Self Catering Holiday Gite accommodation with Swimming Pool in the South of France. Sleeps 1 to 8 people.

Holiday gite in France Rodes is a small rural hillside village of about 500 residences, situated in 66 dept in the south of France. It is tranquil place, with a mixture of locals, people who have hired a holiday Gite, artists, and new settlers (mostly from the UK) who want to be imbued with a more relaxed way of living.

There is a local community centre, a school for younger children and an area where both young and old can be seen playing boules for many hours in the warm summer evenings. Amenities include a small general food store which follows the traditional southern French lifestyle with siesta type closing times. There is a small restaurant (capacity about 20 people), serving typical French cuisine and local regional specialties.

path for holiday walks near canal in south france On the northern edge of Rodes is a gorge with the River Tet flowing towards the Mediterranean Sea. The area is very green, with over 300 days of sunshine and a plentiful water supply from the nearby Pyrenees Mountains. Through Rodes village there is a narrow canal (5 foot wide) used for irrigation. An unusual feature is that several houses in Rodes are build with the canal flowing directly beneath them. The canal leaves the village, taking a route through the gorge to the next village. In the gorge, the canal's pathway provides impressive views of the rugged rocky scenery. From Fig trees besides this pathway, ripe figs can be enjoyed during late September to early October.

During the summer there is a stream close to the Peach Valley Gite which can be crossed by stepping-stones to reach one of the local peach tree fields. Following heavy rainfall in the mountains, this stream can become a raging river.

About 7 minutes away by car there is lake with a small sandy beach. This is very popular with French holiday makers who go swimming in the lake. Although it is fed by water from the mountain, the lake does not always have an inviting colour. It is also possible to reach this spot near Vinca by foot; it takes about 25 minutes.

Rodes is said to have supplied much of the granite used on Parisian pavements. Although the quarry is now closed, the outbuildings can still be seen, perched precariously on the side of the gorge. There is also a ruin of an old Chateau at the top of Rodes. It is worth a visit, since the climb affords distant views of the Mediterranean sea and it gives a vantage point to see the gorge and surrounding valley and mountains.

The Tet Valley area also has a Spanish or Catalonian influence, having been part of Spain in previous centuries. Although few speak Catalan, the cheerful yellow and red Catalunya flag can be seen in many places. Every summer solstice the Catalans from both sides of the Pyrenean mountain ceremoniously light a huge bonfire on the summit of Mount Canigou (9134ft) as a signal for the surrounding villages to light their own.

Rodes is not to be confused with Rodez, since Rodez is situated about 120 km north of Carcassonne.

Self Catering holiday gîte and B&B accommodation in South France for holiday / vacation rent in Tet Valley near Pyrenees Mountains Southern France
For either Gite or B&B accommodation in the area please contact the resident English speaking owners of the Peach Valley gite:
Jolanta & Steve Williams
6 Cami Ral,
66320 Rodès,
France.
Tel: 00 33 4 68 05 96 44
Email: enquiry@peachvalley.co.uk