Things to do around Espéraza

the sunday market

On Sunday mornings Espéraza fills up. The market runs along the river and into the central square, and people come from all over the valley. There is cheese, bread, olives, walnuts and vegetables, alongside secondhand clothes, baskets, crafts and the odd musical instrument.

It has a relaxed, slightly bohemian feel, with music and plenty of places to eat. Most people come as much for the atmosphere as for the shopping.

whenSunday mornings, all year
tipGo early for the food stalls, stay late for lunch

the hat museum

Our house was built for a hatmaker’s family, and the Musée de la Chapellerie tells the story of the trade that built the town. Hatters from Bugarach settled here in the early 1800s, and the railway helped the business grow.

By 1929 Espéraza had 14 factories and around 3,000 workers, making it the second-largest felt-hat producer in the world after Monza in Italy. When hats went out of fashion after the war, the factories closed one by one.

dinosauria

One of the richest dinosaur fossil sites in France is a few kilometres from Espéraza, and the Dinosauria museum shows what has been found there since excavations began in the early 1980s. The star is Ampelosaurus atacis, a long-necked dinosaur first described from the local digs.

There are full skeletons, life-size reconstructions, a recreated Cretaceous greenhouse with a view into the working lab, and a Tyrannosaurus rex animatronic that children tend to remember.

whenOpen daily from early February to 1 November. Check dinosauria.org for current hours
good forFamilies, and a rainy afternoon

rennes-le-château

The village on the hill above us is famous for one man. In the 1890s the parish priest, Bérenger Saunière, suddenly had money nobody could account for. He spent it on a villa, landscaped gardens and the Tour Magdala, a small neo-Gothic library tower on the edge of the cliff.

Theories about where the money came from range from hidden Cathar treasure to the Holy Grail, and they have filled a shelf of books. The Domaine de l’Abbé Saunière has a museum, the gardens and the tower, and the church of St Mary Magdalene is next door.

Ask Roy for his theory. Allow an hour for the answer.

ticketsAdults from €6, children from €5
tipGo for the view across the valley, even if the mystery leaves you cold

rafting the pierre-lys gorge

South of Quillan the Aude squeezes through the Gorges de la Pierre-Lys, a narrow limestone canyon with rapids. Rafting trips leave from Belvianes-et-Cavirac, between Quillan and Axat, and cover about 7 km of river in just over an hour on the water, with an instructor steering.

whoAges 8 and up, and everyone must be able to swim
whenBest in the middle of summer

the cathar castles

The upper Aude is Cathar country, and three of the best castles are within reach for a day out. Puivert sits above a quiet valley to the west. Puilaurens and Peyrepertuse are further south, built on rock ridges with long views towards the Pyrenees.

The climbs up to Puilaurens and Peyrepertuse are steep and exposed, so bring good shoes, water and a hat. Ideally one of ours.

carcassonne

The walled Cité of Carcassonne is under an hour away by car. Go in the morning before the crowds, walk the ramparts, and drive back down the Aude valley in the late afternoon light.

limoux

Downstream on the way to Carcassonne, Limoux is the home of Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling wine with a long local history. It is an easy stop for a market, a coffee on the arcaded square and a bottle to take home.