OUT FOR THE DAY with Laurianne Rawcliffe
Le Château de Castelnou
open until 3rd November 2024
Le Chateau de Castelnou kicked off the season on Saturday 6th April with free entry to all. (It was originally re-opened to the public in 2021 after a four-year closure due to safety issues.)
So, on Saturday, I grabbed a bottle of water and headed off with my youngest to finally give it a go, as I had been meaning to for so long.
Set inland, west of Thuir, high on its rock and surrounded by a craggy and vertiginous landscape, the castle surveys its land, its messaging tower on the neighbouring hill. The drive there is one of tight bends, narrow points and stunning scenery. You really feel like you are leaving it all behind and heading out on an adventure, though in reality it is very close by. I live in Rivesaltes and it took me thirty minutes.
Arriving in the tiny medieval village – you park in a designated car park at its entrance (3 euros all year round). My seven-year-old daughter and I set off under the arched entry to the village and through the narrow stone-cobbled alleys, stepping further and further into the past as we did so. It is no surprise that it is officially one of the “plus beaux villages de France”. The picturesque houses covered in wisteria are mainly guest houses and artist workshops these days. The tourist season had not yet quite begun, so many were unfortunately closed for us, but you could easily spend an hour or two wandering around them in the summer.
After walking past the picture-perfect cottages overlooking sheer drops from their courtyards, we walked up the path leading to the castle. At this point you are at the foot of the castle and can’t actually see it in its entirety, rising as it is, well up above you. There is a small botanical garden at its foot, in which native plants and others are clearly labelled. It is very dry and a good example of what will do well naturally in our sadly drought-stricken land. The access is not for the faint-hearted though; there is even a sign warning of the difficult terrain.
Access to the castle is not much easier for anyone with a disability or mobility issues. My daughter kept mentioning how much my mother would have loved the setting, but there was no way that with her arthritis she could have handled the constant uphill, uneven ground and many steps. Installing any kind of ramp is just impossible. But for those of us lucky enough to be able to make, it is well worth the while.
The castle itself is small and beautiful. It is composed of a combination of pre-Raphaelite courtyards, changing levels and various passageways. Fun to explore and with great views. There are a couple of small art exhibitions – one photography and one painting – as well as some contemporary sculptures scattered across the grounds. There is a virtual reality app to download from a QR code, though my phone model was too ancient to support the download… And there is an app-based audio guide available too.
My daughter ran around (carefully!) looking for hidden numbered easter egg pictures and was offered some mini chocolate eggs as a prize, which we collected from the little gift shop on the way out. She also picked out a coloured feather pen/quill from the small selection of reasonably priced gifts.
All in all, the visit was quite quick and extremely pleasant. We are so unbelievably lucky to have such treasures on our doorstep. We then set back down through the village, walking past the busy and deliciously odorous L’Hostalet restaurant, having spent a lovely couple of hours. We returned home feeling exhilarated and joyful from our outing, not exhausted despite the inclines, and with most of the afternoon still to spare.
Both my daughter and I will go again. It is a beautiful spot, traditional and historic, great to bring guests and kids/grand-kids to. There are also hikes setting off all around the village and a busy programme for the summer: of special interest are the “Nuits des étoiles” in August, which they have extended due to its popularity and “La Nuit Romantique” on 22nd of June. Enough to keep us all entertained!
Quick tips from the maire: Tuesdays host a ‘Marché Pittoresque’, meaning parking can be very difficult. They are also planning more works to the castle and village to enable them to remain open all year round and therefore more accessible for us locals. Hurrah!
Web link: https://www.ledepartement66.fr/dossier/le-chateau-de-castelnou/
