A New Adventure in France

We booked our last campsite stay – before we move into more solid accommodation – some time ago and even then there was limited availability of dates, despite it being late in the season. We’d seen good reviews about the site from other motor-homers and, having arrived here, we can see why. The site is at Les Criques de Porteils, a couple of kilometres from Collioure in one direction and Argelès-sur-Mer in the other, on the Côte Vermeille, so named because of the (vermilion) red colour of the rocks that form the small coves and inlets all the way down to the Spanish border. The campsite is in lovely grounds and, in the section we booked, the pitches are on terraces set into the hillside and facing out to sea. We’ve loved our river views but this uninterrupted sea-view will also be one of our highlights and a great end to the camping season.

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The site is pretty much full – so different to other recent campsites- and there is a daily to-ing and fro-ing of new arrivals or people moving their motorhomes around to a pitch with an even better view. It’s the French half-term holidays next week so the site will be even busier after we have moved on. We can open the camper van door in the morning and enjoy the sunrise as we enjoy our first coffee of the day.

It’s surprising how much time you can spend just looking out to sea, but we have made some effort to take a look at some of the surrounding areas. A coastal path goes right along the cliff in front of the campsite – it only reopened last year following storms in 2014 that washed away some of the path and caused landslides. We followed the path which goes up and down cliffs and across beaches, with great views along the coast, to the nearby town of Collioure, well known for the production of anchovies and the inspiration to many painters including Henri Matisse. On a warm Sunday with blue skies the town was at its most attractive – busy but not crowded with locals and visitors in search of lunch, a small produce market ready to pack up and some brocante stalls down by the harbour wall. At various points around the town they have installed bronze ‘picture frames’ with a couple of steps so that you can look at a framed scene that has featured in various artists works. We were happy to people watch over a drink, mooch around the back streets and harbour and then, rather than walk back the same route, we took the last boat trip along the coast to Argelès and walked back to camp from there.

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Argelès is another seaside resort, heaving in the summer along the length of its sandy beaches and with a very large marina and port area. We cycled there on one day and also walked there on another and enjoyed lunch overlooking the marina and had a nose around the millions of euros worth of yachts and large motorboats that probably rarely leave the port.

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We also ventured along the coast to just before the Spanish border, stopping at the small towns of Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer. The road winds its way along the coastal cliffs which are covered with the vines of the Collioure and Banyuls appellations, clinging to the gravelly terraces. Just behind the campsite is the Domaine de Valmy and we have enjoyed their red and rosé wines during our stay. The town of Banyuls sur Mer was the birthplace and home of the artist and sculptor Aristide Maillol, and some of his works are displayed along the seafront promenade.

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We stopped on the promenade to admire the view and found ourselves being pelted with small green berries from the palm tree above us. When we looked up we found the culprit was a green parakeet. Unlike some areas of south-east England where they are now quite common, this one appeared to be the only parakeet in town, perhaps waiting for another unsuspecting victim.

This area has been a lovely end to this session of camping and we’re moving on into a house for the next few weeks to plan our next stage of camping adventures.