Lou  Recantou   &   l'Ancien Pressoir

Outdoor activities


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Cycling

This year (2011), for the first time in the 12 years we've lived here, the Tour de France goes through Beaufort, only a kilometre from Oupia so, if you're watching it on television, don't miss it as it passes through Carcassonne, Homps, Olonzac, Beaufort, Aigne, Agel and Saint Chinian. Here's detailed information for the 15th stage of the Tour, on July 17th:
http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/COURSE/us/1500/etape_par_etape.html

We (the owners) are both avid road cyclists and chose this area because of the almost unlimited choice of quiet, paved, scenic routes: some flat, some hilly, some mountainous, in every direction.

Almost without exception, drivers in this area treat cyclists with respect, waiting until it's safe to pass and then giving us lots of room. No one here has ever indicated that we didn't have as much right to the road as he/she did, probably reflecting the huge popularity of cycling and bike racing in France, where roads are frequently closed even for small, local races.

One of our favourite rides is to the Cathar village of Minerve, only 10 km. from Oupia, combining a good, but not a very difficult climb if you're fit, a choice of cafés and restaurants, an impressive landscape and a rich, but tragic history.

To avoid strenuous climbing, ride to and along the Canal du Midi (and where there are lots of cafés and restaurants).

Safe water for drinking is available in every village and it's easy to find a comfortable spot to stop for a break or have a picnic lunch.

The Minervois also great for off-road biking; cyclists can:

  • explore the tracks and fire roads of the Serre d'Oupia, the vast hill into which Oupia nestles
  • take the paths and small rural roads along the Canal du Midi
  • ride across the countryside and along the edge of vineyards
  • go further afield, into the Montagne Noire range to the north
  • and the hills and mountains in the Corbières to the south

We have five mountain bikes, four road bikes (two of which are getting a bit long in the tooth) and one step-through sit-up-and-beg bicycle as well as helmets and water bottles available for guests and can suggest loads of excellent routes, both on and off-road.

If you'd like new road bikes with the latest technology, nearby Mellow Velos offers a wide choice of very good quality bicyles (including mountain bikes, a tandem and a bicycle with a motor), which the owner, Phil Donnison, will deliver and pick up at no extra cost. He also provides helmets, maps, water bottles and suggested bike routes. His website:
http://www.mellowvelos.com


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Birding

A partial list of the birds we've seen from our house or within a ten-minute walk:

  • Bee-eater - brilliantly-coloured graceful flyers with a soft, bubbling song (permission granted to use photo):

    For more great photos of the European Bee-eater, go to:
    http://www.chassimages.com/forum/index.php?topic=51047.0

  • Hoopoe - bizarre, colourfully-striped, with large crests.   (Call)
  • Roller - crow-sized, with turquoise, black and chestnut plumage
  • Cuckoo - call from mid-April until late June, sometimes seen in flight
  • Great Spotted Cuckoo - not the one that sings 'Cuck-oo' all spring
  • Nightjar - also crow-sized, similar to Whip-poor-wills
  • Water Rail - rarely seen; we were lucky
  • Common Redstart - first appeared Spring 2011; nesting two doors away
  • Short-toed Eagle - had long look at a pair flying low overhead, Spring 2011
  • Black Kite
  • Woodchat Shrike
  • Red-backed Shrike
  • Green Woodpecker
  • Wren
  • Nightingale - difficult to spot; sing mid April - end of May   (Song)
  • Red-legged Partridge
  • Robin
  • Great Tit
  • Blue Tit
  • Serin
  • Crested Lark
  • Meadow Pipit
  • Sardinian Warbler
  • Black Redstart
  • Song Thrush
  • Blackcap
  • Greenfinch
  • Corn Bunting
  • Cirl Bunting
  • Rock Sparrow
  • Linnet
  • Hawfinch
  • Scops Owl
  • Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
  • Griffon Vulture

We hear Barn Owls, Tawny Owls and Scops Owls. On the Serre (the big hill on whose lower slopes Oupia sits) just after sunset in summer, we see Nightjars sitting on the road or flitting butterfly-like as they catch insects. Hundreds of plunging, swooping Swifts (dubbed the Oupia air force by visitors one summer) perform their aerobatics over the village on summer evenings. With time and patience, experienced birders will see many more than we have.

