The Revel route follows the N113 out of Carcassonne, then the D629 through Montolieu (17km) and Saissac. MONTOLIEU, semi-fortified and built on the edge of a ravine, has set itself the target of becoming France's secondhand book capital (a conscious imitation of Wales's Hay-on-Wye), with shops overflowing with dog-eared and antiquarian tomes. Drop in at the Librairie Booth, by the bridge over the ravine for English titles.SAISSAC, 8km further on, is much more an upland village. Conifers and beech wood, interspersed with patches of rough pasture, surround it, and gardens are terraced down its steep slopes. Remains of towers and fortifications poke out among the ancient houses, and on a spur below the village stand the romantic ruins of its castle and the church of St-Michel. If you wish to stay in the area, try the rather aged Hôtel de la Montagne Noire (tel 04.68.24.46.36, fax 04.68.24.46.20; €30–40) on the road through Saissac, with a good local restaurant open all year (menu from €15). More idyllic accommodation is available north of town at Domaine du Lampy-Neuf (tel 04.68.24.46.07; under €55), a chambres d'hôte by the banks of the Bassin du Lampy, which also functions as a gîte. There are also two campsites. If you have your own transport, the best place for miles around and an experience in itself is the Camping du Bout du Monde (tel 04.68.94.20.92; all year round), at a beautiful tumbledown farm near Verdun-en-Lauragais, 5km west of Saissac. You camp among the broom at the edge of the woods. Some 14km west of Saissac on the D103 (or just a few kilometres southwest of the Bout du Monde campsite), the ancient village of ST-PAPOUL, with its walls and Benedictine abbey, makes a gentle side trip. Though it's undergoing long-term restoration, you can visit the church and its pretty fourteenth-century cloister on a guided tour in French (daily: April–June & Sept 10am–noon & 2–6pm; July & Aug 10am–7pm; Oct 10am–noon & 2–5pm; €3.50). Back on the "main" D629, the road winds down through the forest, past the Bassin de St-Férréol, constructed by Riquet to supply water to the Canal du Midi, and on to REVEL. Revel is a bastide dating from 1342, featuring an attractive arcaded central square with a superb wooden-pillared medieval halle in the middle. Now a prosperous market town (market day is Saturday), it makes an agreeably provincial stopover. The Auberge du Midi at 34 bd Gambetta (tel 05.61.83.50.50, [email protected]; €55–70) is set in a refined old nineteenth-century mansion, and also has the town's best restaurant (menus from €14–28). Close by at 7 rue de Taur, you'll find the Commanderie Hôtel (tel 05.63.46.61.24; €55–70), a good second choice, with an old timber-frame facade and a remodelled interior.
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