Just a 20-minute drive from Montpellier’s activity centres, the mountain rises to an altitude of 658 m. Visible from Le Gard and much of L’Hérault, it is one of the region’s loveliest natural sites. Featuring “garrigue” scrubland and evergreen oaks, it is home to towns as warmly inviting as Cazevieille and Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles.

The peak owes its name to a romantic medieval legend : three brothers, Guiral, Clair and Loup, fell madly in love with the same woman. Determined to marry her, they expected her decision on their return from the Crusades. When they discovered that she had died, they settled as hermits on the hills to which they give their name. Admired for the splendour and tranquillity of its surrounding area, Le Pic Saint-Loup is home to some picturesque villages. A true paradise for hikers and fans of gliding, attracted by its steep north face, the rocky spur offers a really pleasant backcloth for living, at the gateway to Montpellier. Recognizable for its chapel and iron cross, it looks out at the Hortus cliff, the feudal castle of Vivioures, the plain of Saint-Martin-de-Londres, the Saint-Baudille and Aigoual mountains, the Cévennes and, on clear days, the capital of L’Herault, the Gulf of Lion and Mount Ventoux. If it has not yet been attributed an official “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée”, the region’s wine enjoys an international reputation.
“Apart from its intrinsic qualities, the area owes its success to its position : 20 minutes suffice to reach Montpellier’s main employment areas, 40 minutes to reach the Mediterranean beaches,” explains Christophe Pageaux of Advantage Immobilier. As peaceful as one could wish, the region has retained its rural atmosphere. It features agricultural “mas”, hardly ever offered for sale. Living space of 300 m2 in about 2.5 acres of land would cost between 900,000 and 1 million euros. Village houses built of stone are not lacking in character : 100 m2 ranges from 250,000 to 300,000 €, depending on the care lavished on renovation and whether or not there is a garden, a rare commodity here. Standard pavilions of about 95 m2 sell for 250,000-320,000 €. A villa of 150-180 m2 in grounds of 1,500-2,000 m2 enhanced by a pool will command 450,000 to 500,000 €. High-end properties, ie. those priced above 600,000 €, are tending to level off slightly in terms of both transactions and prices, even if demand remains strong. Often involving holiday homes, this category naturally depends on the country's overall economic health. Local workers, retirees from all over France, researchers at the CIRAD and CNRS, hospital and university staff residing to the north of the Prefecture target this address for their second or third acquisitions. Typically, they advance a budget of between 300,000 and 400,000 €. “An amount which leaves little room for first-time buyers,” comments Maryse Rambier of the Groupe Rambier Immobilier. New developments appeal mostly to the locals as their main homes. The agency is just, in fact, completing the marketing of 12 detached houses in “L’Enclos des Genêts” at Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, a site particularly well-served by infrastructures. Inhabitants of Le Pic Saint-Loup appreciate the surrounding nature and the convenience of nearby shops and other amenities. Saint-Clement-de-Rivière even boasts a secondary school. Like the mountain itself, properties here have a certain character. Architecture is harmonious, urban planning well-controlled. Here as elsewhere, estate agents don’t like to generalize : each house has to be judged on its attributes and is unlike any other.