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Quarante is a small historic village not far from the Canal du Midi and located within an area of Occitanie<\/em> formerly referred to as Languedoc.\u00a0 By car, Quarante is about 30 minutes from B\u00e9ziers or Narbonne, and approximately an hour from Carcassonne or Montpellier.<\/p>\n I love living in this village. From the minute I moved here (over 14 years ago) I felt it had a warm and friendly character, it combines old fashioned quirks and modern day facilities to have almost everything you need to get from day to day, French style.\u00a0 It’s a working village that remains active all year round. There are various shops and services, schools, a pharmacy, hairdressers, post office, butchers – plus a friendly boulangerie <\/em>and bustling caf\u00e9 of course.<\/p>\n The village, like many of this region, is surrounded by vineyards and the wine-growing culture is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Quarantais<\/em>, the people from Quarante.\u00a0 Approximately 1700 people live here, though that does fluctuate a little through the year.\u00a0 Some houses are holiday or second homes, both for English speakers and the French – we are only 30 minutes from the Mediterranean, which makes it a convenient location for beach visits in the warm summer months.<\/p>\n From a sketcher’s point of view Quarante is a wonderful place to be.\u00a0 If you wander into the heart of the medieval centre to find the ancient church and the fountain, the cobbled streets are so narrow a vehicle could never pass.\u00a0 Explore a little further and you’ll find charming properties, churches, chapels, stone walls, shutters, rooftops, vineyards and donkeys in fields – if quintessential France is something you want to capture in a sketchbook, you’ll definitely find it here.<\/p>\n Does a short stay in Quarante sound tempting?\u00a0 Read on!<\/p>\n I am thrilled to let you know about some beautiful apartments now available in Quarante. They are owned by a lovely Norwegian couple and have been advertised on AirBnB.\u00a0 The apartments are modern and fully equipped with everything you may need for a stay in southern France.\u00a0 With all mod cons, kitchen facilities and air-con, you are based in the heart of the village in a quiet street overlooking the vineyards and local winery.<\/p>\n There are 2 apartments sleeping from 2 to 6 adults, dependant on the size of your group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The minimum stay in the apartments is 3 nights, and here are the links with reviews on AirBnB<\/p>\n Even if the dates you require are not yet shown on AirBnB, please contact me<\/a> before 31 December and I can put you in touch with the owners to book direct at a 10% discount for dates in April, May, September & October – whether you sketch or not!!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n There is also a Bed & Breakfast in Quarante called La Sorga de Vida<\/em><\/a> – this is a Maison de Vigneron<\/em> style property with high ceilings and many period features in the rooms.\u00a0 La Sorga de Vida<\/em> is owned & managed by French couple Genevieve and Alain.\u00a0 Genevieve is passionate about catering so you can expect some substantial breakfasts!\u00a0 Evening meals can be prepared by arrangement at additional cost.\u00a0 There are 3 bedrooms available and prices start from 78\u20ac per night – see reviews and availability on Booking.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n A huge bonus of booking an apartment is that it gives you great flexibility during your stay – you can plan your own itinerary and sketch on one or several days.\u00a0 Bring your sketching friends and\/or a non-sketching partner, you’ll have a fantastic time!\u00a0 \u00a0My approach to travel and urban sketching is that the mood is light and the colours are bright!\u00a0 I’ll show you around so you’ll see daily French village life as it really is – and in addition to watercolour tips and other techniques I can give you lots of help, advice and recommendations on making the most of your trip and learning more about this incredible area of France.\u00a0 Workshop prices will vary according to the number in your group – if there is a date you’d like to book please just send me an email<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the lesser known facts about Quarante is that it is so easy to get to, even without a car!\u00a0 From Monday to Saturday a bus service runs several times a day between Quarante village centre and B\u00e9ziers station – it costs about 1,60\u20ac each way.\u00a0 This same bus route can take you to other villages en route, including Capestang and the Canal du Midi at Poilhes.\u00a0 Getting around and filling a few days with local sketch subjects is so very easy to do!\u00a0 \u00a0B\u00e9ziers station is a TGV stop as well as for other mainline trains running from Montpellier, Barcelona, Carcassonne and Toulouse. For air travellers, a 20-minute navette<\/em> bus service also runs between the flights into B\u00e9ziers airport and B\u00e9ziers station.\u00a0 I use these public transport services regularly and it makes getting in and out of Quarante so easy – no hire car, taxis or parking problems required!<\/p>\n Obviously if you prefer to hire a car you can do that from an airport or the station.\u00a0 Taxis from B\u00e9ziers are also available<\/p>\n You can fly into B\u00e9ziers or Carcassonne with Ryanair.\u00a0 International airports Toulouse, Montpellier and Perpignan service flights with many other airlines including Easyjet and British Airways.<\/p>\n If you are interested in spending 1 or more days sketching in the south of France and staying in Quarante – simply send me an email<\/strong><\/a> and we can explore dates and options for your trip!<\/p>\nWhere to Stay<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Sketching Days<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Travel and Transport<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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