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Delightful Gite in SW France - Private Garden, Close to Town & beautiful walks
Nestled in the Montagne Noire National Park, the holiday cottage has southern views of wooded mountains and has easy access to magnificent scenery with all the conveniences of the small and historic market town of Mazamet. The self-catering cottage comfortably accommodates 4 people in two adjoining bedrooms, and also has a studio couch in the living room. This accommodation provides an excellent holiday location for walking, riding, cycling, golf, bird-watching, wild swimming and other outdoor pursuits, or for simply enjoying the relaxed southern French way of life!
My husband, me and our 2 children (9 & 10) had a very good time in Mazamet. We went for 10 days and had a very active holiday! We crossed the Passerelle to Hautpoul, a worthwile walk/climb from the house to the old town of Hautpoul. We visited the lake de Montagnes for a swim, a beautiful place for swimming and relaxing, if you don't mind the rocky underground in the water ;). We went canoeing and even went fishing for trout in Gourp de la Loutre, what an adventure catch the fish, cleaning it with the nice owners and grilling it on the BBQ the same evening! A visit to Carcasonne (+- 45min drive) is interesting if you have some money to spend in the many many souvenirshops restaurants and extra activities (the Chevalerie was definitely worth the entrance fee).
All in alle we had a great stay in Felicity's garden, but it is advisable to find activities outdoors every day. Despite the beauty and cosiness of the small oasis in the town of Mazamet, it was not really an option to stay near the house fot a whole day: without a swimming pool or the space to run around for the children, we needed to find something to do every day (which made our vacation interesting, but a little more expensive than we anticipated ;)
To sum up, Felicity was incredibly kind (she even had some food and drinks for us in the fridge on our day of arrival!), the house was clean and completely equiped with everything we needed, and if you kept the shutters closed during the day, it was cool enough inside without airconditioning. We had a lovely holiday, but just maybe next time we will try to find a place where it is also possible to stay put and relax without extra outdoor activities.
We had a lovely week in the gĂźte tucked away with its secret garden in Mazamet. Thank you so much Felicity and Martin for all your help. A perfect week weather wise and trips to Carcassonne, Lastours and the nearby lake were greatly enjoyed as was the day out to a nearby vintage car rally and car boot sale where we were the only Brits!
We stayed two weeks in Mazamet and explored the mountain area nearby as well as a number of nature and historical places around. The gite and the garden were just everything one wishes of a holiday home. Amenities of Mazamet such as bakery, butcherie etc. were just around the corner. Our hostess was very helpfull and provided us valuable information of the places worth visiting in the area. We fully agree with all the positive comments posted by the previous guests and highly recommend the Villa Wisteria for all those who look forward to a combination of an active holiday and a relaxing stay in a beautiful environment.
After two weeks of hillside rambling, rest and relaxation we fell in love with this Gite and this area of France. Felicity and Martin made us so welcome and provided lots of helpful advice regarding scenic walks and local events. The three-times weekly market is a delight for self- caterers with a couple of nearby supermarkets for everything else. A boulangerie is just five minutes walk away for your freshly baked morning croissants!
The cottage is very well appointed and whether taking breakfast or returning from a day out, has a lovely private garden to relax in.
The Tourist Information Office is very helpful for printed walking routes in English. Recommended excursions are to Carcassonne ( Old City ); Castres ( Goya Museum ); Revel ( Market ); Labrugiere and Soreze Medieval towns. There are plenty of hilly (some challenging! ) walks e.g up to Hautpoul but worth the effort for the fantastic views and beautiful landscapes. Also recommended are the nearby Lac de la Montagne Noir and the Lake at La Pradelles. For cyclists there is an easy ride along the Voie Verte, a flat disused railway track from Mazamet with charming villages along the way.
Felicity and Martin provided lots of maps and information and with their local knowledge there will be no doubt visitors will see the best of everything the area has to offer, while enjoying being 'at home' in the cottage. We'll be back!