Out & About

Gaillardet Garden is situated beneath the first foothills of the Pyrenees. Directly South the pinewoods provide shady walks and magnificent views up to the spectacular Plateau de Sault and beyond..

North of the house are gentle hills and valleys of fields and chestnut and oak woods, flowing with pretty streams and rivers. The enormous and uncommercialised Lac de Montbel is about 15minutes drive with its sandy beaches and facilities for swimming, pedaloes, windsurfing and sailing, plus lovely picnic sites and a beach café with super pizzas, great after a day at the Lac and watch the magnificent sunsets over the hills and water. There is also children's play areas and a blowup area with many things to bounce on!


The whole immediate area is ideal for walking, cycling and horseriding www.randonnees-cheval.com . www.paysdolmes.org. There are official Randonnees and VTT routes, as well of plenty of other tracks. www.velomondo.com Cycle hire is available and there are a number of trekking centres in the immediate vicinity.
White water rafting and kayaking www.ariege-evasion.com stations are plentiful on the nearby River Aude. www.pyrenerafting.com. Fishing also available on the many little rivers and lakes. There are golf courses about 1 hours drive away at either Foix www.paysdefoix.com or Carcassonne www.carcassonneinfo.com
White water rafting and kayaking www.ariege-evasion.com stations are plentiful on the nearby River Aude. www.pyrenerafting.com. Fishing also available on the many little rivers and lakes. There are golf courses about 1 hours drive away at either Foix www.paysdefoix.com or Carcassonne www.carcassonneinfo.com

The area is famous for its dinosaurs www.ariege-dinosaures.com and pre-historic remains www.sesta.fr. Many visits can be made to sites and museums of early history. Later history is provided by textile and millinery museums, and even the horn comb museum! Festivals are to be found all over the region throughout the year – from Jazz to hazelnuts! Limoux has a winter carnival from January to March. Caves and underground rivers are there to be investigated.

Historically the region is the heart of Cathar Country www.cathars.org, www.payscathare.org and many of the towns and villages have remains of this religious sect’s strongholds and castles, such as Montsegur, www.montsegur.org Puylaurens, Puivert www.chateau-de-puivert.com and of course the magical old Cite of Carcassonne. Nearby is the beautiful medieval town of Mirepoix www.ot-mirepoix.fr with its cafes and shops under the wooden arcades and famous Monday market (there is a market to be found somewhere on everyday of the week). Foix, Carcassonne, Perpignan and Limoux are other towns worthy of exploration.
The city of Toulouse, www.ot-toulouse.fr the pink city on the banks of the Garronne, is steeped in interesting architecture and history and is about 1 ½ hours drive away. It is the 4th biggest city in France and as you would expect has all the elements of a major city, including spectacular churches, art galleries, concerts, theatres, cinema and wonderful shops. Further afield are the towns of Montauban, home of the 19th Century artist Ingres, and Albi with the lovely Toulouse Lautrec museum.. The museum at Castres focuses on Goya. The region is liberally populated with artists and artisans and their ateliers. Anni is an art historian and is happy to talk to you about art and painting, and even take you on a guided tour to the gallery or museum of your choice.