Testimonials from people who have stayed at Tardibail

We have stayed at Tardibail twice. We spent 2 weeks in April and enjoyed driving up to the mountain passes near St. Girons where there was still a lot of snow on the ground. It was like another climate because Tardibail was much warmer. We had some days with rain and a couple of beautiful warm sunny days. We visited Mont Segur and Roquefixade (ruined castle near Foix). It was the perfect weather for hot springs - we went to Ax Les Thermes and put our feet in the nice hot water of the 13th century baths. Foix is worth a day's visit. The market is wonderful - with local produce - beeswax, honey, cheese, ornaments etc. and you can climb up to the castle and go up one of the towers. We visited Mirepoix a couple of times - the kids loved the merry-go-round there and we like the cathedral and the market (nice baskets, tablecloths, pottery and shoes). You can buy English-language books and magazines there. The wolf preservation park at Orlu was a big hit too, as was the ride on the underground river at Labouiche. The children actually camped in the garden one night and we used the barbecue a couple of times even though it was a bit chilly to sit out. Just going to the supermarket is fun - looking at all the different foods! A couple to times we bought pizza at the stand near Leclerc, which was very nice.

The other time was in July and the weather was very hot and sunny, with an overcast or thunderstormy day every few days. It is so peaceful there and lovely to just lounge by the pool and read (there is a huge selection of books in the house). We visited several prehistoric caves (Niaux and Mas d'Azil). We also had a wonderful hike into the mountains near from Vicdessos, near the Spanish border (see photo). There is a hair-raising road up to the reservoir where you can park so we walked a couple of hours from there. We went to Carcassonne one day, which is a mediaeval town - quite touristy but still fun and worth seeing. One day we went up to the castle at Lordat where they had a demonstration of falconry. Chalabre is fun too - a bit further away, but you can take part in all kinds of traditional activities - caligraphy, archery, and watch jousting. If you were in France for a longer period, you could also drive to the Mediterranean coast if you wanted - it's about a 2-hour drive over the hills or you cross the border into Spain and explore Catalunya: Barcelona and Montserrat are must-sees. . ~ Rene and Claire de la Varre.