Hypathetical Tour (1 Viewer)

[Snowbird]

Following on from a previous post,it got me thinking...there is enough knowledge on here to put the best tour together imaginable.At the moment this is only a hyperthetical tour...but who knows,it could well turn into a tour of a lifetime.Am thinking along the lines of maybe 3 to 6 months to cover most areas but of course that dosnt mean you have to do the whole tour,you can hop on and hop off whenever it suits you.Most people are familiar with one or maybe two areas and return there time after time,so they build up a knowledge of that area which is not possible for one person to do with a country the size of France,for example.The area I love most in France is the Alberes which most of you who travel to Spain pass bye.Its the tail end of the Pyranees where the mountains fall into the Med,you all know the ones just before the border on the left as you start the long haul up to the viaduct at Le Perthus.I would sugest at least a week here or better still 10 days as there is so much to see and do,especialy for foodys and those that like the odd glass of wine.Local food ranges from seafood from the Med too wild boar from the mountains,not forgeting the vegies amungst us there are wonderfull salads,fungi,and not forgeting the trufles that an old friend of mine has had a very good living from all his life.
I will work out my hyperthetical itinery soon and lets see what happens....you just never know,it could turn into a trip of a lifetime...and not cost the earth.

 

[movan]

Wow Dave, sounds like a brilliant idea in theory, and as you say... you never know what it might liead to... and you are right, that so many people on here post such interesting experiences it would be a mine of information for the tour.:thumb:

 

[chatter]

Wow Dave, sounds like a brilliant idea in theory, and as you say... you never know what it might liead to... and you are right, that so many people on here post such interesting experiences it would be a mine of information for the tour.:thumb:

I second that, we also have knowledgable people on here that are in france already, Yodeli, Heyupluv and Parc Verger and of course Blisters is moving over there

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[Snowbird]

OK,here goes...my itinery having traveled from whoever is posting next...
I have a friend that ownes a vinyard in a small village called Laroque des Alberes which is about a 20 min drive from the motorway at La Boulou.
On the vinyard is a piece of level ground that would take maybe 20 MHs with easy axcess for RVs,on this land is a barn which the local wild boar hunt has converted into a makshift bar with toilet,so no probs with cassettes.No houses nearby so no problem with gennys.I normaly take a bottle of whiskey as a donation to the bar and am welcome to stay as long as I like.Have been told many times to bring friends,as the more the merrier,somthing to do with Catalans at play.The people in this area are simple friendly people that love life and good company and i know that they would be overjoyed to have a band of British motorhomers stay with them.
Its not unusual to have them organising dances and BBQs for us when we have stayed there,and jockeying for position to invite you for aperatif and a meal at there home.OK,so thats the camping side taken care of,so we will start with my itinery...Perpignan 20mins away and as Dali said Perpignan station is the centre of the universe...whether you believe that or not,its a very impresive building and city,so maybe a day there.
Laroque..5mins walk away is a very beutifull village in the old Catalan style with very narrow streets some not wide enough to take a car,lovely old bars and resterants,my favorite being the Hole in the Wall,which is exactly that.
A tiny bar that if there are 10 people in its packed to capacity,only selling local wine by the jug,PERFECT.
A couple of resterants that cater for locals,so excelent value and home made food,no microwaves here.
A good time to go is when the grape harvest is on and watch the little tracters running back and forth with the grapes,then of course the partying after its all done,not to be missed.
Well thats 2 days gone so will and more days as the thread progresses,just to give you an idea.

 

[JJ]

A brilliant idea Dave... thanks... I will put up info when I get my head together (too much in it at the mo...)

JJ

 

[champers]

OK,here goes...my itinery having traveled from whoever is posting next...
I have a friend that ownes a vinyard in a small village called Laroque des Alberes which is about a 20 min drive from the motorway at La Boulou.
On the vinyard is a piece of level ground that would take maybe 20 MHs with easy axcess for RVs,on this land is a barn which the local wild boar hunt has converted into a makshift bar with toilet,so no probs with cassettes.No houses nearby so no problem with gennys.I normaly take a bottle of whiskey as a donation to the bar and am welcome to stay as long as I like.Have been told many times to bring friends,as the more the merrier,somthing to do with Catalans at play.The people in this area are simple friendly people that love life and good company and i know that they would be overjoyed to have a band of British motorhomers stay with them.
Its not unusual to have them organising dances and BBQs for us when we have stayed there,and jockeying for position to invite you for aperatif and a meal at there home.OK,so thats the camping side taken care of,so we will start with my itinery...Perpignan 20mins away and as Dali said Perpignan station is the centre of the universe...whether you believe that or not,its a very impresive building and city,so maybe a day there.
Laroque..5mins walk away is a very beutifull village in the old Catalan style with very narrow streets some not wide enough to take a car,lovely old bars and resterants,my favorite being the Hole in the Wall,which is exactly that.
A tiny bar that if there are 10 people in its packed to capacity,only selling local wine by the jug,PERFECT.
A couple of resterants that cater for locals,so excelent value and home made food,no microwaves here.
A good time to go is when the grape harvest is on and watch the little tracters running back and forth with the grapes,then of course the partying after its all done,not to be missed.
Well thats 2 days gone so will and more days as the thread progresses,just to give you an idea.

