LOCAL PLACES OF INTEREST/ ACTIVITIES

In the immediate vicinity of the house there are some interesting walks, one takes you down to the village of Mauriellas. There are several local maps in the cupboard in the twin room.

CERET - A ten minute drive from the house is a town of typical French charm and character. It was a favourite location for artists such as Picasso, Braque and Matisse the evidence of which can been seen in the small Modern Art Museum in the main square. There is also an Archaeological Museum. There is a variety of shops which will cater for all your needs and a large supermarket (Champion) on the outskirts of the old town. All are closed on Sundays. An excellent Saturday morning market until midday sells fresh local produce, cooked chicken, paella, rabbit etc., crafts, clothes and even antiques sometimes.

There are the usual cafes for people watching:- Pablo's, and the Grand Cafe are popular. The restaurants we like are The Brasserie which is adjacent to the Feutille Hotel which also has a restaurant but we found it far more precious and expensive.
In the square of the Seven Jets there are two open air restaurants - one despite being a pizzeria serves various other dishes also. Amongst the rest we have happily not found anywhere that should be avoided.
The municipal floodlit tennis courts charge £15 per week to play at any time - we have always found booking easy by just turning up. There is a large cycle shop/outlet for hiring bikes and a Casino just outside town if you feel like a flutter.

The tourist information centre next to the Mairie has leaflets on all the cultural events and seasonal activities in surrounding areas and they are very helpful.

Perpignan is the nearest large city and therefore has a measure of sophisticated shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and concert venues. On it's outskirts is the hypermarket Auchan which boasts 54 checkouts.

The coastal resorts are on average about half an hours drive from Ceret. Argeles-sur-Mer, Canet Plage and St Cyprien where you have long sandy beaches and in parts a very busy seaside atmosphere. There is a large Aqua Park in Argeles. Further south and close to the border with Spain there are the picturesque harbours of Colliure, Port Vendres and Banjul.

If you want to cross over to Spain and do some duty free shopping (especially on Sundays when everything in France is closed and you've run out of something vital), Le Perthus is the first border town. You could of course carry on to Figueras and in two hours on the motorway you would be in Barcelona. Don't forget your passport!

Another bonus of choosing this area is the proximity of the mountains within an hour of leaving Ceret you can be in serious trekking country. Organised treks and 4 wheel- drive excursions can be arranged - contact the tourist information centre. Within two hours drive you can reach the skiing areas of the Pyrenees and a little beyond lies the tiny republic of Andorra.