Olargues and St-Pons-de-Thomières
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St-Pons

Five kilometres after Mons, you reach the medieval village of OLARGUES, scrambling up the south bank of the Jaur above its thirteenth-century single-span bridge. The steep twisting streets, presumably almost unchanged since the bridge was built, lead up to a thousand-year-old belfry crowning the top of the hill. With the river and gardens below, the ancient and earth-brown farms on the infant slopes of Mont Caroux beyond, and swifts swirling round the tower in summer, you get a powerful sense of age and history. There's a tiny tourist office on rue de la Place near the church (July & Aug daily 10am–noon & 4–7pm; Sept–June Wed & Sat 10am–noon & 2–6pm; tel 04.67.97.71.26), as well as an old train station now served only by SNCF buses. The Laissac, just outside town in the Domaine de Rieumégé (tel 04.67.97.71.26; €30–40; closed Nov–March), is a decent-enough hotel, but a better deal is Pauline Giles' homely Les Quatr' Farceurs in rue de la Comporte (tel & fax 04.67.97.81.33, [email protected]; €30–40), which also serves huge meals with free-flowing wine for €18. Campers should head for Camping Le Baous, down by the river (tel 04.67.97.71.50; closed mid-Sept to mid-April).

ST-PONS-DE-THOMIÈRES, 18km further west, is a little larger and noisier: it's on the Béziers–Castres and Béziers–La Salvetat bus routes, as well as the Bédarieux–Mazamet route. This is the "capital" of the park, with the Maison du Parc at 13 rue du Cloître (Mon–Sat: July & Aug 10am–noon & 2–6pm; Sept–June 10am–noon & 2–5pm; tel 05.63.37.45.76) by the cathedral – a strange mix of Romanesque and classical. It also boasts a small and reasonably interesting museum of prehistory (mid-June to Oct daily 10am–noon & 2.30–6pm; Nov to mid-June Wed, Sat & Sun 10am–noon & 2–5pm; €3.05), across the river from the tourist office on place du Forail (July & Aug daily 9am–7.30pm; Sept–June Mon–Fri 10am–noon & 2.30–6pm, Sat 9am–noon; tel 04.67.97.06.65).

If you need to stay, try the basic Le Somail, near the tourist office (tel 04.67.97.00.12; under €30), or the much smarter Les Bergeries de Ponderach, 1km out of town on the Narbonne road (tel 04.67.97.02.57, www.bergeries-ponderach.com; over €150), with a good restaurant. The municipal campsite (tel 04.67.97.34.85) is on the main road east to Bédarieux. There's also a good camping à la ferme, La Borio de Roque (tel 04.67.97.10.97; closed Oct to mid-June), 4km north of St-Pons on the D907, and chambres d'hôte 2km further on at La Ferme de Tailhos (tel 04.67.97.27.62; €40–55). Continue along this road and you reach the Col du Cabaretou, with the stunningly situated Auberge du Cabaretou (tel 04.67.97.02.31, fax 04.67.97.32.74; €30–40; closed mid-Jan to mid-Feb), with a terroir restaurant serving a mini-menu for €17, and others starting at €29. North of here the D907 leads to La Salvetat in the heart of the park.