Argelès-sur-Mer, where the sea is cornered by mountains

Nov 25, 2017

4 min read

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too” ― Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

Map of Argeles-sur-Mer and it's sourroundings

We've decided to spend our last weeks in France near the natural boarder made by the Pyrenees, with Spain. We've chosen the only camping opened during winter in the area, Le Roussillonnais, right on the beach, with an acceptable price (only 13 euros/ night with electricity included) and no charge for the cats :). Our first priority was to charge the solar panels at 100% capacity (even with sun, during winter, the days are shorter, so the capacity to absorb the light it's lower than in summer) and have decent internet to get started with the blog.

What a great location! While you are with your feet in the sea, you can watch the burning mountain at dawn

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Camping Le Roussillonnais and the spectacular view that surrounds it

The camping is quite nice and big enough to have your own privacy. We've been surprised by the amount of motorhomes were in the place, with French old couples that decided to spend their winter there and a couple of families with kids that effectively are living in the camping. The camping has a very good location on the beach and it's closed to the Réserve Naturelle du Mas Larrieu, 20 minutes walking to markets and supermarkets and 30-40 minutes away from the Argeles town.

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This is how our first morning looked like

During low season it's the best time to enjoy the silence of the sea

Argelès-sur-mer it's located near the low hills of the eastern Pyrenees and at the base of the Albères Massif, with the Mount Canigou visible beyond. The sandy beach is almost 7 km long, interspersed with a rocky coast and has been awarded with the Blue Flag award for its cleanliness and facilities. During summer, we wouldn't choose this location, considering its fame among the tourists, but in this time of the year was the perfect place.

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Stunning sunset with the Mount Canigou behind

We've had sunny and warm days, even for a bath in the sea (for the courageous Luis), but also cold and windy days, perfect to stay indoor and write on the blog. The temperatures on the average were between 14-16 ºC during the day and 4-5 ºC during night, so sometimes to warm up the van in the mornings, we lighted up the oven (like in the old days) and baked some cookies. Since we didn't had any heating system in the van, we had to do it this way, which is quite efficient and our gas tank it's big enough to provide us the heat. In the meanwhile, we bought a small electric heater with low consume, to use it when we stay in campsites or have external electricity.

Luis making courage to enter in the cold sea

Strange looking skies during windy days

We filled our mornings with small walking on the beach and with some exercises when the mornings were mild. During the evenings we showed our skills in the kitchen. We both love to cook, especially Luis, and discover new recipes. Before, I wasn't much into cooking and eating, but with Luis, I learned that eating good and healthy meals should be one of the delights in life. We try as much as we can to buy from local markets, but sometimes, it's easier to park the van in the supermarkets' parking spots and then, we choose organic and seasonable vegetables and fruits.

Great view for morning exercises

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Another good-looking sunrise

Mist over the sea

Boats waiting quietly in the harbor

In this camping, was the first time we let Toto and Neko to go outside by themselves, an experience that we described already in a previous post (link here).

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Cats in liberty

Réserve Naturelle du Mas Larrieu

While you are in Argelès-sur-mer, take a short walk in the réserve naturelle du Mas Larrieu. A beautiful and original natural reserve that lies in the juxtaposition on a small surface of ecologically rich and diversified biotopes, that has become a refuge area for a rich fauna and flora.

The journey ends at the meeting point of the river Le Tech with the sea, offering an astonishing view of the river with the Mount Canigou in the back.

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Le Racou

Don't miss a visit to the tiny, but charming village, Le Racou, located at the hinge of the rocky coast and the sand beach. It has a retro and unique atmosphere. While you walk through the sandy narrow shady alleys, you'll find little white houses with the wooden windows painted in joyful colors and hidden behind luxuriant and dense vegetation. When we arrived, the village was completely empty, so we took our time to enjoy it's charm and tranquility.