Driving from a channel port to Le Somail is not as daunting as it sounds.
With an overnight stop in central France (many motels are available at around 25  euros per room), it can be a very pleasant journey of two 5 to 6 hour legs. 

Check Norfolk Line, Sea France, or Hoverspeed for cheap channel crossings, or try Ferry Savers or Ferry Offers. 

Minervois Cruisers' base is located in the attractive hamlet of Le Somail, 8 miles (13 kilometres) northwest of Narbonne. 

From Carcassonne, take the N113 eastwards, towards Narbonne, but turn left after a few kilometres into Trèbes, and follow the D610 towards Beziers via Puicheric and Homps, where it becomes the D11 and then the D5.  At a roundabout after Pouzols, turn right onto the D607 towards Narbonne; Le Somail is on your left immediately after the road crosses the canal. 

From most other directions, take the Narbonne Sud exit from the A9 autoroute, and follow the N213 clockwise around Narbonne until turning left onto the D607 (direction St Pons). Proceed through Marcorignan and St Marcel; Le Somail is on your right just before the canal bridge. 

In the centre of Le Somail you will see the famous stone bridge over the canal, with the chapel on its western end.  Our office is behind the large stone building on the eastern end of the bridge.

If renting a car, please bear in mind though that if you travel outside the country of rental, you may be liable for the cost of any loss to a car driven into a non permitted country. including the cost of repatriating the car if necessary. We recommend you carefully check with your chosen rental company before booking your rental car 

By rail 

Check with Rail Europe or SNCF for special fares from London to Narbonne.
With one change this takes only about 8 hours, and is usually priced at around £130 return. 

By air 

Carcassonne 

Our nearest airport is Carcassonne, served by Ryanair from London Stansted and Charleroi, Belgium.  Taxis from Carcassonne cost about 85 euros one-way, except before 07:00 and after 19:00, and all day Sunday, when the charge is 120 euros.
There is also the option of an 8-passenger minibus for a charge of 120 euros, anytime.

Ryanair also fly from London Stansted, Charleroi (Brussels) and Frankfurt (Germany) to Perpignan, which is almost as close to our base. 
 

Nîmes

If you're on a budget and/or keen to see more of the Midi, consider flying Ryanair from Stansted to Nîmes.  These fares are often cheaper, and the airport bus connects directly with Nîmes railway station, from where trains run frequently to Narbonne, about 8 miles from our base. 

Montpellier & Toulouse

Other airports in the general area are Montpellier (British Airways, Air France, Ryanair, etc) & Toulouse (British Airways, Air France, British European, BMI Baby etc).  Both offer easy connections by bus and train to Narbonne, or we can arrange a taxi (up to 8 passengers) for about £120 one-way. 

Spain

Another holiday option would incorporate a charter flight to Gerona in NE Spain, or a budget airline flight to Barcelona . 
Barcelona can be reached by Easy Jet from Luton, Gatwick, Liverpool, Amsterdam and Geneva, by Go from East Midlands, Stansted and Bristol, and by BMI Baby from East Midlands. 

At Barcelona a Mercedes 160 may be hired from Easy Rentacar at a cost usually less (for 8 days) than the return taxi fare from Carcassonne airport to our base.  It's only a 2.5 hour drive from Barcelona to our base. Please bear in mind though that if you travel outside the country of rental, you will be liable for the cost of any loss to a car driven into a non permitted country. including the cost of repatriating the car if necessary. We recommend you carefully check with Easy Rentacar car before booking your rental car 

Bed & Breakfast

Should you require bed and breakfast before / after your holiday, we suggest "Les Volets Bleus" (The Blue Shutters). Close to Our base, they also operate an air conditioned minibus service to / from the Airports/ station: Their prices per minibus (which holds up to 8 people) are as follows: 
Airports: 

Carcassonne/Perpignan - 100 euros
Montpellier - 130 euros 
Toulouse - 170 euros 
Stations: Narbonne - 25 euros