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TOURING – FRANCE TOURING – THAILAND The Med the easy way PART 3 The Côte Vermeille, from Narbonne south, almost to Spain, sparkles with new resorts, tapas bars and brightly-painted fi shing boats. All tastes are catered for here WORDS Val Chapman PHOTOGRAPHY John Chapman �������� ������������ ���������� �������� ��������� ��������� ���������� ���������� ������� ��������� ������������ � � � � � The palm-trimmed beautiful beaches of St Cyprien – quiet even in mid-summer | 38 Go caravan TOURING – WESTERN ISLES Î 1 4 7 10 8 2 9 11 3 5 6 PORT VENDRES ur tour had begun in Spain, at the port of tour, Camping La Nautique at COLLIOURE 1 Brilliant flowers “WE GLANCE TO OUR LEFT AND CATCH OUR FIRST GLIMPSE OF A TOWN 6 The magnificent trim the town Santander. We’d crossed the French Narbonne took us sweeping bay that 2 Fishing nets out to Pyrénées, arrived at the Mediterranean at through vine-terraced CLINGING TO A HILLSIDE, ENMESHED IN ANCIENT FORTIFICATIONS” contains the port dry on the Narbonne – and now we were close to mountains; we pass 7 Fortifications on harbourside hilltops as well as 3 Markets like this Spain again. This is a land of sangria and Rivesaltes and other We fi nd parking on the hill by the Chateau des known resort along the coast and we are about to fi nd nearer to sea level are a browser’s Otapas, sardines and paella. Yet the language and the famous wine areas. Templiers, perched on the cliff and we walk the path out why. Before we reach Argelès we pause and take in 8 The Sunshine magnet in many Lifestyle – the name parts of France culture is all French. The motorway skirts that surrounds its now-dry moat. We glance to our left the vista. Argelès, St Cyprien and the mountain peaks of this boat seems 4 Bright colours are This stretch of coast, between Narbonne and the the large city of Perpignan and brings you to the coast and catch our fi rst glimpse of a town clinging to a beyond are stretched out before you. Vineyards reach to sum up the everywhere – this Spanish border at Cerbère is in sharp contrast to close to three unmissable places, all close together hillside, enmeshed in ancient fortifi cations. We’ve found down to the sea and there’s a campsite on the coast. reasons for taking a restaurant’s bright holiday along this look seems to anything else along the entire French Mediterranean Argelès, Collioure and Port Vendres. Chateau Royale and we are walking above the town At Argelès we fi nd a Carrefour supermarket and stock coast epitomise Port shore. There are two large modern, recently-built You can sail to Morocco from Port Vendres and bustling beneath us. The enticing aromas of paella and up, then fi nd parking at the train station – even this 9 Scores of Vendres restaurants and all 5 All the resorts here, lots more little places springing up – and, there’s a mix of Moroccan and Spanish infl uence on sausages waft upwards on the warm breeze. building is spectacular in its architecture and of them busy with magnificence you as you drive further south towards Spain, you the architecture here. It’s a fi shing port fi rst and We descend the steps to the harbour and cross a fl oral trimmings. local families expect at a Med 10 Ancient tourist port fi nd some incredibly spectacular twisty road routes, foremost and nets are out to dry all around pretty arched bridge into the town. Narrow streets of well-groomed fortifications where vines cling to shaley soil on steep slopes… the harbour. Artists are at work on the quayside and you reach the houses take us to the port. It’s a scene arround the harbour Our motorway route from our base for this Frondy palms, huge ocean-class vessels alongside beach quickly. Restaurants border. Families swim and of red and terracotta hues that inshore boats… We’re lucky to park by the port; it’s paddle in the shadow of more fortifi cations and a bell epitomise the region, oleanders and early Saturday and already busy. We fi nd an elegant clock tower that guards the harbour. The tapas and palms. Tropical Golf is the ultimate yacht registered at Poole in Dorset; it’s called Sunshine thirst-quenching agua limon (lemonade) that’s on offer crazy golf challenge for all ages Lifestyle and its name seems to encapsulate all that everywhere reminds you just how close you are to the and suddenly the residential Port Vendres offers. border. Spain is 12 or so miles from here and that area gives way to the tourist This is the Côte Vermeille, which translates as country’s tradition of painting fi shing boats in brilliant