lesvignesneffies

Interesting Places to visit in the area

This is a fascinating area to visit. Full of history, beautiful scenery and things to do. We have given you a small taster of some of the closest villages but their are hundreds more.

Neffies, Caux & Roujon

The closest post office is next to the square in Neffies, although, the opening hours are limited. There is a larger post office in Roujon with longer hours. There is a good restaurant, a small boulangerie, a well stocked grocers' and a Tabac in Neffies. There are several shops, restaurants, bars, boulangeries and tabacs in Roujon.

These three small, quaint, picturesque and ancient villages which all owe their current existence to the cultivation of the grape for wine production. There are hundreds of wine caves and co-operatives in the Herault region. In fact, it is the principle producer of 'vin ordinaire' in France. Although, they have been working very hard to improve the quality of their vines for some time and now produce some very sought after wines.

There are several wineries within the immediate vicinity, the closest is at the end of the lane and there is another opposite it and another next door! So there is never any reason to go short of a bottle or two at any time of day.

If you are a cyclist you may like to cycle in to Roujon, Caux or just Neffies. It is very enjoyable cycling along empty lanes with just the birds for company and beautiful scenery and sunshine all around you. Our lane is particularly deserted (unless, that is, it is the grape harvesting season).

Caux, Roujan and Neffies all have XII/XIII century churches as well as elaborate and ornate cemeteries.

Chateaux de Cassan

This chateaux is just outside of Roujan (the next village to Neffies) and is only a few kilometres from here. It's exterior is magnificent but the interior is undergoing lengthy and costly renovations. Nevertheless, a pleasant hour or so can be spent wandering around the mansion and interesting adjacent chapel.

Barrage des Olivettes

This dam is about 11 kms from here and can be found by following the road that goes through Neffies and up into the hills beyond. There are beautiful views of the whole plain from the road as it snakes its way through the hills. It is also good walking and mountain biking country. The dam itself is quite impressive. Adjacent to the dam is the tiny hamlet of Vailhan, which has an ancient church and a beautiful presbytery that has been converted into a restaurant.

The road just before the dam leads down to a small picnic area and pool which is used by swimmers and sun bathers during the summer months.

If you are feeling brave enough, it is possible to follow the road past the dam and all the way to Bedariaux although; it becomes almost a track at several points and narrows alarmingly. The cliff overhangs are not for the faint hearted.

Pezenas

This little town is only about 11 kms from here. It was once called Piscenae and it prides itself on its past which is reflected in its interesting little streets and its unchanged mansions. Moliere, the famous 17c actor and playwright lived and gave performances there. The present inhabitants celebrate this fact during the summer season and the Mirondela dels Arts. This is when local crafts are displayed and folk festivals, theatre performances and concerts take place.

There are numerous ancient and interesting buildings in the town with elegant balconies and ornate doorways and workshops. Craftsmen and artists mainly, now occupy these.

There is a very good food and general market here every Saturday that sells excellent fresh fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, charcuterie and olives as well as the usual market hardware.

Every Shrove Tuesday and 1st Sunday in July Pezenas commemorates the birth of a foal (poulain) to King Louis VIII's favourite mare there in 1226. The celebrations take the form of a parade in which 9 men dress up as the foal and prance through the town to a musical accompaniment.

Pezenas is also the location of the nearest, good, hypermarket. It is HyperChampion and it can be found on the main route out of town. There are several other good food shops here as well as numerous bars, cafes and restaurants.

Cirque de Moureze

This lies slightly to the north of Neffies taking the route signposted to Lac du Salagou. The vast jumble of dolomitic rock form a natural amphitheatre, which covers over 840 acres. The cirque is surrounded by enormous boulders and a number of waymarked footpaths lead through fresh, green nooks and crannies in between which the rocks have been eroded into the strangest shapes. These are particularly eye-catching in the light at the beginning and end of the day.

Moureze village is quite picturesque with its narrow streets and houses with outside staircases. It lies at the foot of a sheer rock face, the top of which is home to a castle.

Lac du Salagou

Just north of Moureze is Lac Salagou. This is a man-made reservoir with numerous facilities for water sports. It is also a pleasant place for walking or picnicking. There is a deserted village adjacent to the lake, which is interesting to wander round when visiting the lake.

Meze

This small friendly fishing village and yacht harbour is only about 30 minutes south east of here. It has a lovely harbour with many restaurants offering an excellent variety of very fresh seafood and although it is popular with tourists, it is never over-crowded. It has a small, safe beach fronting the lagoon and is ideal for children as it shelves gently and is warmer than the Mediterranean beaches nearby. From the beach area there is a good view of Sete and Agde.

Bouzigues

Just along the lagoon from Meze is Bouzigues. This is another attractive little fishing village with a dozen or so fresh shellfish restaurants. There is a good promenade for strolling along, this follows the shoreline of the lagoon and all of the restaurants have a sea view. I can heartily recommend the shellfish for its' taste and freshness and it's a very pleasant way to spend a few hours over lunch sitting in the sun, enjoying the wine, trying different seafood and watching the boats out on the lagoon.

Villa Loupian

This is between Meze and Bouzigues and not far from the RN113. There is a museum at this Gallo-Roman site, which shows how an agricultural domain was transformed over many years into a sumptuous villa with a beautiful mosaic floor.

Sete

Not far from Meze is Sete. This is a bustling port, the second largest French port on the Mediterranean. There are many places of interest, including the old port with its picturesque canals, fishing boats and yachts. Various different types of boat excursions can be taken from here and as well, this area offers many tempting, elegant pavement side restaurants where one can watch and be watched.

During the year, Sete holds lots of colourful festivals, the most famous of which is the Joutes Nautiques the climax of this festival takes place on two different coloured boats which joust against each other.

Just along the road and up a steep hill you can find Mont St Clair, this offers a magnificent view of the whole of the surrounding countryside, including the intricacies of the port spread out like a map. If you take the road directly opposite this it will take you to the Parc panoramique des Pierres Blanches and from here it is possible to get a good view of the excellent 9 mile sandy beach which stretches between Cap d'Agde and Sete, ideal for sun-worshippers and bathers alike.

Cap D'Agde

Cap d'Agde's relief is the result of a maritime volcano that erupted 750,000 years ago from the southern extremity of the Auvergne range. From the cliffs there is a spectacular view of the Mediterranean to discover during a walk which starts on a path at the end of the Rue de la Garnison and leads up to the summit. The path follows the crest of the coastline and therefore offers a lovely view of the sea.

There are many interesting little parts to this area including - Le Grau d'Agde, La cite d'Agde, Mont Saint-Loup, La Tamarissiere and the Canal du Midi. Each is worthy of a few hours of your time dependant upon what interests you the most, history, architecture, sea views, forest, walking, cycling or boating. You will be spoilt for choice. Or, you may just chose to take a picnic with a bottle of wine or two and spend a pleasant afternoon sitting on the banks of Herault river, watching the world go by.

Birdwatching

This area is marvellous for birdwatching but our garden is a wildlife haven and is particularily good for seeing hundreds of different birds as we are set amongst the vineyards and yet do not use pesticides so you can easily spot all of the following: Common Redstart, Cuckoo, Hoopoe, Lesser Spotted Cuckoo, Nightingale, Serin, Red Kite,

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