Castles for Sale - Sold

You don't need to be the Queen of England to live in a castle - just rich or very lucky. Not all castles are national landmarks; many are private property. On several occasions, I've trekked up to the gates of a castle and found the entrance interdit - prohibited. This is slightly annoying after hiking up a long winding drive. I don't understand why they can't post the sign at the base of the hill.

These private chateaux are often much better maintained than those open to the public. The two most impressive personal castles that I've seen so far around Chusclan are le chateau de Jonquier and le chateau de Montfaucon.

What is 40 km?

It's about 25 miles. Or about 2 hours biking at a steady pace. Or just long enough to travel past:

• a nuclear research facility - Marcoule
  
  


• a hydro-electric power station
  
  


• a village surrounded by an 18th century levee - Caderousse
  


• a tunnel through a mountain for the TGV bullet train
  


• a private chateau - Montfaucon
  


• a strip mine
  


• vineyards as far as you can see