20 Things To Do in the South of France

Every now and again I get contacted by someone either wanting my views on some topic, or to link to a blog post or website.

Most recently, Jen of Jen Reviews contacted me about linking to a post she's written on 100 best things to do in France. I had a look at it, and it has a pretty good variety of things to do, from the obvious to the less obvious. So, if you're planning a visit to France, you could do worse than peruse her suggestions.

It got me thinking about my own list of things to do. Of course, I didn't agree entirely with her list, but then my own would be concentrated around the South of France. While I'm not sure I can come up with 100 things to do, here in no particular order, are some of my favourites:

1. Motorbiking
Michelin came up with a brilliant idea many years ago of colouring routes that go through attractive scenery in green. Motorbiking along these roads is the best way of exploring them, and of getting deep into the French countryside. Cycling takes more effort, and driving is not so much fun unless, I suppose, you're driving a cabriolet.

2. Walking up the Pic St Loup

View from the top of the Pic St Loup

The Pic St Loup is the local Montpellier landmark and is a popular walk. Take a picnic and admire the wonderful views from the top.

3. Lac de Salagou

Lac de Salagou, ruins of Celles in the distance

I cycled around the Lac de Salagou once. However, you don't have to cycle around it to enjoy it. It's a beautiful place for playing in safe water, doing water sports, having a picnic, going on a walk. We've motorbiked around it too, it was much faster...

4. Meteorological Observatory, Mont Aigoual
On the top of Mont Aigoual is a functioning meteorological observatory in an imposing purpose-built castle that also houses a free exhibition and museum. There's also a nice shop and café if you don't want to face the bracing winds eating your sandwiches at the picnic tables outside.

Picnic table and view

5. Mont Aigoual
While I'm on the top of Mont Aigoual, I'll mention that it's a great place for walking, and even has a small ski resort - Prat Payrot - with 4 downhill green slopes, 4 blue and 3 red, plus 32km of cross-country skiing, including a black course.

6. The Cevennes
One of my favourite areas. Fabulous for motorbiking, walking, canoeing, visiting, eating, observing, skiing and all manner of other fun things to do.

Fabulous Cevennes scenery

7. Bambouseraie
I looked through my blog to find a post on visits to the bamboo gardens at the Bambouseraie near Anduze, but I must have been there mainly before I started St Bloggie de Riviere. I used to go when my parents visited, and I had young boys. It's a fantastic place, well worth the visit, and has a lovely shop too.

Bambouseraie shop

8. Little Steam Train
A natural follow-on to the Bambouseraie is the little steam train that runs from Anduze to St Jean du Gard with a stop at the Bambouseraie.

Steam Train at St Jean du Gard station

You can make a day of it, starting at Anduze to St Jean du Gard, having a picnic, getting back on the train, stopping at the Bambouseraie and catching the last train back.

View along the little steam train route

9. Byrrh Factory

Over the the Pyrenees Orientales and the town of Thuir you'll find the Byrrh factory where they make herb and spice-based liquor which was originally sold as a health tonic and eventually became part of France's aperitif culture. You go on a tour of the old parts of the factory, learn about the manufacturing process and get a tasting at the end. Absolutely fascinating, if for no other reason than it has the biggest oak cask in the world holding over 1 million litres.

The original aperitif

10. Cirque de Mourèze

Near Clermont-l'Hérault, this is a great one for kids because they can run around the weird and wonderful rock formations and let their imaginations run riot.

Weird rock formations at the Cirque de Mourèze

It's a great place for a walk for adults too.

11. The Noria Water Museum

At St Jean de Bruel in Aveyron, this is another very interesting museum set in an old water mill. It's been put to different uses at different times, but one of the main ones was cleaning woollen cloth. The mill has been restored so you can see how it was done. There's also a mini hydro-electric station, a large model of a river modified to produce hydro-electricity, lots of other interesting water-related information and a place for kids to play.

Noria water museum

The village is very pretty and there are some fantastic views to be seen after walking up through shady chataigner woods to the 'sentinelle'.

St Jean de Bruel 'sentinelle' and view of the village

12. Glass-blowing Museum

The Halle du Verre is in the quaint village of Claret. The region was an important glass-making centre, with manufacture monopolised by gentlemen glassblowers who came back from the Crusades with the skill and didn't want anyone else to share in their fortunes. The museum has an excellent permanent exhibition, regular temporary exhibitions, and an actual glass-blower working behind a protective glass panel. It opens on May 3 until 30 November.

13. Mont Ventoux

From the top of Mont Ventoux looking east

A great favourite with cyclists, bikers, walkers, the Tour de France, and others, Mont Ventoux is an exceptional site with its limestone scree top that looks like snow from a distance. 

