The Region - Overview Cycling; Skiing
Midi-Pyrénées, France’s largest region, lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the Pyrénées and the Massif Central. It is an ideal place for a holiday where you can enjoy a wide variety of landscapes, the friendly welcome of the people, excellent cuisine, and a rich architectural heritage. The region is made up of eight departments. Couladère is in department 31 the Haute-Garonne. Close by are the departments of the Ariège (09) and Haute-Pyrénées (65).
With an average of 2000 hours of sunshine per year, Midi-Pyrénées is one of the sunniest regions of France. Temperatures rise over 25°C on between 60 and 80 days each year throughout most of the region. This makes Midi-Pyrénées a hot competitor for the Mediterranean seafront and the Rhone corridor!
Spring comes early, and has a feel of summer to it. This is the favourite season of long-distance walkers and ramblers. There is still snow on the peaks of the Pyrénées when the shoots of corn start to show through the foothills of Gascony and the fruit trees in the orchards of the Tarn et Garonne "département" are resplendent with bright blossom. Between early April and late June, the maximum average temperatures are between 16 and 24 °C.
July and August enjoy the warmth of intense sunshine. Minimum average temperatures are quite high, varying between13 and 15°C in the morning. During the day, maximum temperatures are on average between 26 and 28°C. What's more, the night air is pleasantly cool.
Autumn often enjoys the warmth of an Indian summer, with wonderful days spent under a beautiful ultramarine sky. In this gorgeous September light, maximum temperatures range between 21 and 25°C. They are still very pleasant in October, with maximum averages varying between 16 and 19°C-perfect for a few days' peace and quiet while everyone else is at work!
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Haute-Garonne (31) – The Haute-Garonne is the longest department in France, stretching 160 km from the Fronton vineyards down to the spa town of Luchon nestling in the Pyrénées by the Spanish border. Mountains, green foothills and rolling planes make up a surprisingly rural countryside just a few minutes from the international airport, motorways and Airbus hangers of the regional capital, Toulouse. The rose-red city, as it is known, boasts café terraces, museums, historic churches and Renaissance brick mansions built with the money from the blue dye trade. Toulouse also marks the start of the Canal du Midi on its sleepy way to the Mediterranean Sea. The department’s churches often boast open bell-gables reminiscent of Spain, and some of the villages are bastides with a medieval grid plan.
Haute-Garonne was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.Region Geography: Haute-Garonne is part of the current région of
Midi-Pyrénées and is surrounded by the départements of Hautes-Pyrénées,
Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Aude, and Ariège. It also borders Spain in the south (province of Lleida and province of Huesca). The department is crossed by the Garonne River for nearly 200 kilometers (125 miles). The extreme south of the département lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and is very mountainous. The highest elevation is the Peak of Perdiguère, at 3,222 meters (10,571 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the department are called Haut-Garonnais. The greatest population concentration is around Toulouse. The south of the department were we are located is quite sparsely populated. More>>
Ariège (09) – The Ariège is crossed by the main routes that snake up through the Pyrénées to Spain and Andorra. The varied countryside varies from the Toulouse plain to the attractive foothills and the high peaks. The mountain chain is wild but easily accessible, with many species of butterflies, orchids and birds of prey, and there are chamois, wild sheep and even bears. The mountains harbour trout streams and rivers perfect for kayaking. The Ariège the land that once gave refuge tin its craggy castles to the persecuted Cathar heretics. It Boasts spa towns like Alus-lesBains and Axe-les-Thermes, a fairytale castle at Foix, gold panning in Saint-Girons, a talc quarry and the bastide (medieval planned town) of Mirepoix. Underground caves and rivers complete the picture.
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Haute-Pyrénées (65) – the department of Haute-Pyrénées contains, as its name suggests, the highest part of the French Pyrénées and the tallest French peak, The Vignemale. Well known destinations are Lourdes, visited by millions of pilgrims each year, Saint-Lary, Cauterets, Piau, La Mongie-Tourmalet for winter sports, and don’t forget their surrounding for summer activities. Above rises the gruelling Tourmalet pass of the tour de France. The houses in the mountain valleys have corbie-step gables that were one used when renewing the thatch, and the villages have kept their old traditions, such as the mounaque life-size dolls at Campan. Bagnères-de-Bigorre,
Cauterets, Argelès-Gazost are genteel 19th century spa towns with spectacular vies of the Pyrénées.
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Local Market Days: Monday - Salies du-Salat; Tuesday -
Montesquieu-Volvestre; Thursday - St Gaudens; Saturday - Cazères, Muret, St Girons, L’Isle-en-Dodon; Sunday - Montbrun-Bocage.
Midi-Pyrénées Regional
Cuisine
Cuisine: Midi-Pyrénées is renowned for its hardy and refined cuisine. Pride of place on the plate is rooted in the region’s territorial riches: its vineyards’ wines and liqueurs, its farms’ crops and animals.
When you dine in Midi-Pyrénées, a whole culture unfolds. The region’s cuisine serves as a guardian of local traditions, from how the food is produced to the markets where it is sold to the manner in which it is served. There are countless regional recipes and specialties, several of which have made significant contributions to gastronomy around the world.
Black truffles, also known as black diamonds, are one of the rarest and most expensive foods in the world. The fragrant fungus grows around the roots of oak trees and is routed out by specially trained pigs and dogs. The sublime
flavour of truffles is best appreciated when sliced and slipped under the skin of a chicken before roasting, or shaved into the
centre of an omelette, or used to enhance dozens of other dishes.
Foie gras is another of the most prized products of Midi-Pyrénées. Goose or duck liver from Gascony is unmatched in its extraordinarily rich
flavour and texture.
Roquefort cheese has made its mark in kitchens around the world, though it is made only in the Aveyron area of Midi-Pyrénées. Often called the king of cheese, the pungent fromage is made from sheep’s milk and aged in limestone caverns where it develops its blue-veined interior. Aficionados prefer Roquefort on its own, but it is equally delicious added to salad dressings or made into a sauce for meats or pasta.
Flanked by the two biggest wine-producing areas in France (Bordeaux and Languedoc), Midi-Pyrenees offers 5 AOCs, each very different. The geographic diversity and the range of grapestocks produce a wide variety of good, reasonably-priced wines.
Probably the best known are Cahors, Fronton, Gaillac, Madiran, Pacherenc
and Saint-Mont.
Note: the
Gaillac wines, though less well known than Cahors reds, are quite delightful. The region produces dry and semi-sweet white, sparkling, rosé, and red wines.
Armagnac is more than the oldest brandy in France, it is a way of life. Records confirm that Armagnac was being distilled as early as 1411 in the Gascony region of Midi-Pyrénées, the only place in the world where the spirit is authentically produced. Today Armagnac production is subject to the controls of the Appellation d’Origine Controlée regulations. What makes touring the area so intoxicating is its nearly 600 years of history and tradition surrounding the brandy.
Cassoulet, the famous and satisfying meat and white bean stew, has become synonymous with Toulouse and Midi-Pyrénées.
Auberges rurales, or country inns and farmhouses, serve some of the most memorable—and inexpensive—meals in France. Fierce guardians of local culinary traditions, owners of these establishments take particular delight in sharing their food and their traditions with visitors.
For more information on the region see the Midi-Pyrénées Tourism Travel Guide
and Comité Régional Tourisme web sites.
