Southern Languedoc presents an exciting and varied landscape, its watery coastal flats stretching south from the mouth of the Aude towards Perpignan, interrupted by occasional low, rocky hills. Just inland sits Béziers , its imposing cathedral set high above the languid Orb river, and girded on the north by the amazingly preserved Renaissance town of Pézenas , and on the south by the ancient pre-Roman settlement of the Enseurune . It is also a gateway to the spectacular uplands of the Monts de l'Espinouse and the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc , a ramblers' paradise. Just south of Béziers, the ancient Roman capital of Narbonne guards the mouth of the Aude. Following the course of this river, which is shadowed by the historic Canal du Midi , you´ll arrive at the quintessential medieval citadel, the famous fortress-town of Carcassonne . Once a shelter for renegade Cathar heretics, this town is a perfect departure point for the Cathar castles - a string of romantically ruined castles dotting the rugged hills to the south.

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