Saissac

Carcassonne and the little walled city on a hill that looks a bit like Camelot!

Camp site bookings have usually been done the day or two before our arrival, the journey route not too specific, weather playing a part in the choosing of destinations, our next was no exception.

The family run Camping Montolieu lies just outside the pretty yet steep village of Montolieu, south west of Toulouse, a quiet dated little site, perhaps the owners had tired themselves after a busy season and were about to pack up for their own holiday, so no need to put in the same care you'd expect during the summer rush... or maybe just a bit of standard laissez-faire.

Despite the longer grass and overgrown hedges, for us it was still ideal, a two night stay to spend a day exploring nearby Carcassone, a 15 minute drive away.

The first thing on arrival at Carcassone is where to park, it is always worth a research of town centre parking in advance - avoiding those pesky narrow streets in a 6.3m van, thankfully the town's website had a designated camper van car park, so we headed straight there.

On arrival we parked with choice - seeking some shade in the 132 space van car park, it was 11.00am, it had not gone unnoticed that most campers seemed to take a leisurely approach to morning activity!

The medieval fortified village known as la Cité, with its 3km of double ramparts sitting on a hilltop above the River Aude, above the wider old textile town of Carcassone below is like a film set, 52 Rapunzel towers complete with gothic cathedral!

Whilst a fortified village has been on the hilltop since pre roman times, La Cité was also a restoration project by the french architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the mid 1800s, his work also included Mont Saint Michel, and Notre Dame de Paris, plus he had a little hand in the design of the Statute of Liberty!

He also was criticised for not constructing La Cité as authentically as the area would have been known for, like using the wrong colour of roof tiles.... outrageous!

The small detail did not seem to put off the tourist, celebrating the medieval activities of the day, we wandered the pretty buildings, interspersed with people dressed up as they may have back in medieval times, offering us to take part in crafts such as weaving and leather works, and an outdoor bowling alley of its day!!

The entertainment abundant - singing street jesters with high pitched bagpipes .... all there to enhance 'the customer experience' perhaps!

The legend of Dame Carcas (Lady Carcas) who is depicted in stone at the gate to La Cité, took place in the 8th century when a siege took place lasting 6 years and the city was running out of food, wily ole Dame Carcas had a cunning plan....

She threw the only pig that was left in La Cité after feeding it with the last of the wheat.... over the walls to the invaders below.

The plan worked, the siege was lifted thinking that the people of La Cité had enough food they were throwing it away as waste.

Overjoyed at her plan working- she sounded the city bells, the Charlemagnes on hearing this exclaimed "Carcas sonne" or 'Carcas rings'.... hence the name of the town. It is later fabled that M&S got an idea for Percy here!

It was a nice few hours wander, a lazy drink at the cafe before heading off, but not before we had been enticed in with a purchase of the board game "Carcassone" it was being played everywhere... a game of Dominos meets Monopoly...

Back at the campsite, the sun was shining and it was BBQ time before packing up ..we were heading off early the next morning - to Agde, a mediterranean coastal town at the mouth of the River Hérault.

We had not initially intended to head to the med on this trip... the unseasonal wet weather in the north had certainly pushed us toward the french riviera.Read more