & crafts and gift shops, plus art galleries etc. Some great restaurants to sample the wonderful wines and food of the region, whilst enjoying the spectacular scenary and watching the world go by. There are ramparts and 11C church and small museum of pre-history. Great historic discovery: ruins of the castle, ramparts , two museums...Overhanging the Cesse gorges, this splendid village is set high up on rocks that change colours according to the light.

White water canoeing at Reals & Roquebrun (leaflets in villa) – great for all ages above about 7 yrs. From beginners to experts, you can do as much or as little as you like, they mini-bus you to your selected starting place and you canoe back to your car (or vice-versa). Everyone who’s done this has said it’s the highlight of the holiday.
Faugeres 25 mins – famous wine area, lots of domains to visit, plus the town of Faugere. Do take a trip to the XVI centure windmill (up a windy track about 2-3k long. Fom here you have the best views of the whole area (you can see Cazouls. Little shop selling ice creams, drinks and small gifts

Agde & Cap D’Ade 20 mins - Where fresh water meets salt water, where the Canal du Midi and the River Hérault meet the sea, Cap d’Agde, the town of Agde, Le Grau. Cap D’Agde is the most fashionable beach resort, now rivalling St. Tropez for the rich & famous. Wonderful cosmopolitan pavement cafe.society, watch the world go by drinking cocktails, coffee or fine wines! Boat trips and colourful water jousting tournaments. Loads of clothes, water sports, swimwear and gift/craft shops, plus outside markets selling local crafts, paintings and food

Aqua Theme Park at Cap D’Agde – 25 mins, POPULAR WITH FAMILIES, great for kids of all ages, like a water version of Chessington or Alton Towers, but smaller. Open June - September

Go-Karting – on on the road to Cap D’Agde and also one on the road to Valras Plage
Narbonne 20 mins – wonderful cosmopolitan city. Visit the medieval cathedral & Palaces which now house the Museums of Archaeology, Art & History. Those loving old buildings will love the Museum of Archaeology, which houses the most extensive collection in the world. Great shops, pavement bars, cafes & restaurants, good market
Marseillan – lovely seaside town on the way to Sete & Agde. Much to see and do there, lovely beaches. Good restaurants along the old quayside, seafood and fish a speciality here not surprisingly (plus a good Creperie on the quayside that we particularly like which has a craft shop attached).

PEZENAS 15/20 mins – Pézenas is truly a picture postcard town with plenty to offer everyone. It's weekly market on Saturdays cannot be matched for atmosphere and colour with plenty of local specialities on sale, but get there early! The streets of it's old town are full of craft workshops, shops, cafes and restaurants, and the listed buildings bear witness to Pézenas' prosperity. The town is as beautiful now as it was when Molière lived and performed there. His plays are still performed several times a year
Serignan Plage & Town 20 mins – lovely town (with macdonalds!), great beach, has windsurfing school and watersports centre

SETE 30 mins – boat trips along the coast, wonderful seafood and fish restaurants all along the river, wonderful place with a real buzz, plus the famous colourful water jousting tournaments

Dinosaur & History of Man Museum at Meze, nr Pezanas. 25 mins Calling all paelentologists - this was a really big Dinosaur area, many sites found. This outdoor museum is really worth a trip (see leaflets in the villa), life-size real dinosaur reconstructions (and they are BIG) , bones, eggs etc., with massive life-sized dinosaur models recreated from dinosaur bones, the kids (and the grown-ups) will love it. Gift shop, lovely café. Really worth seeing. Now with the added attraction of the History of Man.

Sigean African Game Reserve, Sigean (on N9 towards Narbonne c 30 mins– see lions, tigers, bears, deer, monkeys, elephants, emus, zebras etc., etc., etc., in their natural habitat. Quite expensive but worth the cost. To get so close to the lions and bears is worth the trip alone. Lots of cafes, restaurants, picnic areas, gift shops, events etc. Beware the shops are expensive – take a picnic! Don’t choose a hot day unless you’ve got air-conditioning in your car, you cannot leave your car whilst going through the game reserve.

Gorge D’Heric c 25 mins – a must for all! A long walk up through the gorge, but you can stop and swim all along the way in crystal (really crystal) waters. Café open all year A must for all, but for young kids, take a buggy! There are many, many gorges to visit, check on your map for more.
FOR WINDSURFING & SAILING:

 Serignan Plage or Marseillan Plage (both around 25 mins). You can hire here too. Windsurfing & Sailing School,
 Lac de Salagou (40 mins) (right) between Bedarieux and Clermont l’ Herault is a large man made lake sitting in the Occitanien Highlands. All kinds of water sports are available (except any under power) and you can hire windsurfing kit here. Surrounded by mountains and hills with sandy beaches and the left over of volcanic eruptions. The soil here is a strange ochre red making the whole area look a little like a moonscape. A beauty spot not to be missed. Take a picnic, find a quiet spot along the miles of shoreline and forget the rest of the world, at least for a day. Contact number & website for more info.: 34800 Clermont l'Herault Phone : (33) (0)4.67.96.31.65
www.mnet.fr/causse-et-vallees
 Sigean – large sailing & windsurfing centre (nr Narbonne
… and just a few more worth mentioning

Olargues – 40 mins. Located in the Jaur valley, Olargues is one of the loveliest sites of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. It has been protected for thousand years by its lofty tower. Its old houses, winding alleys and its medieval bridge are very attractive. Popular with the stars, several well known English actors & musicians have bought places there
Lamalou la Bains – 30 mins lovely spa town with a real Italian feel, beautiful buildings, casino, quite close to Bedarieux, so make a day of it!
Bedarieux – 40 mins on D909, centre du Tourisieme, beautiful town, lively atmosphere, spectacular views
Clermont L’Herault (right) Its proximity to lake Salagou and its rich heritage, both historically and in terms of natural beauty, make Clermont l’Herault an important tourist site and a place whose life-style is extremely pleasant.
Cessenon – 10 mins, medieval village. Plus on the road to Reals and Cessanon is Le Ferme Zoo, a lovely place to take the kids for the afternoon and just 5 mins from the villa, there is a café and gift shop there too.
Maurassan – 5 mins if you want gourmet restaurants, visit Parfum de Garrigue (pricy but seriously good) and pretty village
Murveil les Beziers – 10 mins pretty hilltop ancient village, awarded one of the Prettiest Villages in France Award