| THINGS TO DO |
Beach destinations
There are a number of seaside destinations within easy reach of the house offering a variety of leisure activities.
The nearest is Argelès with its 7-km long sandy beach, numerous activities for kids and adults, and a 3-km palm-tree-fringed promenade for strolling (or cycling) along. Our favourite beach is at Le Racou where the beach is smaller and the water is very clear. It is good for snorkelling and there are a couple of restaurants near the beach.
North of Argelès is St Cyprien, which has a 3-kilometre long sandy beach and a pretty fishing harbour with lots of quayside restaurants and boats for hire. Boca del Tech is at the mouth of the river Tech and has a long, sandy beach. To the northern end is Aqualand (water slides).
South of Argeles the coast becomes rockier. Set in a picturesque cove with its old narrow streets down by the harbour and its seaside promenade, is the medieval town of Collioure. It is reputedly the prettiest town on the Côte Vermeille. There are 3 small beaches and a great choice of bars and restaurants, No visit to Collioure is complete for our children without buying an ice cream from one of the ice-cream shops on rue Vauban, where the range of flavours always makes choosing between them a challenge! Just south of Collioure is Port Vendres, which is much more of a fishing harbour. Deep sea fishing boats are available to hire here. A little further south still, set in a wide bay, is Banyuls with a beach, shops and restaurants.
Should you tire of the French seaside scene, the pretty coastal resorts of the Costa Brava in Spain are about 1½ hours away by car.
Other leisure activities
Walking
There is easy access straight from the centre of the village to a number of trails for walking. The 4km long botanical path, “Sentier Botanique”, which starts in the village, was established to help visitors discover the flora of the Mediterranean Forests. There are a number of easy and more challenging walks starting from the path, with picnic areas along the way. If you are feeling more adventurous, you could try a longer hike with the local walking club in the mountains, or set off on your own on the trans-Albères path, which leads right down to the beach, a day’s walk away (or 15 minutes by car).
Mountain biking
Just up the road from the house is a mountain bike circuit, which leads up into the Albères.
Horse Riding
The nearest riding stables are close by in the village.
Tennis
There is a tennis court in the village, which you can book to use.
Golf
The best golf course in the area is 20 km away in St Cyprien - a championship course with water hazards: 18 holes 6480 metres Par 73; South Course - 9 holes 2724 metres Par 35’.
Wine tasting
More wine is produced in Languedoc Roussillon than in any other region in France. Opportunities to taste wine abound, with most wine domaines offering tasting so you can try before you buy. The villa overlooks the vineyards of the domaine situated in the village, the Domaine du Mas Rous. The owner is Jose Pujol, whose great-grandfather was blond, or “ros” in Catalan. Hence “El Mas del ros” or “Le Mas du Rous”, the blond man’s house, later shortened to Le Mas Rous.
Sightseeing
Collioure is described as the gem of the Côte Vermeille, and has been likened to St Tropez before it became too famous. It sits in a picturesque cove and has a very attractive port and seaside promenade. It was established as a trading port by the Phoenicians and ancient Greeks, and later occupied by the Romans, Visigoths and Arabs. The Royal Palace, which dominates the harbour, was founded by the Templars in the twelfth century, rebuilt and used as a summer residence by the kings of Mallorca and Aragon two hundred years later, and modernized by Vauban after the Treaty of the Pyrenees. The Fort St Elme overlooking the town from the south, and Fort Miradou to the North stand testament to Collioure’s turbulent past.
In the early 1900s, a group of painters, including Matisse and Derain, known as the Fauvists, made Collioure their summer base because of the rare quality of the light and intensity of the colours. As the leading fauvist, Matisse, put it, “No sky in all France is bluer than that of Collioure”. Today, along the "Fauvism footpath", reproductions of 20 works from Matisse and Derain are placed at the points from which the originals were painted, allowing viewers to compare old and new. Picasso and Dali figure in the long list of artists who also fell in love with Collioure and spent time there. If you visit the bar ‘L’Hostellerie des Templiers’ you can see original works on the walls, which were used as currency by artists to pay their drinks bills. Collioure continues to be popular with artists. Boromar beach is still a favourite subject for numerous modern artists and there are a large number of art galleries.
Céret is a laid-back town, dating from medieval times. It is a delightful spot, where the narrow cobbled streets of the old town are lined with plane trees, casting welcome shade into the squares where you can sit and enjoy the outdoor café life. It has the biggest Baroque church in Roussillon, a war memorial by Maillol and an elegant 14th-century bridge over the River Tech.
Like Collioure, Céret was a favourite spot with many great modern artists, including Picasso, at the turn of the century. In1910 it was regarded as the “Capital of Cubism”. The Museum of Modern Art attracts visitors from near and far. It houses a Picasso collection of 50 or so pieces, including a series of 28 ceramic bowls painted with bullfighting scenes, and works by Dali, Matisse, Chagall, as well as the Catalan sculptor Manolo. Today the town still attracts many artists and there are numerous galleries to visit.
Céret has a very Catalan feel to it and you often hear the language being spoken in town. There are even corridas (bullfights) here in the summer in the arena on the Amélie-les-Bains road, on the opposite side from the market square. They run the bulls through the streets before the main bullfighting festival in July. Céret is a town of music, art and festivals. There is a carnival on Shrove Tuesday and a colourful procession at Easter. The Sardana (Catalan Folk Dancing) is a regular feature on the cultural calendar, with the big Sardana festival being held in August. The orchards of Céret are famous for producing the earliest cherries in France. Spring arrives here earlier than anywhere else in France and the first cherries are traditionally sent to the President of France. The trees blossom in January, the harvest takes place around Easter time and there is a Cherry Festival in May. Throughout August and September there are regular flamenco dancing, jazz or classical music concerts in one of the many squares under the plane trees.
If you still have any time and energy, other favourite daytrips are Carcassonne and the Cathar Castles to the north, and the high Pyrenees to the west. If you fancy a trip to Spain, Figueras and the Salvador Dali museum are just 30 minutes away and you can be in the centre of Barcelona in just under 2 hours.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should give you a flavour of what is waiting for you in the Pyrénées Orientales.