WALKING TO SPAIN

St. Pons to the Spanish boarder is about 170 kilometres, and I won't be attempting that by foot, a far better idea is to drive to Argeles on the coast and take to the sentier littoral which is a mere 34 kilometres and nearly every section of the path is classified 'facile' (easy) on the guides' website. Facile my foot.

We didn't start quite at the very start i.e. the proper start is just north of Argeles sur Mer, but because we parked at Argeles train station we covered much the same distance as we struggled through the centre of town on a busy market day to find the road to the coast and pick up the way markers. I've never been very keen on the Herault coastline, long, long, long boring stretches of sand against a flat, featureless hinterland punctuated with numerous camp sites, barren in winter/teaming in summer. But Argeles sur Mer is the start of better things to come. This resort has a little bit of history with some fine villas dating back to the early 20th. century, and being backed up with a proper little town it wouldn't be the worst place to spend a traditional week long summer holiday.
At the end of the strand is the marina and then the first hill....

 

Looking back to Argeles sur Mer

 

We are now on our way to Collioure, well known as an artists' haunt, a selection of Matisses works are displayed here and there as mini posters around the town but unfortunately somewhat faded by the sun. Collioure was fun, the French army were on manoeuvres, having a great time paddling about in their inflatable dingys and falling in the water in full uniform to swim all the way back to shore.

 

 

Just before the B day landings - and capture of 3 enemy children on the beaches.

'B day' because it was the husbands birthday - 60!! imagine, he will from now on be referred to as the 'Old Man'

 

It was Easter holiday week in the region (the actual Easter week is long gone) so the town was quite busy and vibrant, but 20 degrees also helps. The next town along is Port Vendres and not to be out done with artist connections it has adopted Charles Rene Mackintosh as its own, which was a bit of a surprize - but I'll go into that later.

So up to this point it had all been quite facile and the mix of walking and shopping and eating was going down well as the Old Man's birthday treat, and just when you think it can't get any better he's allowed to get the train back to base - he loves trains.

 

The next bit is classified as difficile, but shucks what a shame the next day it was teeming down so walking was cancelled and we went duty free shopping in Spain instead.

 

 

'Look'. With the Pyrenees looking stunning in the background

 

 

Day 3 we resumed but instead of walking to Spain we ended up doing the last section the wrong way around starting just north of the boarder near Cerbere and we finished in Banyuls, following this with another small section to the south of Port Vendres after lunch. Cerbere to Banyuls is quite tough, although just 10 km to cover, it is up and down, up and down and I think steps are harder going than doing the same incline on a hill, especially since half these steps were made for 7 foot tall giants with 4 foot long legs, my legs can't bend that much. My duff knee was reaching it's sell by date.

 

 

Banyuls with the retreating rain clouds.

 

The Cerbere to Banyuls walk was quite busy, it was a perfect walking day, not too hot, so we passed quite a few small family groups on the way and 2 men who passed us repeatedly as they ran up and down the various slopes and staircases, madness, just an accident waiting to happen!

It's a tougher life in these parts for the vignerons, we passed vines tettering on the edges of the cliffs, I was impressed by the irrigation patterns, and at a distance the terraced slopes could have passed for Indian tea plantations as the vines here were much further on than round our parts. 

 

 

 

But the highlight of the walk is the selection and profusion of plants along the way and their scents and of course lovely views, although I was disappointed that having gotten closer to the Pyrenees you actually see less of their snowy peaks here than you do when walking in the Herault.

 

No wildlife to see, some gulls, maybe a lizard or two, but I managed to capture these two -

O.K. they were models, do they deter other birds from pooping on your balcony?