Montolieu is known as the Village of Books, and is only 15 minutes from Carcassonne in the south of France.

The city, with its fairytale castle, is served by Ryanair flying from many airports, including London Stansted.

When you arrive in Montolieu, you will be met with a welcoming vibrant atmosphere, with many book shops, cafés, bars, restaurants, museums, art galleries, and shops. With a year-round programme of music concerts and exhibitions, Montolieu is always full of JOIE DE VIVRE!

If you fancy staying somewhere with an abundance of peace and quiet, but in the heart of village life where you can write your next best-seller, this is the place. There must be something in the water that attracts so many writers, musicians, sculptors and artists to come to this magical place.

But of course you don’t have to be a writer or artist to enjoy staying at the Writer’s Retreat, with wonderful walks and incredible views of the nearby countryside in every direction, and of course spectacular Carcassonne only a short drive away.

For FULL information see our website www.writersretreatinfrance.com

We have been coming to this part of France since 2006, when we first bought an apartment within a château up in the Montagne Noir – the inspiration for my French farce novel ‘MR. TAP‘.

We often gravitated downhill to bustling Montolieu, and then one day we met a couple who described their town-house they were selling right in the heart of the village…two large bedrooms, open-plan lounge-diner-kitchen, mezzanine and roof-terrace. We arranged a viewing and within the first minute, our fate was determined. We shook hands and agreed that we’d buy the place as soon as we could sell the château apartment – which luckily didn’t take long.

In 2015 the stars aligned for us, and we became proud owners of the house we’d call our ‘Writer’s Retreat’.

A year’s worth of home improvements and updates followed, with two new bathrooms, new kitchen with walk-in pantry, many home comforts that included books, art and an extensive collection of vinyl records, and of course perfect wi-fi throughout.

There is now only one problem – with views so spectacular and wine so plentiful and inexpensive, it’s very difficult to actually get any writing done.

Fabienne “We really enjoyed our stay in Montolieu. The whole house has an amazing atmosphere, especially the breathtaking roof terrace. Would recommend this place without hesitation!”

Muriel (Google translated from French) “Everything was perfect, the house, the location. We had a great stay in this beautiful village.”

Corinne (Google translated from French) “The accommodation, which offers everything you need in terms of comfort, is located in the heart of the village of Montolieu, which is ideal for discovering the bookstores in this village of books and the artist’s workshops.”

Want to write there? Want to create art there? Want to relax there?

 Did you know?… there’s TOWN FRIENDSHIP between…

and WIVENHOE (the Village of Art and Books)

Yes, it’s true. The enthusiasm for shared interests couldn’t be more dynamic. Both places embrace a joyous culture of art, music and writing.

I was sure that folks from either place would positively appreciate the other, so I embarked upon a crazy idea to unofficially twin the two locations.

“I’ll go see the Mayor of Montolieu and suggest it to him,” I thought, and I made an appointment. “And I’m sure the Mayor of Wivenhoe will also be receptive to the concept,” so I went to see him too. Despite some early misgivings on the French side due to the recent Brexit vote, a delegation from Montolieu accepted an invitation to attend the Wivenhoe Mayor’s Ball.

My idea was becoming a reality, and I arranged to meet and greet the French party at Stansted airport and whisk them back to Wivenhoe in the community bus.

Upon arrival in Wivenhoe, after an evening meal chez nous, a very warm WELCOME was extended at the local pub to Montolieu’s mayor and his wife, a bookshop owner, the wineshop owner, a restaurateur, the museum curator, and an interpreter.

The next day they didn’t have a moment to get bored, once my fun-packed itinerary had begun; a walk around Wivenhoe taking in the local bookshop, fish & chips lunch on a boat, a ferry ride, an art exhibition, a potter’s studio, a pub crawl – and of course the elegant Mayor’s Ball.

The Montolieu delegation had been truly Wivenhoed!

The visit was such a success that a formal invitation was extended to Wivenhoe artist Jamie Dodds to have an exhibition in Montolieu’s Museum of Arts for a whole year.

And so I drove to Montolieu to personally deliver a car-load of Jamie’s amazing pictures – and a magical weekend took place, combining the opening of his exhibition, a concert by Joanna Eden, a party in the square hosted by wine-shop owner Adrian Mould – and my own book launch of MR. TAP.

It couldn’t have gone better.

Wivenhoe – The Village of Art and Books

Wivenhoe is a riverside town, full of creative energy with its eclectic mix of friendly, arty and literate people. Twice a year it has its own acclaimed Art Trail, attracting visitors from all over. It has been voted top place to live by The Sunday Times.

It has its own art galleries, a museum, bookshops, pubs, restaurants, a direct rail link to London, and a summer regatta.

A Writer’s Retreat with a difference – on a boat!

Writers need concentration to help them formulate their ideas. If you would like to get away from all distractions so that you can work on your project without interruption, how about this? …take some time out to sit and write on ‘MISS BAUDET’, my boat that’s conveniently moored outside the pub – and only 30 seconds from your optional overnight accommodation – my sister’s Airbnb.

Onboard you’ll find everything a writer could desire – a table, seating and cushions, lighting and solar powered mains electricity.

There’s a kettle, bottled water, a sink, a stove, cutlery, cups and plates. Fancy a tipple to loosen the creative juices? Wine, G&T, beer or something stronger – it’s all there. And there’s an onboard loo too.

The pub does fine food, as does the café-gallery just 50 yards up the lane opposite, or a delicious home-made dish can be brought to you.

The boat only floats for an hour or so a day – most of the time it rests calmly on the mudbank. There’s a secure jetty for easy access, a rear canopy incase it rains, or alternatively you can go inside the cabin to work.

You can reserve your time on the Writer’s Retreat Boat (‘Miss Baudet’) by the day or half-day by emailing me at neilwatson@fmail.co.uk

Click to the NEXT PAGE to see all about the boat.