14. Markets

Some good local ones on Saturday mornings are at les Arceaux in Montpellier, Clermont-l'Hérault, and Sommières. There is a vast amount of parking at Sommières which gets very full by 10.30am. I know this because I went through Sommières yesterday on my way to a mountain bike enduro site and saw how many cars arrived between 9.45am and 10.30am. I'm sure there are others, but I just don't know about them. I seem to remember that Olargues has a lovely organic market but it's just once a year, this year on 15 August 2017. Special 'estivale' organic markets are popular in the summer.

15. Medieval Festivals

About this time of year you also get the 'Médievales' which are great for families. My boys used to love them. They combine a market, sword fights, brave knights in shining armour, damsels in distress, jousting, etc. You can visit them all over Languedoc Roussillon, information here. 

Trying on a heavy helmet

16. Castles (ruined)

My youngest used to love visiting ruined castles. He used to dress up in his Crusader kit and, preferably with his brother and a buddy, would be happy to walk to the castle of the day and spend a productive afternoon doing battle. Languedoc Roussillon and beyond has many ruined castles from the imposing, impressive Cathar castles in the PO, to less frequented and easier to get to ruins nearer to home. Before Wikipedia came to the rescue of those in search of information on the castles of Hérault (for example) I used to take a map, look for the ruined castle symbol which, on Michelin maps is a triangle made up of three black spots, pack a picnic and get in the car.

Our most local ruin is the château de Montferrand above St Mathieu de Tréviers together with the château de la Roquette.

17. Other Festivals

There are many festivals throughout France, and depending on your poison, you can probably find one that suits. Festivals that I have been to or go to regularly include the FISE (extreme sports festival) held in May (24-28, 2017) showcasing the best of BMX, Roller, Skateboarding, Wakeboarding and MTB scenes. Then there's the Tomato Festival in Clapiers in September (250 varieties on show, plus lovely market), the International Short Film Festival (court metrage) in Clermont-Ferrand in February, the Avignon arts festival in July, Montpellier Danse, also in July, and the Montpellier music and film festival des Nuits d'O in August set in the shady grounds - you bring a picnic or buy something en site, and sit at long picnic tables eating before the band of the evening starts. It's very cool.

18. Touratech Travel Event

This takes place in Orange June 16-17, 2017, and gathers together bikers who love the idea of adventurous travelling, want to go on an adventure trip, have been on a trip, are preparing for a trip and so on. We particularly enjoy the presentations made by bikers (men and women) who were sponsored for their trip and have to give a presentation of what happened. We've listened to a young woman who rode from Canada down to Ushuaia, a couple who rode from France to Iran, others who rode around India, and so on. It makes for a fantastic day out if you like motorbikes.

19. The Beach

I don't often go to the beach in summer, but it is fun to go with friends to one of the many 'paillotes' - pop-up restaurants on the beach with private sections of beach that are installed for the summer and have to be taken down again in the autumn. Go in the evening for an apero, for example. Balmy air, the lapping of the waves, a glass of chilled rosé, trendy décor, it's definitely a cool thing to do. 

20. What boys like to do

When I asked my youngest (16) what he likes to do, he came up with the following list: 

• FISE
• Aqualand (Cap d'Agde)
• Beach (with friends only)

He has also had lots of fun on his birthdays doing paintball, and Accrobranche, and can't wait until he's 18 when he can join an air-soft club. As an outdoor type, he loves mountain biking and there are many fantastic sites where you can ride for pleasure and take part in competitions. We often go skiing to Mont Aigoual to Prat Peyrot, but this year went to Prapoutel in the Alps which was much bigger, much better and more fun, even in the bad weather. He has also greatly enjoyed canoeing/kayaking on the Hérault river, and jumping off the rocks into the river at the Pont d'Issensac.

There is of course, so much more to do (like vigneron picnics, or various circuits by foot, bike or car), but I hope you enjoyed my list, and I'm always keen to get recommendations.

Ruined Castle Hols in Lozere

We've just come back from a week's camping (in a chalet) at the Lac de Villefort an hour or so north of Alès. The best bit about the chalet was the all-in-one hob-oven-dishwasher. Yes, a dishwasher! Luxury!! The other best bit was the view (or vice versa):

View from chalet over Lac de Villefort

I think you'll agree that that's pretty stupendous. The camping is practically invisible from the other side of the lake (hint, the blue stripe bottom left is the swimming pool).

Spot the campsite

We visited, or rather saw, several castles. We were not able to visit all of them - this one, the Chateau du Cheylard at Aujac because it was closed on Mondays, and we didn't notice this important piece of information on the board at the bottom until we'd climbed a couple of kilometres in 32°C heat to find the closed gate and another notice.

Chateau Cheylard, Aujac

This one, the Chateau Bresis because it's on private land and although we were told that theoretically no one can stop us visiting an historic monument, we decided not to bother trying just in case the owner came rushing out wielding a shotgun...