For a more comprehensive list and photographs of what an expert birder/naturalist can see around here, be sure to read this article by Derek Moore, who received an O.B.E. from the Queen a few years ago for his extensive conservation work in Britain. Derek spends several weeks each year in his house near Minerve:
Wildlife of Languedoc, southern France

Derek also does a fascinating and detailed birding blog, with photos:     Derek Bird Brain


Several nature reserves, both mountain and Mediterranean, French and Spanish, are an easy day trip away.

Thanks to Dick Newell for permission to use his photograph of the European Bee-eater (above). You can see this and dozens of other superb bird photos on his website, Dick's Birds, at http://www.magikbirds.com

Dick has also kindly recommended the following two bird guides:

  • Collins Bird Guide, by Lars Svenson, Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom and David Christie, published in 2001 by Collins
  • Birds of Europe: With North Africa and the Middle East, by Lars Jonsson, published by Christopher Helm, in 1999




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Walking

  • Great walks, as varied as the cycling
  • One of the long-distance hiking paths, Grande Randonnée #77, passes within a kilometre of Oupia
  • Short walks through the vineyards and garrigue (typical Mediterranean France, with its wildflowers and herbs)

  • Longer hikes
    • in the Montagne Noire
    • in the Pyrénées
    • along the Canal du Midi
    • in one of the many rock-walled river gorges in the region
In addition to birds and wildflowers, you might see:
  • rabbits
  • hares
  • Ocellated lizards - large, bright green lizards that can grow to 30cm/12", but are very shy.
  • the tracks of wild boar in fall and winter.

The Pyrénées and the Montagne Noire offer superb hiking and backpacking. For more information (in English) on the Grandes Randonnées, go to
http://www.gr-infos.com/gr-an.htm

Also see: http://www.francewalkingtours.com



Horseback riding

As with every other outdoor activity in this area, trail riding is enhanced by the beauty and diversity of the landscape. The best place we know of in the area is Pont de Calmel (http://www.pontdecalmel.com):

  • about 15 kilometres north of Oupia
  • on the edge of the Montagne Noire
  • a professional equestrian centre
  • riders of all levels can:
    • take lessons
    • go on long or short treks
    • stay in one of their 10 self-catering accommodation units.


Canoeing and Kayaking

The Kendalls did a half-day canoe trip down the Orb River (about 50 km./30 mi. from Oupia) when they were guests at Lou Recantou in 2001. Descents on the Orb range from 5km./3 mi. to 38km./24 mi., taking from half a day to two or three days. Information on this route is available at the following website:
http://www.canoe-france.com/orb/



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More Outdoor Activities


Other possibilities in this area include:
  • tennis - excellent facilities in Olonzac's large, attractive park
  • boules (pétanque) in Oupia
  • climbing - the best is in the Gorges d'Héric, about an hour's drive to the north.
  • sailing in the Mediterranean or on the nearby Lac de Jouarres
  • wind surfing in the Mediterranean or in the nearby Lac de Jouarres (the photo above was taken at nearby Gruissan-Plage)
  • tours of underground caverns
  • hang gliding - we've seen hang gliders on a number of occasions, but would have to do some research for anyone interested
  • spelunking (cave exploring)
  • canal cruising:  At many ports along the Canal du Midi, including Homps (pronounced"ohmps"), there are agencies renting boats by the hour or by the day. For those who want to combine their stay here with a cruise on the Canal, there are several companies renting live-on boats, many including bicycles, by the day or the week.
  • train touring:  The spectacular ride in the Pyrénées on Le Train Jaune involves a full day's outing.


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