quarter and bikinis and vermilion and the vivid red hues of that word are all colours is here and the language of Catalan is heard as restaurants, pain bagnat and around you in merchandise, table cloths, garments. It’s often as French. paella are everywhere. Pain market day. People are buying pretty clothes of As we walk around the shoreline the sound of bagnat is a huge sandwich fantastic colour and style, cooking pots – even baby classical guitar comes into earshot, a jazz number that’s containing tuna, salad, olives, pigs to keep as pets. at once lazy and energetic. More art is on display, this egg – it’s a speciality of the The thin, short road from Port Vendres winds time sculptures in wood; a sailing ship is depicted in one region and can sustain you all day. spectacularly along the roast and in a few minutes we of the most interesting examples. We soon pop out on the beach are at Collioure. It’s a short hop to Argelès. This town is the best- and discover endless almost white TOURING – FRANCE 7 8 1 10 11 2 1 2 8 4 6 12 3 9 3 5 9 13 6 A fantastic crazy 1 The vine-clad yet. The same goes for its atop the edge of the lagoon that’s popular with hinterland of “WE DISCOVER ENDLESS WHITE SAND, DEEPEST BLUE MED, A golf complex - one Collioure 2 The neighbour, Canet-en- windsurfers, to Port Leucate. The cream and sand of Argelès most eyecatching great baulk of Rousillon. Canet, reached colours of the buildings here sparkle in the evening sun. Collioure’s ancient BACKCLOTH OF HIGH PEAKS AND DECIDE THIS IS PARADISE” attractions 7 St fortifications from St Cyprien via fi ve miles A couple of islands dot the lagoon and, just inland and Cyprien’s beautful reaches right down sand, deepest blue Mediterranean and a backcloth of It’s a Saturday lunchtime in June and the restaurant of road that’s bordered by the parallel to it is the A9 motorway, called La Catalane, that beaches 8 Canet’s to the sea marina. 9 Le 3 Collioure’s palm- high peaks and decide this is paradise; we know, now, patrons here are local families; Argelès is huge; so huge sea to the east and a makes this line off sands and resorts so easily accessible. Barcares 10 Smart fringed promenade why people tow all the way from Calais to holiday at that in trying to fi nd the train station where we’d parked lagoon (Etang de Canet) to In 18 miles we are back at our campsite base beside the restaurants at Le Barcares 11 Canet - there’s colour on Argelès. But we came here the easy way. We’d sailed to we got lost and saw rather more of this resort than our the west. next lagoon north, Etang de Bages et de Sigean. every building Plage– big 4 Spanish style is Santander, then towed across easy Pyrenean motorway time-allocation on our schedule allowed. In so doing, Canet is a lively resort with more It’s 10 days since we towed Bailey’s Pageant Limousin umbrellas for shelter from the hot evident in the routes to reach the Med. though, we discovered one of Argelès’ bonuses, the road beautiful expanses of white sand; this is a beach not even off the ferry at Santander. In that time we’ve crossed the architecture in sun 12 A traditional Argelès 5 Local A great wide promenade is ideal for cycling. It’s train. We hopped aboard. It was a circular tour and we the August infl ux of families can fi ll. Diving, fi shing, Pyrénées, (as we reported in the December issue) round-about at Le artists display their bordered by lawn and shady pine trees. Restaurants and fi gured it might take us to somewhere we recognised. boating – it’s all here. We take a stroll along the long explored the Med shores eastwards as far as fi shing port Barcares 13 From Narbonne to work alongside bars line the lawn; it’s easy to Five euros and 10 minutes later we’d curving harbour wall, grab an exotic ice cream concoction Sète (January) and, now, we’ve taken you on our fi nal streets at Argelès Argeles – the wine- imagineimagine howhow thisthis placeplace buzzesbuzzes inin found the trains – and our vehicle, and and resume our tour. tour, south towards the Spanish border. growing hinterland thethe evenings.evenings. ButBut forfor nownow pointed it north; St Cyprien is a short A little over a mile north of Canet is Sainte-Marie- Today we’re setting off for Spain, heading for the we’rewe’re happyhappy toto immerseimmerse motorway journey away. Plage, a small, new resort of sparkling promenade Atlantic and the cruise home – this time via a different ourselvesourselves inin thethe In less than six miles we bordered by rocks and a line of low dunes.

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