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Attractive town in lovely countryside
Bram is an attractive town which lies along the Canal du Midi, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the south of France. It is surrounded by lovely countryside, where hectares upon hectares of vines grow in the celebrated Languedoc sunshine. Bram is also in the heart of Cathar country, and the remains of many castles can be spotted on the hilltops close to the town.
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A town with a tragic history
When visiting Bram today, sitting by the Canal du Midi, sipping excellent wine and eating delicious food at a pretty restaurant in the summer sunshine, few would guess at the dark and terrible events that occurred in Bram during the crusades against the Cathars which ravaged the region in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The town today is a lively and very attractive place, where tourists mingle with the locals and the canal passes through, bringing with it a wave of happy holiday makers with their colourful boats.
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The scene of bitter war
Back then, however, Bram was witness to one of the many tragic and terrible events that characterised the bitter war waged by the Catholic Church of the day against the perceived threat of the heresy of Catharism.
The town fell to the invaders in 1210, and the townsfolk were shown no mercy. In order to demonstrate the power of the Catholic army, the captured townspeople were cruelly mutilated, having their noses cropped, their lips cut off and their eyes gouged out. One man was left with one eye, and the others were all attached to him by means of a long rope. He then had to lead them to another town, where the terrified residents quickly surrendered.
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Modern day Bram
Today, Bram offers everything you will need for a very comfortable modern lifestyle. Its streets are filled with the usual delights of a southern French town, such as boulangeries, patisseries, tabacs, and chocolateries. There are also banks, doctors, dentists and schools. And despite its sad history, the Bram of today has a really lovely atmosphere, and seems to have a permanent air of holidays about it. This is partly due to the presence of the Canal du Midi, which has a little port at Bram where the boats moor for the night, and where there is a delightful restaurant on the dockside (excellent English spoken!) which sometimes hosts live music and dancing too.
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Good food and wine
Another restaurant to try is Chez Alain, found on the N113 at the turning for Bram. This is a real French eating experience, as it is a genuine ‘Routier’, a trucker’s cafe… but nothing like the typical ‘Greasy spoon’ joints that serve in England! Here you take your place at a long refectory type table, and the wine (included in the amazingly low cost of the meal) is shared with everyone else. The jug is simply refilled when empty… magical! The food is excellent too. Good food and wine are very much a theme which runs through Bram and indeed, through the whole of the Languedoc.
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Out and about near Bram
With all that there is on offer in Bram, you might think that there is no need to leave Bram at all, but you would be missing out on a wonderful area if you didn’t decide to take a look outside the town. The beautiful city of Carcassonne is only around twenty kilometres away, and if you haven’t been before it really is a ‘must see’, with its fairy tale castle and walled mediaeval ‘Cité’. Sporty types will find endless possibilities open to them too, ranging from gentle walking to white water rafting in the Pyrénées. There is golf, paragliding, fishing, swimming, tennis, horse-riding and much, much more, all available not much more than an hour’s travel from Bram. There is a saying, locally, that in Cathar country you will never be bored!
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How to get there
Bram is easily and cheaply accessed from the UK and Ireland, as cut price airline Ryanair operates several flights into nearby Carcassonne. You can depart from Stansted, Liverpool, East Midlands or Dublin, and Shannon airport is likely to be added to the services shortly. You can also fly to Toulouse with British Airways, bmibaby, easyJet or Air France. Driving through France will take around twelve hours from the ferry port in Calais. Bram is situated on the edge of the N113 road which runs from Castelnaudary to Carcassonne, just take the turning beside Chez Alain! Those who like to let the train take the strain can travel by Eurostar and TGV, linking to a local train to Carcassonne, Castelnaudary or Bram at Toulouse.
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Property prices and availability in and around Bram
Property in Bram, being in the Languedoc region of the south of France is quite high on the scale of desirability, so it is unlikely that you will find very cheap bargains in the town. The Languedoc has experienced large price increases in recent years. This has been partly due to the Ryanair effect, and also partly because the Côte D’Azur has become so expensive and overdeveloped that people have turned to the Languedoc as an alternative base in the south of France. Still cheaper than the rest of the French Mediterranean, it is definitely worth looking around Bram, and it is also worth noting that there could be a good rental income from property here, helping to offset the initial cost of buying.
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AGENTS WITH PROPERTY IN THIS AREA |
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