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Vineyards surround the village as well as open
countryside, making it ideal for walks and picnics. And of course – wine tasting at the numerous nearby wineries. Abeilhan
boasts some of the Herault wine triangle's best producers, visit Le Domaine St George on the Route d'Espondeilhan or my favourite
Le domaine Les filles de Septembre on the Avenue George Guynemer.
Pezenas, the nearest town, is about a 1o minute drive
away. It is a very pretty, lively town, hosting a Festival of Arts and Music every summer from June to September. There are
exhibitions and concerts, and many free outdoor performances ranging from clowns to flamenco dancers to classical music. There
is an interesting local museum and an easily-followed numbered tour of the town can be made. The town is immensely proud of
its connection with Molière, the 17th century dramatist. Saturday is market day in Pezenas. The market is filled with produce,
meats, fish, bread, flowers, pottery, clothing and so forth.
Beziers is a 20 minutes' drive away. Once it was a city
with a turbulent past but now it is one of the jewels of the Midi. Apart from the extraordinary turreted Cathedral there are
numerous sites to visit, art galleries, cinemas, a theatre, and of course dozens of restaurants and bars. In August there
is the week-long "Feria", when the whole of Beziers takes to the streets to celebrate. There is a market and a flower market
every Friday, and a monthly antiques market.
The Mediterranean beaches are close by, ranging from a 7-mile long stretch
of sand at Marseillan Plage to lively, cosmopolitan resorts like Cap d`Agde. Marseillan Plage hosts a huge flea market on
Sunday mornings.
Lac du Salagou provides bathing, windsurfing, fishing and excellent hilly walks.
The Herault
River and the Canal du Midi offer numerous opportunities for walking, swimming, and fishing and boat trips. A 45-minute drive
away, is St Guilhem the Desert. The village has stretched its old lanes under the Languedoc sun for twelve centuries. The
village has been just classified a " Great National Site " and its Abbey registered with the World Inheritance of Humanity
by the U.N.E.S.C.O.
The close access to the autoroute provides access to sights further afield such as Spain with the
Dali museum in Figueras, or the cosmopilitan delights of museums and nightlife at Montpellier
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