Maison des Fleurs.'..sits at the heart of village life serving up southern France in all its glorious, sunlit simplicity. Antique bedsteads, window box geraniums and baguettes from round the corner are all  part of the scene here. So, too, is a magnificent array of beaches & ancient monuments....' Sunday Times

The village of Ferrals les Corbieres is situated in the Aude region of France just 44 km from  beautiful Mediterranean beaches. The village is dissected by the River Orbieu and is surrounded by vineyards making this a perfect spot for walkers and cyclists. The village is flourishing and has a Primary School, a Bank (La Poste), Grocery Shop, an artisan Bakery that provides the best baguettes and cakes, a Tabac, two Hairdressers, a Beauty Salon and a restaurant in a chateau,  Catamini. It also has one of the most popular Bar/Restaurants in the region, Bembes Bar, Bembe is very popular in the Aude as he is a former Rugby player - his steaks cooked over grapevine wood are not to be missed; thereis also a takeaway Pizzeria.

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At the side of the river Orbieu are the village playing fields and petanque courts (bowls); there are also tennis courts for hire at 6 euros per hour (you can stay longer if it isn't booked after you) - pay at the Mairie in Rue de la Robine opposite the lavoir. In the same location, provided free,  are badminton and football nets and netball/basketball hoops. We can provide the appropriate racquets, balls/shuttlecocks for you to borrow; they are in the garage, just help yourself.

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Ferrals was, as were so many village in this region,  inhabited by the Romans, many vineyard owners still find pieces of Roman pottery when ploughing their land. It was later a walled Bastide, the remains of these walls can still be seen in the village Place, but the village really expanded during the late 1800's when the wine of Languedoc, now Occitanie, was in great demand due to the coming of the railways and the ability to export easily.  There are many wine makers still in the village, Ledogars, who owned our house, Pujade, Maylandie, just to name a few. The terrain around the village is very conducive to good wine production as it is the respected Boutenac appellation 

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The village is only 6 km from the motorway A61 (and the market town of Lezignan Corbieres) and from there you can access such beautiful cities such as Toulouse, Montpellier, Narbonne and even Barcelona as the Spanish border is just one hour away. There are 44 beaches available, the closest, Narbonne Plage, is just 35 minutes drive away but there are so many others from which to choose, all offering a range of activities from wind surfing, kite surfing, diving, sailing and, of course, pedalos for the children.  All the beaches are child friendly and most offer sun beds to rent during the summer season; most also have cafes and bars near the beach where you can have your moules frites or ice cream if you don't want to take a picnic.

 

If you would like a change from the beach you can experience wild swimming - this is a truly wonderful experience. There are three rivers local to Ferrals; St Laurent de la Cabrerisse has a river and picnic area that is sublime and this is just 9km away. Similarly the medieval village of Ribaute is just 10 km drive away and has a huge river which is very popular in the summer; drive on a further 4km to Lagrasse and you swim in the shadow of a medieval Abbey. For other watersports there is Lac de Joarres with its shingle beach and lifeguards where you can swim and kayak,  and Lac de la Cavayere at Carcassonne which has inflatables, boating, windsurfing and even a zip wire for water skiing.