‘Chez Magali’, Floure. A house sleeping six people in three bedrooms, with a balcony looking towards the river Aude, large living room, garden, patio, private access and parking area. Wi-fi. www.chezmagali.iowners.net ‘Chez Magali’ is situated at one end of a long rectangular building which is in three parts. The middle section we keep for our own use although we do not expect to be there when visitors are staying in Chez Magali. The three parts of the house are self-contained and quite distinct from each other. The other end of the building, whose residents have exclusive use of the swimming pool and the remaining grounds, may be let during your stay, but it faces in the opposite direction and has a wholly separate access. Your privacy therefore is assured. Chez Magali is approached from the lane which leads down to the river Aude and along the vineyards. Its gate opens on to the private parking area from which there is a path over the garden and patio to the main porch. On the first floor there are three bedrooms. The double bedroom and one twin room look south over gardens towards Mount Alaric, the most northerly ridge of the Corbières hills. The double bedroom, with its four-poster bed, has a shower unit and basin en suite. The second twin bedroom has a balcony with outdoor seating, which looks towards the river. There is ample wardrobe and storage space. The bathroom contains a basin and bath with hand shower. There is a separate w.c. on this floor and another off the porch downstairs. On request, we provide a travel cot, high chair. There is a removable barrier across one of the bedroom doors for toddlers’ safety if required. A wooden staircase leads down to the enormous living-room which contains a spacious and very well equipped kitchen with dishwasher, washing-machine, microwave, refrigerator/freezer and four-plate (two red spots) electric cooker with separate grill and oven. The dining table under its chandelier accommodates six people with ease. At the seating area, there are comfortable settees, a satellite television, CD/cassette/radio, DVD player with 100 films, and plenty of books and cassettes. The television receives UK programmes. Windows look to the south over gardens and to the west towards the vineyards. Two of the interior walls are ‘pierre apparente’ and the beamed ceiling retains its original features. Chez Magali has wi-fi. The porch leads to the patio which has the barbecue and external seating with overhead lighting. Beyond the patio is your secure parking area. The Mediterranean-style garden consists of plants, bushes and shrubs, and is ‘maintenance-free’, not grassed. A security light offers safe access at night. You may also use the adjacent grassed garden for children’s play or for sitting in the sun. Chez Magali does not have central heating, but the electric heaters are more than adequate. The house is all-electric and furnished, equipped and decorated to a very high standard. The location: The property is situated about 100 yards from the river Aude. Half a mile away is the little village of Floure, with its quiet streets, its one excellent château restaurant and its good Corbières and Minervois wines. The house is about eight miles to the east of Carcassonne and three miles from Trèbes. The nearest interchange on the autoroute A61 'Des deux mers' is very near Trèbes. From there it is a fast forty-five minute (or so) drive to the nearest coastal resorts, Gruissan and Narbonne Plage, almost all by autoroute. Local beaches recently received a European award for cleanliness. We are told that there is a naturist club in Floure (www.languedoc-france.info/list_naturist.htm under ‘Cavanac’). The military museum in the village is said to be of interest. Carcassonne is one of the two or three most frequently visited places in France outside Paris. The largest fortified medieval city in Europe, it stands magnificent on its hill 150 metres above the river Aude. Restored in the last century, it is a dream of the perfect medieval city with its three kilometres of ramparts, thirty-five defensive towers, its moat, Viscount's castle and basilica. The river Aude rises in the Cerdagne beyond Mont-Louis and flows towards Carcassonne through dramatic gorges either side of Axat and past Alès les Bains and Limoux, home of the famous sparkling Blanquette wine. After Carcassonne, its course turns to the east towards the sea. Floure is situated in the Minervois, an area well known for its excellent wine. To the south lie the Corbières, a scarcely populated range of hills well worthy of exploration. To the north rise the Montagne Noire and the National Park, the last bastion of the Massif