Chateau Bresis

We got to this one, the Chateau de Castanet a bit late in the day and decided not to hang about mainly because it was not a ruin and my boys greatly prefer clambering over old stones than looking at rooms of furniture and exhibitions, and also because it was windy and pretty nippy out, and the car was a lot more inviting.

Chateau Castanet

I discovered that on the map there are a number of symbols for castles. The most promising ones for us indicate a decent ruin in a triangle of three black circles. A totally ruined ruin has a triangle of white circles and, from experience, is so ruined that it's little more than a pile of stones. Inhabited castles come in the shape of a rectangle with little lines poking out of each corner.

La Garde Guerin offered a good mixture of ruins and restored buildings - this photo was taken from the top of a very windy tower.

La Garde Guerin

We ended our castles visiting with the Chateau d'Allègre where they were having a medieval fair, with the usual armour and weapons displays. My youngest tried on a couple of helmets and wielded a heavy sword for effect.

Chateau d'Allègre

The van in the background rather spoils the effect but you get the idea. They were still setting up in fact, hence the general lack of activity.

We didn't just drive about looking for castles, however. We also did some sporty activities which I'll keep for another post. I think you'll agree that we got a good dose of castles on this holiday!

Not such a quiet weekend finalement

Castellas de Montpeyroux

Last weekend I thought I'd be really lazy. The boys were kicking up a storm about not wanting to do either their mountain biking sessions or the competition on Sunday so I decided to let them off. Sunday would require a really early start to get to Laudun near Avignon, complete with picnic lunch and all biking stuff and I frankly couldn't be fagged.

In the end though, far from being lazy, it was jammed packed with activities.

We'll gloss over Saturday morning chores and go for the jugular visit to the 11th century Castellas de Montpeyroux. My youngest is very keen on visiting ruined castles. He loves the Medieval period and has much of the kit and weaponry (much of it bought from Weobly Castle, Gower). I'd seen it on a bike ride so when he asked if we could do something in the afternoon, I suggested going to the castle. It's not far from St Guilhem le Desert, perched above the tiny village of Le Barry.

Unfortunately, when we reached the ruins, they were all closed off for restoration so we could only walk around the perimeter and look at the stunning panoramic view over the Hérault valley. I thought it was terrific, he thought it was nul so we walked back down, through the village with its lovely stone houses and Nintendo 64 game noises emanating out through a window somewhere.

On Sunday, I took him to le Grand Bleu, pool complex in La Grande Motte because he has to pass a 25m swimming test and definitely needs a bit of training to smarten up his strokes. I got in several lengths too. My eldest is now way too cool to want to do things with his mum and little bro. He was mooching around with his mates back home somewhere.

In the afternoon I took my youngest and his pal to the fête Medieval at Les Matelles. I've been before and it's great fun, but this time I was there in time to see the jousting show complete with 3 knights, 2 damsels; fighting, jousting, combat, baddies, romance, brawling broads. We shouted for our favourite, booed the others, along with several hundred other people watching from the slope which overlooked the show-ground. 

We visited all the stands; my youngest bought another knight's tabard (white on red) and an axe with his birthday money. I bought wine, including a stunning white apero wine based on a medieval recipe full of spices from the Silk Route produced by the Chateau d'Exindre at Villeneuve les Maguelone. It's one that Henry III ordered for Christmas 1251 from that very same producer (several generations ago).

There's living history for you.

So, not such a quiet weekend, but certainly one that was more amusing than attending the usual vtt activities. Lots of fun and quite a bit of exercise thrown in too. I'm feeling quite energised!

TGO - Château de Fressac

"What shall we do today?" I asked my boys yesterday. I was determined to do something. Saturday had been spent much like every Saturday - providing taxi services, cleaning the house, shopping and cooking. It had, of course, been a blazingly wonderful sunny day of extreme balminess and perfection.

Sunday, naturally, was cloudy and threatened drizzle. Still, I could not let the entire weekend pass in a cloud of ironing steam and rubber gloves, so put my enticing question to the boys. My eldest came out with a predictable "Nothing" - it's his age - but my youngest suggested we visit a ruined castle. Not only was this rather a good idea, but he also had the exact castle in mind, seen when he had been flipping through my book of regional walks.

He wanted to visit the Château de Fressac, about 55km north of Montpellier. The book showed a circular walk with a stem up to visit the castle. You could either do just the stem or just the circular walk or both. Knowing the boys, and being aware of the capriciousness of the weather, I thought we would probably just get to do the castle.I put together a picnic having nipped down to the village centre, bought a baguette, and a Festive baguette which is our top favourite type at the moment. This is because the crust is not thick or teeth-shattering, and the inside is light and airy. I had some charcuterie, and bought some cheese and tiny tomatoes. Thus armed, and taking along the Friend Who Reads, we jumped in the car, stopped off chez my TWDB to give him a kiss (he was feeling off), and drove up towards Quissac then Sauve.

