Château Chemin Vert is located in a bastide village in the Aude department of southern France, near the border with Ariège, around 50km south-west of Carcassonne.
Public car parking is just a minute’s walk away and you will find the entrance of the château just off the narrow pavement on one of the village roads. Stairs will take you up to the main floor which leads to the gardens and terraces.
The village itself is full of charm and has many festivities taking place throughout the spring, summer and autumn from medieval music festivals to the occasional Vide Grenier (flea market). You’ll find a boulangerie, chacuterie, pharmacy and a few cafes and restaurants, as well as a small supermarket just on the village’s edge. There are also tennis courts just outside the village. The Saturday morning market is one of the prettiest in the region.
There are some wonderful walking and cycling routes across the region including Le Chemin Vert, an old railway line which is now a path linking Mirepoix and Lavelanet and can be joined around 500m away.
The Lac de Montbel is just a ten-minute drive away, a great place for watersports including kayaks, canoes and pedalos, or you can go fishing, bird-watching or simply go for a swim from one of the lakeside beaches. It takes around four hours to walk around the whole lake, passing through forests and admiring the beautiful landscapes around you. You may even be able to see the snow-capped Pyrenees at certain times of year.
This region also offers a wealth of fascinating history such as the Cathar ruins in Montsegur, Lapradelle-Puilaurens and the incredible Château de Queribus. You can also visit Neolithic caves in Niaux and Lombrives, both around an hour away.
If you are travelling during the winter then you will find skiing around Les Monts d'Olmes, one hour by car, or at other times of year it’s a great place for walking and also popular with cyclists.
Not forgetting so many wonderful old villages and towns across the Aude and Ariège regions, many with weekly markets where you can pick up some amazing local produce. Mirepoix has a particularly great Monday morning market, probably the best in the area, and Limoux has a market all day on a Friday. The owners will give you a list of the local markets when you arrive.
Of course, a visit to the magnificent city of Carcassonne, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a must. See the fascinating castle and the beautiful historic town with its idyllic cafes, shops and restaurants or take some time exploring the Canal du Midi by taking a trip on a boat for a lovely day out.
The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of those areas of France where you can feel like you’re totally cut off from the rest of the country. Commercial tourism has been very slow to capitalise on the region, meaning you can still enjoy a slice of authentic French rural life at its finest. A mixture of landscapes also makes it a great place to visit, with a good stretch of coastline offering a totally different experience to more bucolic interiors. Whatever you’re looking for, our range of villas and chateaux in Languedoc means you can get exactly the kind of holiday you want with accommodation that’s perfectly tailored to you, your friends and your family.
