Languedoc Roussillon

The Languedoc Roussillon is one of 26 French regions and is on a direct line south of Paris, now with the A75 motorway being completed and arriving in Beziers in the Spring of 2010. It shares France's Mediterranean coast with Provence and is sandwiched between the Pyrenees Mountains in the west, the Rhone river valley in the east and the Massif Central to the north part of which forms the Languedoc National Park and Cevennes mountains range.

The climate is not entirely Mediterranean, particularly when inland from the Mediterranean Sea by say more than 45 minutes drive. This means hot sunny summers in the northern part of the Languedoc Roussillon but cold temperatures in the winter with many areas such as Carcassone and Lodeve suffering due to the altitude - they are at the same altitude as the top of the Pennine range in England. So can often have snow much longer than the UK experiences. Similarly the coast is very hot and popular in mid summer but rarely suffers with snow, perhaps once every 10-15 years, when it is a flurry rather than a fall of snow.

There are many places of interest to visit, including many cities, with the region having a rich and varied history being settled by Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, and being a separate state Occitanie until all of it was integrated into France with the Albigensian crusades when war was made by northern France against the Cathars. So Beziers was the first city to be sacked, the start of the crusade some 800 years ago, Narbonne which capitulated with the invaders, Carcassone and of course the remote castles, towns and settlements in the Aude, Ariege and Pyrenees departments all suffered, typical being Minerve and of course Montlaur, both well worth a visit.

Nowadays the region is developing fast its new communication links, with new motorways and airport connections. However it still retains a great diversity in its geography, from Mountain to beach, from woods and lakes, to canyons and to undulating or flat plain vineyards, to perched villages in the Western Herault to modern coastal settlements.

Vineyards are abundant, the Languedoc Roussillon is the largest wine region in the world. And with a growing reputation for quality. St Chinian, Faugeres, Minervois, Limoux being some of the more famous. However wherever you go you will find vineyards and vignerons happy for you to taste their wines. The people are known to be friendly and colourful, with fetes and ferias all year round.

In our own part of the Languedoc Roussillon, in the western Herault around Beziers, our first starts in mid February with the Mimosa flower festival, and the celebrated fetes last of course through until the Xmas period.

For cities and culture entertainment then Montpellier is the modern capital, a truly young and buzzing city with a great mix of modern and old architecture and a wide choice of shopping and cultural events from Opera to large modern music and art events at its galleries and theatres. Perpignan, Beziers, Narbonne and Nimes as well offer a similar but smaller variety and many coastal resorts do likewise in the summer. There is little industry, except of course for wine production. Which is yet another reason for either visiting or living in our chosen part of France.

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