Post It from Camping Les Peupliers, Colombiers, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Thursday 6th November,
We had a relatively short drive of around 125 miles from Pals to this site here at Colombiers so we arrived early afternoon after stopping for lunch in a lay bye on the D6009 overlooking the Etange de Laucate ou de Salses just north of Perpignan. The view over to the Gulf of Lion was crisp and then I noticed a lone female walking along the opposite side of the road, which we thought was quite strange, until she started to change into her “Uniform” of boots, shorts and a skimpy top. Yes she was a lady of the night and within a minute a lorry driver stopped and we saw her get in the cab. That was enough excitement for one day so back to the story.
We followed the sat nav into Colombiers and through some pretty narrow streets which led us over a small bridge crossing the Canal du Midi. The roads were fine but our long overhang at the back meant I had to be careful turning into some of the smaller streets. We found the campsite with ease as it was signposted from the main road. It is quite a small site with some static caravans and probably some permanent residents. It is open all year and we had to stop here or continue on for a further 225 miles to near Clermont Ferand for the next site that was open.
A short walk into the town showed it had vines growing close by, a small marina on the canal with a selection of shops and restaurants but the only Patisserie that we saw was closed and I was so looking forward to my first slice of Flan and some fresh bread for tea. We also had a main train line running adjacent the campsite. We are hoping they do not run all night and the ear plugs enable us to get some sleep.
When we returned to the campsite we saw it was slowly filling with overnight tourers, although we did meet a couple from Australia who had been here for two nights on their way south. They had taken a year out from work and were touring Europe. They had started in Scandinavia and were now working their way towards Spain and Portugal. We shared some favourite locations with them so we hope they enjoy them as much as we did.
When we leave we shall go via Montady to save any difficulties with Colombiers narrow roads near the canal, the site owner said this was the best way to and from the site for any of you who may choose to stop off here in the future.
In the sun it was pleasantly warm but nippy in the shade in my shorts and T shirt. Having not a lot else to do here I decided to try and upload this story using the free 20 minutes a day of internet connection, fingers crossed. (Unlucky!)
We awoke the next morning to a hard frost with all the car windows well frozen over. Thankfully the winter shower facilities, although only amounting to three separate wet rooms, the small building they were located in was heated so it was not too cold. The road out via Montady was much better as well.
Regards, Roy