The house is just a few minutes' walk from Ste Colombe sur l’Hers where there is a shop and cafe. Chalabre is the nearest town and is just over 5 mins by car and has a Bank, Post Office, cafés and shops. The market is on a Saturday in Chalabre
and is a great place to pick up local produce.
Chalabre Chateau hosts a number of events throughout the year including a medieval festival with jousting.
The swimming lake, Lac Montbel is 5mins drive (or 20 mins walk) away and has multiple activities, swimming, sailing, kayaking and fishing as well as two restaurants on the shore, one on either side of the lake with other restaurants in the nearby village of Leran.
For Cyclists the Voie Verte cycle track that goes from Montségur to Canal du Midi is virtually outside our door.
The spectacular Cathar castles at Puivert, Montségur, Puylaurens, Peyrepetus and Queribus are not far away. Not forgetting the magical Carcassonne, the old Cite really is something to see (Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves was partly filmed here) but be aware it is a major tourist attraction with all the ensuing bustle, tourist shops and cost you would expect.
The nearest ski station Les Monts d'Olmes is less than 1 hr away, about 36km.
The Mediterranean sea with fantastic long sandy beaches near Perpignan is 90 minutes' drive and Collioure is not very much further, a location much favoured by Salvadore Dali and other artists. For those wanting more, Barcelona is a 4hr drive away!
For those that love them this region has its fair share of Markets, each town has at least one a week. Two 'local markets' to note that we regularly visit are Mirepoix on a Monday and Esperaza on a Sunday. Below is a list with location and days they are on in towns in the Aude region
Alet-les-Bains -Wednesday
Belpech - Wednesday
Bram - Wednesday
Carcassonne - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Castelnaudary - Monday
Chalabre - Saturday
Couiza - Tuesday, Saturday
Cuxac-d'Aude - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
Esperaza - Thursday, Sunday
Fanjeaux - Saturday
Fitou - Wednesday
Fleury-d'Aude - Daily
Gruissan - Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Lagrasse - Saturday
Leucate - Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Lézignan-Corbières - Wednesday
Limoux - Friday
Narbonne - Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Port-la-Nouvelle - Wednesday, Saturday
Quillan - Wednesday, Saturday
Rennes-les-Bains - Thursday
Rieux-Minervois - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
St-Pierre-sur-Mer - Daily
Saissac - Thursday
Sallèles-d'Aude - Tuesday, Friday
Sigean - Tuesday, Friday
Trèbes - Wednesday
Please note: this list was correct at the time of writing but some markets are 'seasonal' and may not be on outside the high season