Central. It is possible to take pleasure trips on the Canal du Midi. Several historic cathedral cities are within easy reach, including Montpellier, Béziers, Castres, Albi, Narbonne, Perpignan, Toulouse and St. Pons de Thomières. The area between Carcassonne and the Mediterranean is exceptionally sunny and warm. The letting arrangements: The house is let as a whole, not on a 'per person' basis. Lets are normally made for complete weeks, from Saturday to Saturday, although special arrangements may be negotiated on request. The costs of cleaning and electricity (except for the winter months when special arrangements apply) are included in the price of the let. All linen is provided, including hand- and bath-towels, but you should bring your own cot sheets and also towels for use in the garden or on the beach. It is a condition of the let that not more than six people (plus baby) stay in Chez Magali at any one time. A separate paper will explain how and where house-keys are supplied and returned. The normal arrangements are that we send you keys in advance which you return to us when you get back home, and that you arrive at the house after 4.00 p.m. on your first day and leave before 10.00 a.m. on your last. No smoking, please, in the house itself. Chris and Alexis Jay, 11 Moray Place, Strathbungo, Glasgow G41 2BA. Tel/Fax; 0141-423 5760. e-mail: [email protected] Floure. Local information. (see www.chezmagali.iowners.net and www.carcassonneinfo.com a website in English). Trèbes, three or four miles away, offers all the facilities necessary for daily living: Bakers Grocers Supermarkets Chemist Newsagent DIY store Petrol Garage Banks Post Office Church Doctor Dentist Café/bar Internet café. There are many restaurants in the area, at Capendu, Trèbes, Carcassonne and the Cité. You will find recommendations in the house Travel Journal. Please add your own. The nearest hypermarket is 'Géant' to the right of the road from Trèbes to Carcassonne. The main hospital is on the southern by-pass around Carcassonne. Floure offers little except the high-class restaurant, Château de Floure. For musical and dance events, see www.addmd11.fr , select rubrique ‘manifestations en Aude’. The principal theatres, concert halls, museums, art galleries and festivals are located in the 'new town' of Carcassonne and in the Cité. For information about sports of all kinds, we suggest that you pay an early visit to Office de Tourisme / Syndicat d'Initiative, 28 Rue de Verdun, Carcassonne. After you cross the Aude on the road into Carcassonne, you will come to a large square. Rue de Verdun is at the far end of the square. There is another Tourist Office by the side of the canal in Trèbes. The following facilities cannot all be guaranteed. For their telephone numbers look at the glossy pages in the telephone directory, roughly pages 17-25: Rafting. kyaking: Rouffiac; Alet-les-Bains; Quillan; Saint Martin Lys; Axat - the higher reaches of the Aude to the south of Carcassonne. Sailing, pedalos, lake bathing, pony-rides (not all available in all the following locations): Bassin du Lampy and Bassin de Saint-Ferreol beyond Saissac; Lac de La Cavayère south of the A61 near Carcassonne; Laprade and Pradelles Cabardès in La Montagne Noire; La Ganguise to the west of Castelnaudary. Golf: Golf Club de Carcassonne just past the hospital on the southern Carcassonne by-pass. Tennis: Trèbes (turn right at the roundabout by Super U and look to the right); L'Acacia, 14 Ave. du Général-Sarrail, Carcassonne; also on the banks of the Aude in Carcassonne, and at Montlegun and Montredon to the east of Carcassonne. To hire the court at Floure, enquire at La Mairie in the village. Horse-riding: La Cavayère (see above); La Cavale de Saint-Felix near St. Martin le Vieil north of Alzonne; Arques in the Corbières; Limoux. Bowling alley: Plateau de Grazailles on the north side of Carcassonne. Martial arts, gymnastics, saunas: 10 Ave. du General-Sarrail, Carcassonne. Skate-boarding: By the Aude, Rue Laperrine, Carcassonne. Fishing: We suggest that you ask at Trèbes Sports in the centre of Trèbes. Walking: Plenty of walks in Les Corbières to the south and La Montagne Noire to the north. Leisurely walks along the Canal du Midi tow-path. Nearest beaches: Gruissan and Narbonne Plage. Canal du Midi: Private hire of boats for day-trips - tel: 04.68.46.28.52. Bike hire: tel: 04 68 78 68 81 or 06 88 06 54 26. 3 Rue d’Orbiel,11800 Trèbes. Places to visit within about 50 miles of Floure: See www.chezmagali.iowners.net (‘local info’). For Carcassonne, Cité & town, and for Toulouse it is worth buying a guide-book locally. To the north. Minerve. (N.E). Begun in the 10th.