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.

Round the Lake

Today I'm recovering from yesterday. But I fear tomorrow more, two days after mountain-biking around the Lac du Salagou, all 27 km of it. My muscles will be giving me hell, I'm sure. Today I'm just wrecked with fatigue.

You see on the picture there on the left? You see circuit number 1? That's the one. It's red, like for ski-ing so definitely a challenge, especially for rank amateurs like me.

I went with my TWDB (his idea, actually...), and my youngest. My eldest had earned the right to do what he wanted in the afternoon thanks to a good attitude on Saturday so he opted to stay at home and see his pals.

So it was that, in 14°C, we arrived at the lake, jumped on our bikes and headed clockwise from the Liausson Base de Plein Air. The track is actually pretty cool for about 15km, being mostly on the flat practically on the beach. It's a very popular spot with weekend mobile home owners/renters and there were lots of relaxed-looking folks sitting reading, eating, and getting water-sports material ready for use.

We stopped a bit further on from the end of the green track 12 to have some lunch. No wine, natch, or we would never have been able to make it further. Nearby was an old truck that had been converted into what looked like a romany caravan with smoke issuing from the chimney. Another truck, a converted refrigeration one (with good insulation) had also been converted into living quarters and had its own electricity generator. Some people are really desperate for peace and quiet!

Not that they were in the middle of nowhere by any means. The circuit is popular with cyclists and walkers and we saw several as we made our way round. I wouldn't want to be walking on the cycling track, however, with bikes coming hurtling round corners, down slopes and along the straight. Serious mountain-bikers have time limits they watch so woe betide the hapless old walker doddering along admiring the view, the peace and the path beheath their feet.

The soil around the lake is dark red and in places people had taken white pebbles and spelled out romantic liaisons and other messages for all to see. Some were beautifully enshrined in a heart, others with less time/fewer pebbles/less conviction had kept it brief 'Gerard et Kiki' or just plain single 'Julie' who was perhaps waiting for her beau to add his name to hers.

Further round, up some of the undulating weathered humps and bumps and down down down as I threw myself into the slope hoping that a) my bike would take the hammering, b) I wouldn't hit a rock, come flying off, crash land, split my head open, need emergency treatment, not get it and die in agony as my brain poured out onto the dark red rock. It did occur to me that I should perhaps be wearing a helmet if I was going to this sort of energetic biking. My TWDB suggested I only needed one if I had something to protect... cheeky sod.

My youngest, who is a member of a mountain-biking club, was giving me advice on how to go downhill safely - to stand on the pedals, botty behind the saddle to shift the centre of gravity backwards. I would take off and he'd be yelling after me 'FESSES DERRIERE, MAMAN!' That did help concentrate my mind off crashing and ending up lying helpless in a pool of blood.

Then there was quite a bit of climbing where you see circuit 13 joins 9, after which it's an easy ride along a country track looking down onto the lake some 200m below as far as Mas Audran. Fantastic views from above give a different perspective of the lake from the ones on the beaches.

At Mas Audran, near Lacoste you go all the way down to the bottom of the valley weaving your way along the twisting lanes of the village built on a steep slope and arrive at the bottom of the dam. It's a daunting sight because you know that you have to climb up to the top along the road, and it's quite a haul. I had to get off and push because we were by this time quite a long way round and I was feeling super tired. I'd eaten my eldest's energy biscuit and had some chocolate too, but still my legs screamed out that enough was enough.

We eventually made it, and then had another few kilometres gentle climbing until AT LAST the little yellow bike signs indicated us right, off the road and back to the car park. Relief.

Still, it was a fantastic ride with so much scenery to enjoy. My TWDB was so taken with it that he suggested we do it every weekend to get really good at it...

In yer dreams, mate.

Happy Birthday, Me

I like birthdays - I like being spoilt, getting pressies, and everybody doing what I want. It's just the job once a year. In fact, I like it so much, I think I might suggest I have a monthly birthday. Well, it'd make everyone laugh... I'm such a joker...

My birthday started over-indulgently last night when my TWDB took me out to dinner at the Jardin des Sens which used to be a 3* restaurant but is now just 2 after the Pourcel brothers over-stretched themselves and couldn't maintain effort needed to keep the extra star. It's still the best restaurent in Montpellier however, and a real joy and privilege to go there.

Basically, we walked in and waddled out, full of the Découvert menu where you get dish after plate of exquisite goodies in small portions. Most of the dishes were delicious, but one or two didn't quite hit the mark, and when you've got that much to eat, you leave what you don't want. This does not go unnoticed, so we explained what had not quite worked, especially a duck foie gras fried with grapefruit. It was too bitter, killed the foie, and made it a chore to eat. So I didn't.

The staff were great, however, and we had a lovely evening. It was preceded by an apero with NG who gave me a lovely pair of earrings as a pressie.

Today started well with croissants. My youngest was sent down the road to buy them fresh, together with some baguettes for lunch. He went on his bike and they came back a tad squashed, but no less delicious. I even got a cup of tea. Feeling a bit the worse for wear after last night, the tea was a life-restoring nector and set me up for preparing a picnic lunch and getting the bike stuff prepared.

We went to join the Bike Aventure club the boys belong to for the opening season get together at Lac de Salagou. They provided the apero (more alcohol...) and we had a lovely picnic lunch (though I say so myself) made up of charcuterie, cheese, bread, carrot and cucumber sticks, houmous and mini tomatoes. Nothing that had needed much preparing, for obvious post-late dinner reasons.

After lunch, we all jumped on our bikes and set off, en masse, around the lake. My TWDB and I would have preferred to be feeling a little healthier to get the most out of the exercise, but we manfully pedalled away and practically kept up. The group waited every so often for the stragglers so it was really cool and very matey.

After about 6km we decided to stop and go back, with another couple who'd also had enough. The rest were going to continue to do a tour of the lake, all 27km with quite a few climbs near the dam. We returned at a leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful scenery. There were wind-surfers dashing across the lake, several retired couples with mobile homes and some with their pets including cats, people fishing and some even having a swim (brrr). Two coaches had disgorged their passengers out to admire the scenery from the pier, cameras in hand.

My youngest, naturally, was filthy, mainly as a result of cycling full pelt towards an earth wall/bump only to find a big muddy puddle on the other side which he landed in with a happy splash. He was then sent down to the lake to clean up a bit and instructed to hose down his bike when we got home.

I now have a chicken in the oven for dinner to which, if I have the energy, I'll add roast potatoes. Dessert is birthday cake made mostly by me with some help from my youngest - a boiled fruit cake. I love fruit cakes. Talking of food, my brother sent me a book I've been wanting - Economy Gastronomy and I'm looking forward to honing my organisational cooking skills. My mummy sent me two lovely pullies, all soft and silky to the touch, so I can now face the colder days which are on their way with tranquility.

A super fab birthday really. Lucky me!