En Rouger lies just outside a charming village in south west France called Labastide d’Anjou, halfway between Carcassonne and Toulouse, and only about an hour from the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. The village itself is just a few minutes’ drive away, and has a bakery, butcher, pharmacy, two hotels with restaurants, two hairdressers, a doctors’ surgery and a dentist.

Toulouse, just 45 minutes away, is well-served by cheap flights from the UK, and is a beautiful and lively city well worth visiting, particularly in the cooler months. Known as la Ville Rose, it has many interesting old buildings, a vibrant atmosphere and excellent shopping facilities.

The fascinating medieval city of Carcassonne, with its walled towers, is designated a World Heritage Site. It is only a short drive to the south and has daily displays of jousting in the summer months. Inside the walls, visitors find a picturesque town with museums, churches and good restaurants along the narrow, meandering streets. There is a music festival held in the city for most of the month of July, and its Bastille Day firework display is reputedly among the best in France.

The Grand Bassin at Castelnaudary

The region is famous for “les Chateaux du pays Cathare” with local castles, towns and villages dating back over 800 years. Historic towns such as Mirepoix, Foix, Revel, Lastours, Fanjeaux, Limoux and Castres can all be reached in 30-60 minutes. En Rouger is also situated on the edge of three noted wine regions – Fitou, Corbieres, and Minervois. Our nearest market town is Castelnaudary, famous for its cassoulet, which is served in almost every restaurant in town, fortunately not to the exclusion of everything else! The food, culture and landscape of the region have recently been featured on television and in print by John Burton Race ("French Leave") and Rick Stein ("Rick Stein's French Odyssey").

The Canal du Midi (also a World Heritage Site) runs through Castelnaudary, and passes only five minutes away from En Rouger. One of our nearest restaurants overlooks the Canal at a small hamlet called Le Segala where there is a buzzing atmosphere in summer. It is ideal for cycling along the tow path, and bicycles can be hired locally at a reasonable cost.

The Canal Du Midi

En Rouger is also situated approximately 20 minutes from two lakes – le Lac de la Ganguise and the Lac de St Ferreol which both have beaches and various activities for all ages, including walking, sailing and (at St Ferreol) pedaloes and mini-golf. Labastide d’Anjou has a tennis court for everyone’s use, and golf is available at Carcassonne, Mazamet and other courses nearer Toulouse. We can book tee times for guests if required. For those of you interested in walking, the Black Mountain (La Montagne Noire) is to the north of us, while the Pyrenees are about an hour to the south, and on a clear day they can be seen from the house. Walks of varying degrees of difficulty can be found to suit all tastes in the region which also offers much to the cyclist.

There are lots of local markets to visit during a stay at En Rouger. Mirepoix, a medieval town 45 minutes to the south of us, holds its market on a Monday with lots of craft items, as well as the usual fruit and vegetables. Castelnaudary’s own very good market is also on Monday. Of our other local towns Villefranche (towards Toulouse) has its market on Fridays, Revel on Saturdays, which in our view has the best food market in the area. Carcassonne has markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On 13 July each year Castelnaudary has a firework display on the canal basin to celebrate Bastille Day while on the last weekend in August, Castelnaudary holds its annual Fête du Cassoulet, now a 4-day festival dedicated to the town's most famous creation!

The area forms the backdrop to the best-selling novel "Labyrinth" by Kate Mosse. If you are interested in the history of this area, do try to read this before you come (although if you do not get round to it a copy will be in your gite for you to borrow while you are here!).