Perpignan - a few days

As scenic routes go, the drive along the south coast with the Mediterranean Sea out somewhere to our left was not as impressive as the mighty Pyrenees, that came into viewing prominence.

Overhead gantry signage offering routes to Barcelona or Andorra were tempting options, however we continued to our planned camp site at Canet-en-Roussillon, a seaside town just outside Perpignan.

The drive took us past the many kite and wind surfers on the vast shallow lake at Leucate. The windy conditions looked perfect, the amount and skill on display made us stop to watch, an excuse to pop the kettle on for a cuppa.

An hour later we arrived at our camp site for the next 4 days, and whilst it being a fairly large site, it had been chosen for its access to a lovely long sandy beach, the largest of the places we had stayed at so far with 150 touring pitches, plus quite a few fancy wooden lodges.

The sunrises were worth getting up for.. as done on two mornings, each quite different.

The site's large swimming pool, well stocked shop, numerous sports areas, restaurant and evening entertainment were all available, yet we only used the bakery for our habitual morning baguette.

Our pitch neighbours were german and belgian .. observations of their camping style so different - the Germans appear to be gadget geeks... their awnings held down with pegs secured by a battery operated hand held drill.... the Belgians not wishing to be to too far from their beloved frites... we saw one campervan with its own alfresco deep fat fryer!! Plus... we saw a UK caravan / car with a huge air fryer in the boot as they were packing up to leave.... not sure what to make of that!

The following morning in Canet-en Rousillon the weather was shining, so we headed off to explore the local area by bike.

Just outside the campsite gates, uniformed staff from the neighbouring boatyard were taking a lunch break, complete with nibbles and drinks whilst engaged in a game of pétanque.

[Note: Having visited a Decathlon in France, and seeing they have a decent stock of outdoor sporting goods - so before we return back to the UK, a purchase of a set of pétanque balls may be made, a quick Google suggests there is a club near us in Oxshott - so a leisurely activity - with aperitifs - what's not to like?]

Initially a fishing port, since the early 70's the area has undergone some big modernisation programmes, with the catamaran manufacturing company Catana moving there in the late 90's, allowing the marina to expand and grow.

The route around the perimeter of the nautical enterprises was roughly a winding 1.5 miles, then hitting the outskirts of Canet-en-Roussillon town towards the beach and a long 3 mile sunny promenade.

Unexpectedly as we were half way along the promenade we came across a 'farm at the beach'... yes .... pigs, cows, horses and donkeys all next to the sandy beach. The cows and pigs did not seem too happy

There seemed to be a local event on and the local farmers had brought their animals out to the beach for the day!

I'm sure many of those animals did not recognise that a smoky BBQ was also a centre piece of the event!

La Ferma a Plage

The following day we opted to take our 2nd bus trip of our time in France, this time into the centre of Perpignan, so a quick check of the timetable online and we headed off to the bus stop, a 20 minute walk away.

The bus service is very efficient, turning up on time and very clear in terms of where you are on board, the stops / route etc.

Our route would take just 30 minutes through the suburbs, arriving into the centre of town, for a good wander around for a few hours.

Perpignan is a pretty town in the shadow of the Pyrenees, previously it was the capital of Majorca (13th century) and with it's proximity to the spanish border influencing the building style, colours and decor, all rocking a lovely gothic-romanesque style, with many catalan flags flying prominently alongside the french tricolore.

Perpignan

We took in a few notable buildings, unlike the Uk where it would cost a small fortune to enter places of interest, most were free and the hike up the hill to the Palais Des Rois de Majorque (Palace of the Kings of Majorca), surprisingly a highlight despite entry 7 euros, the 360 views from the ramparts reaching out towards the mountains and Andorra to the north west, and to the Med on the south side.

We ambled around the Palace for more time than plannned, mostly due to the level of interest it held, complete with an unexpected yet interesting indoor light and sound show depicting days gone by, a real touch of modern technology in old historic surroundings.

The Royal Palace of Majorca,.. and the view towards Andorra (Pyrenees)

With the ability to fly on budget airlines, the airport can be seen from the palace, the public transport very efficient - a short break to Perpignan is very much recommended.

The bendy bus ride back to camp must have been driven by the same guy from Rennes... or a very close relative.. shaving 10 minutes off the time it took us to get into the town.

Our last day in camp, it was an easy day of ambling, a walk on the beach, and taking a trip out to a local campervan accessory shop - Jo's always in search of a gadget!.. a few euros later we departed with new lightweight saucepans [@Jill - you would be proud of us 'minding the payload'].

It was time to head north - we would give ourselves 4 nights to amble the trip back to Caen using a mix of France Passion sites and camp sites... well that's the plan...

The final blog of France 24 on the road to home following soon....