Veering off on ever smaller routes, we arrived at the hamlet of Fressac - a pretty little place full of stone houses, an impressive moulin (mill) and an impression of being well-preserved. The castle car park was indicated - an obligatory stop as there is no road up to the castle. It was 12.30 when we arrived so I asked the boys if they wanted to eat lunch then and there or at the castle. They opted for the castle, so also got to carry the picnic.

The trek up took quite a toll. It was made up mostly of rough steps - small logs jammed across the path to prevent the stones behind from escaping - on a very steep slope. While the steps were a good thing to stop you from slipping, they were also very hard work. It took us 40mins to reach the top so we had definitely deserved our lunch.

My youngest was dressed in his 'chain mail' tunic and helmet, and wielded his sword and shield like a true medieval knight. The other boys made do with a sword each, but all three leapt over the ruins, running about searching out all the nooks and crannies.

It's an impressive structure, set high above the valley. While the outside walls rise up a good ten metres or so, it is less preserved within. Fencing stopped them from climbing onto the ramparts, or was supposed to... My eldest did climb up, especially after he'd seen another boy do the same (and live to tell the tale).

Apparently it's not somewhere that was ever inhabited, but served rather as a refuge when the peasants in the valley were being attacked. It doesn't have the tragic atmosphere of Cathar castles, but provided a good playground for boys who fought each other within an authentic 8th century backdrop.

The views were not particularly spectacular because the weather was somewhat dismal, but the vines at the moment are resplendent in their autumnal glory and so the valley was a patchwork of different colours depending on the variety of vine. Some go a vivid red whilst others just dry out from green to brown. It must look stunning in the sun.

After an hour or so, we felt the clouds descend, and small droplets of humidity started collecting on the plastic bag of apples. Time to go. It took much less time going down, the most entertaining part of which was seeing the poor sods on their way up, heading into the damp. We had got the best part of the day and the boys were well contented with their adventure.

The Friend Who Reads thanked me very nicely and said he'd had the best afternoon, so he can come out with us again!

Castle Me

Going back to childhood haunts can be tricky. Places change, not always for the better, and it can be a gross deception if your once favourite place has turned into a mega Tescos, or worse... (if possible).

Last year I went back to visit Mumbles, with the boys. My mother used to live on the other side of the 'Welcome to Mumbles' sign, and we spent many summers on the various beaches there when we went to stay with my grandmother. Going back turned out to be a brilliant idea. Mumbles had got better, cleaner, and more active. The Lido, from being a stagnant boating pool, had become a clean, exciting paddling pool, with fountains, water chutes, islands and jacuzzis. It was clean and safe, and had a playground attached with climbing wall.

Last year we enjoyed a week of sun. This year, we encountered sunny spells. We stayed in Limeslade, on the other side of the lighthouse, just up from a Joe's ice-cream parlour. As rented accommodation goes, it was rather special, especially as it had a fully stocked wall bar, loads of glasses, and good cooking equipment. No table though. Only a bar, with 4 very high stools...

The weather was not conducive to lounging about on beaches, so instead, we visited ruined castles. Driving into the heart of Gower, we started off with Weobly castle. It was raining, so the whole place looked authentically dark and dank. The boys dashed off to see what they could clambour over, climb on, and fight in, finding hidden niches and spooky staircases. The view was spectacular, looking out over the marshes, where sheep graze and get turned into salt marsh lamb. My mother bought some, and we ate a shoulder for our last evening there. It was exquisitely fragrant meat; very tender, and totally delicious!

After Weobly, we went to Oxwich castle which has a super shop. For young boys, that is... They were selling faux chain mail tunics and wooden swords. My youngest fell in love with the tunics, and I succumbed to his desire, together with swords for both so they could battle it out with panache!

My youngest would have gone to bed in his tunic, had I let him! It was definitely his favourite holiday purchase. We visited Oxwich in clearer weather. It is a more recent castle than Weobly, dating back only to the 16th century, and was more a mock-fortified manor house than a working stronghold. There was an interesting exhibition of Welsh history in the gallery explaining the invasions from the west and east, as well as the interminable inter-kingdom wars.

Our last castle was Oystermouth, in Mumbles - our local. It dates back to the 13th century and is set magnificently on a hill where, today, plays are put on in the natural amphitheathre, together with son et lumiere events. There are fantastic views over Swansea Bay, especially down towards Mumbles; the pier, the lighthouse, the old lifeboat house. We climbed up onto the ramparts, the boys charging their way around wielding their swords in a suitably medieval way.

This year, then, was the year of the castle. Last year was the year of the beach. What will next year bring?