What a cracking start we have had to September, the temperature has dropped a tad and it ‘s now around 27C. For me personally that is a much nicer temperature than the mid 30’s we had been seeing in July and August. Perhaps that’s because I have to work, I do honestly, and I can’t just sit around in the shade relaxing as you can when you are on holiday. I am not totally convinced that is the reason though, I think I just prefer it a little cooler.

So just as many are considering the holiday season over, kids have gone back to school, the French have all gone north again and things are starting to become a little quieter, the weather doesn’t seem quite ready to retire into the autumn. The swimming pool is certainly being well used this week and we have been out exploring the local area with a trip to the Lac de la Cavayere, on the outskirts of Carcassonne, so that we could enjoy the sunshine.

The Lac de la Cavayere is considered to be Carcassonne’s very own plage (beach). Trouble is, it can be quite tricky to find the first time you go, being hidden behind ‘La Cite’ on the other side of the hill. We had a little bit of a tour around, trying to pick up on the location, but in the end we found it following the signs to Montlegun and the Australian Park which is nearby. I really think in truth I am going to have to update my sat nav so that it actually has some newer roads in it, you know, ones that weren’t  built by the Romans 🙂

Anyway it was worth the effort and with a little help from a good old fashioned map we did eventually find it OK and went off for a little wander to have a look at what it had to offer. Remembering this is a weekday in September we are talking about, there were a reasonable amount of  facilities available. There was a guy hiring out bikes, another one had a group of school kids doing archery and there was also the water sports facility on the lakeside for boat and canoe hire. Not too bad for a Tuesday. 

There was also evidence of some little cafe huts there, not open the day we went, but might well be on a weekend. So it would probably be a good idea to take a picnic for lunch if you were thinking of food on the beach and wanted to be sure. It would be lovely place to have one incidentally and is what most people there seemed to be doing. The beaches were really nice and it is possible to walk around the complete perimeter of the lake if one so desired, although it is quite large which probably explains the bike hire option.

We didn’t get as far as the mini golf, so not sure if that was open or not, but we did make it to one or two of the beaches and a couple of nice viewpoints. There were also plenty of benches around the perimeter just to sit and relax and take in the views, plus the scenery there certainly makes it worth spending a little time doing just that.
You can click on the map above to get a larger image so that you can see the text and to give you a fighting chance of reading it.

We were well overdue this trip, because sometimes you can go much further afield, forgetting what is actually available almost on the doorstep in French terms. This was no more than 45 minutes away once you know where you are going and is a great option for anyone wanting a holiday in September at Le Moulin