is a chilled out little beauty spot for hiking, biking, walking and obviously eating and drinking.

Now that we are allowed back outside and able to roam around with fewer restrictions, the question is where to go. The long warm days of June are great for rambling along the coast. From Toulouse head down the ‘autoroute des deux mers’, also known as the A61, towards the Mediterranean. Narbonne is the largest city in this land of diverse protected landscape, with lagoons and vineyards and the sea just beyond. The Languedoc coast is known for sprawling beaches that carry on all the way down to the Spanish border. Once you pass Narbonne, you can either head towards Montpellier or south towards Perpignan. For Peyriac, you head south! After a short drive on the D6009 you will see the turn off for Peyriac-de-Mer.

This pretty little village, just off the route des vins de Corbières, sits on the edge of an étang (lagoon) in the department of Aude by the seaside.

The lagoons are inhabited by all kinds of birds and perfect for walking and hiking. There are a few walks around town, ranging from very easy and short (2 kms and flat) to a little more challenging : 6km, 9km, 15km and longer. The scenery is wild with stunning vistas over the vineyards, lagoons and the Mediterranean sea. We asked the owner of our chambres d’hôtes for advice; she sent us on the path least taken, along the ridge with gorgeous views and fewer people – Route des Crètes. Although not difficult, it goes up and down a lot and you need decent shoes. It took only a couple of hours and according to my Garmin I burned 600 calories.

There are loads of places to cycle in the area as well, so quite a number of people cycling in the village (including families and retirees not in a hurry) but hey it’s a place to chill and take in the scenery, not Paris.

These photos were taken in the morning on the little loop that takes you around the lagoon

Until 1967 Peyriac de Mer’s lagoons served to harvest salt.

Wine 🍷

Corbières – one of the many wines of Occitanie

Les Clos Perdus – the lost vineyards

Les Clos Perdus is a small winery based in the village of Peyriac-de-Mer which as the name suggests came from the discovery of some old vines. The winemakers nurtured the soil and their dream of bringing their Mire La Mer from the Corbières Maritmes to fruition. They have been making wine for nearly 20 years and now have organic and bio-dynamic vines. 🌔

There are a few places to eat in the village as well as a grocery shop and a bakery.

Where to stay – H2O Chambres d’hôtes

Serendipity – a chance encounter in this enchanting village led to a new life with a B&B in Peyriac-de-Mer for the owners, who were guests themselves not long ago, and fell for the area as well as this guest house, which they now run.

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There are five bedrooms at H20 with a kitchen and a game room for guests to use. The garden is quite intimate and we enjoyed our breakfast al fresco.

The owners are keen cyclists who know the area well. We only stayed one night but I would have liked to stay a bit longer. We had a warm welcome and an enjoyable stay here. H2O is chilled out and elegant, not unlike the little town itself.

visit : http://www.h2o-bnb.com

L’Epicerie Vigneronne – wine shop with local products who also produce wine

23 rue des Salins behind the parking lot at the étang des Salins

Parking : If you are staying overnight your hosts will give you a card to leave on your dashboard, allowing you to park anywhere in town that doesn’t say no parking. Otherwise just outside of town there is a parking lot for ‘non residents’.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post about Peyriac-de-Mer. Follow me to keep up with me on my travels around Occitanie…………………….à bientôt Christina