Magical Family Moments in the Great Pyrenees Outdoors.

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In the Ariege the weather is generally Sunny for most of the year, so children can be outside playing in the fields, building dens in the trees, riding bikes or horses or just enjoying the simple, timeless, childhood joy of being outdoors! 

We moved to the Ariege with 2 young children, so our home and garden is naturally child-friendly.  With an above ground pool, playhouse, play barn and lots of toys, there is plenty to entertain around the house.  In the fields around Pechine we have friendly goats, a donkey, Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, chickens and other pets. 

In the immediate vicinity are large and clean swimming pools at Le Fossat and Artigat plus the swimming lake at Mondeley.  There is a brilliant Sequoia tree climbing adventure park, suitable for everyone over 5 years, within 15 mins drive.  Tennis courts and a football pitch are always open in Le Fossat.  Animal parks, working farms, and a dinosaur interactive museum, caves and an underground river are all within 30 minutes of Pechine.  There is also a horse riding centre 5 minutes down the road.  The Cathar Castles will excite children (and adults) of all ages.  The Prehistoric Park at Tarascon is excellent, both for interest and entertainment for the whole family.  Skiing at Ax caters for all standards and ages, including very long 'green' runs suitable for older children.  There is a ski school and nursery slopes.  On the winter fun theme, there is sledging and dog-pulled sleighs at the spectacular Plateau Beille which also offers lots of easy walking and mountain biking in the summer and again in winter cross country skiing with just the most amazing panoramic views of the surrounding High Pyrenees. 

The Wolf Park 'Maison de Loups' at Orlu is excellent, offering a close-up view of numerous wolves, particularly at feeding time, plus a challenging animal identification tour, a play park, farm animals and just the most beautiful and impressive setting.  A must!  So is the Bird of Prey display  at Chateaux Lordat - just superb.  We have a walking guide for families with children aged 6+ which is very good.  Lots of relatively flat walks, both locally and in the high mountains.

A little further afield (2 hours), but well worth a trip, are the beaches of the Mediterranean, near Narbonne.

On the occasional rainy day, there are indoor attractions such as the Mountain Observatory at Orlu, the Forges Pyrenees near Foix, the Chateaux at Foix itself, where you can climb inside the three towers and visit the museum.  Within an hour are all the attractions associated with Toulouse, including the 'Space City', parks and all the other activities found in any large city!