Third Time Lucky

The Chateau de Gudanes

'I need a chateau as a home for my hero,' I emailed my French friend. 'Can you help me? It must be in a fairly remote location, but very grand, fit for a Turkish princess and her aristocratic French husband.'

After frowning over a map of south west France in vain, Hélène called the Tourist Office in Foix, Ariège. A cheerful sounding girl picked up the phone.

'Er...I need a chateau, what can you suggest?'
'But...there's a medieval castle here in town,' was the reply.
'No, it has to be in a remote area.'
'Oh... well then, what about all those Cathar castles?'
'No, no, they're ruins. It has to be a grand chateau, where an aristocratic family would live in the 18th century.'
Long pause...'Could I ask what you want it for?' The tone was getting impatient now.
'It's for my friend, who's writing a novel set in 1811. She wants to situate the family in a splendid chateau but not near a town.'
Another pause. 'All I can think of is a tumbledown chateau in a small village near Ax-les-Thermes in the Pyrenees. It's in a shocking state but it was once a magnificent place. '
'Mademoiselle, I just know you've found the very thing. A thousand thanks.'
'Yes, but you can't visit. It's unsafe. It's called Gudanes, by the way.'

Soon afterwards, Hélène and I made a trip to Ax-les-Thermes and drove out to take a look at the Chateau de Gudanes. It was absolutely right as a setting for my fictional family. A medieval fortress, much enlarged and updated in the charming style of the eighteenth century, it was indeed splendid. Even with its empty windows, patches of crumbling stonework and shutters hanging loose, an overgrown avenue and a sad air of neglect, it was perfect. And a personal thrill was that Voltaire stayed there, [he's my literary hero].
                          

                       Seen from outside the padlocked gate with warning signs of the danger.

The chateau is set in an extensive park surrounded by high walls

It was two years before we made a second trip into the Pyrenees and stopped to look at the Chateau de Gudanes again. By this time, there was good news in the nearby village. An Australian family had bought the chateau and repairs and renovation had already started. It would take much determination and effort to repair the long years of neglect, especially the water damage from holes in the roof, but our spirits lifted at the idea of this glorious place being lived in and loved once more. [And it had already given me lots of inspiration for my story; so much in fact that I was writing a second tale set in that region.]

And recently we made a third visit, when by good luck and good timing, we were actually able to go through the open gates, along that driveway and up the stairs leading to the wide terrace to the open front door. Now the chateau has all its windows fixed, the shutters have been repaired and the roof is sound. No wonder it looks brighter and seems to be beaming a welcome.

                 

                                                     

Thanks to the kindness of the new owners' daughter, we had a tour round all the habitable parts. The amount of restoration already done is amazing, and shows the family's love for this chateau,  which has an atmosphere of warmth and serenity. 
As Hélène said when we posed for a photo on the terrace, this chateau has a soul.  


                                                                                                                                                                          The open door, where Alfie the dog waits to accompany us on our tour.                                                                

Karina Waters, the owner and prime mover in the massive programme of works at the chateau, has recently written and published this book recording the story so far.

Chateau de Gudanes - A true love story never ends

          

                                                       https://chateaugudanes.com
            

Enjoyable research in Ariège

After months of working on my WIP, the people in it are as real for me as anyone I come across in my daily life. And my French friend, who follows the story chapter by chapter, is also as familiar with my characters as with her own family. Therefore she was delighted to assist by finding a suitable chateau to serve as the hero's family home. It needed to be in a remote region and so we agreed on the Ariège, where the people are still fiercely independent, and tolerant of religious heresy - it is the region of the Cathars.

      

It is also a region of caverns, stretching many miles underground to vast depths. Wall paintings from 20,000 years ago, sited well over half a mile inside, prove that these underground sites have been in use almost as long as the region has had a human population.

Grottes de Niaux

   

This is the region where my hero and his younger brothers and sisters grew up, with the mountain peaks all around, rushing rivers, mysterious caverns, the fiercely hot, sulphurous waters of the spa at Ax-les-Thermes, the feudal lords of Foix and Aragon dividing or uniting loyalties and politics, and the smugglers' routes criss-crossing the whole area. Plenty of scope for adventures.

Plateau de Beille

Add to this that they live in the opulent chateau visited by all the notable thinkers and artists of the 18th Century. Material here for a second story....

Small wonder that we enjoyed our research. We plan a second visit to investigate the 'Route des Contrebandiers'.

An Eighteenth Century chateau in a romantic setting

The hero of my WIP needs a home. He is half French and half Turkish and a diplomat - he needs to be, n'est-ce pas? So, after the groundwork was done by my French friend, she and I visited the region around Mirepoix to inspect various castles. This one at Aston, is ideal for my story - my hero can have roots here and in this region he is independent of Paris, of the French kings and of Napoleon. Perfect!

And when we saw the castle, we both agreed it is perfect  as well - both for the story and as a place to visit.

This is what you see as you get close to the castle gates, climbing up from the river through the wood.

From the other side of the entrance, you see the chateau with its massive stables and what was once a paddock.

This is the view from the main gates. Currently the roof is being restored, so the grounds are overgrown.

There are mountains all around, providing a marvellous setting. The back of the chateau rises on a rocky peak, above the river. The original defensive castle was remodelled in the 18th Century into a gracious dwelling that indicated the wealth and status of its owner.