Wow that is what travelling and exploring is about we think Dave, this is just the sort of trip we would love miggling with the locals in fantastic surroundings ... if this is ever in the rally event we sure would be up for it

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[Snowbird]

Well it seems am on my own here...so here goes day 3...Sorede,about 15mins walk from base camp.
You could spend a day in the "Valley de Tortoises" this is a home for abandoned tortoises between Laroque and Sorede,I have walked past it many times but have never been in,always to busy looking for fungi in the surounding valley.Am a great lover of fungi,and it is a super day out with a basket picking fungi. Dont worry about if they are poisonus or not as you can take them into the pharmase in Sorede and they will tell you if they are edible or not.Believe me its a great day out.
Some other old friends Les and Carman Dykes have lived in Sorede for about 30 years and have made a living from painting,mostly watercolours,but a few years ago Les got his name in the Guiness book of records for the longest mural in the world by painting all the rugby players on some see wall down there.He told me many times where but am afraid by the time I left I had forgot"pastis".
He and his wife Carman left there native Cornwall 30 years ago with 3 children on bikes and cycled to Sorede...can you imagine that???and have been there ever since.
There is some good resterants in the village,the Salamandre being one of my favorites,its run by Belgians,but they can cook.
There is the only whip making company in the world that still makes whips from the micoleur"spelling"wood in the village,and thats a good tour in its self.Then the highlight of todays tour....M Sanac....the vinicole that sells wine from a petrol pump,this is definatley a must for the wine buff and not to be missed.
You take your 25ltr contaner and they fill it with red wine from a petrol pump...tastes great...but wont travel back to the UK.
OK,thats day3 over...please give me some help here.

 

[wivvy's dad]

OK,thats day3 over...please give me some help here.

:thumb:You keep going mate - I'm salivating at the thought of what could possibly come next.....:thumb:

 

[movan]

And I can't help either, cos I havn't been anywhere ... unless you want a tour of the local rugby pitch...:Sad:

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[Snowbird]

And I can't help either, cos I havn't been anywhere ... unless you want a tour of the local rugby pitch...:Sad:

OK we will use that as the starting point of the tour.
Day 1...St Helens...so what do you sugest we do for the day?
What may seem like a boring place to the people that live there,can be very interesting to people that dont.

 

[Road Runner]

OK we will use that as the starting point of the tour.
Day 1...St Helens...so what do you sugest we do for the day?
What may seem like a boring place to the people that live there,can be very interesting to people that dont.

Don't they have a museum with a collection of wheel trims sourced in Liverpool?

 

[movan]

Hi Dave, Not much really... We have a glass museum you can go round if you like that kind of thing.... with a nice little cafe.

We have good links to Liverpool with two Cathedrals, a Playhouse, a theatre, art galleries, Docks, and museums, a ferry trip from there to the Wirral, Chinatown ... good links to Manchester with theatres and night life, good link to Wigan to Wigan Pier sort of old museum and trip up the canal on a boat....what!!!!! OH NO... forget that last bit... , not far from candle making factory I suppose depends what you call near, not far from S Yorkshire, not far from Southport not far from Blackpool and Preston with country and western San Antone ..... lots of wildbird sanctuaries, Delamere Forrest, etc. But would have to think about a full day .. leave that with me.

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[1_man_and_his_dob(lo)]

What may seem like a boring place to the people that live there,can be very interesting to people that dont.

You obviously haven't been to Bridgend.

 

[chatter]

And I can't help either, cos I havn't been anywhere ... unless you want a tour of the local rugby pitch...:Sad:

is that before they knock it down once the new one is built Joy

 

[Snowbird]

Well not much hapening so we will try day 4..A day in Collioure,about 30mins drive from base camp. Collioure is one of the most painted and in recent times photographed places on the French Med. During the crusades it was a stopping off place for the Nights Templars,who acording to some know the whereabouts of the holly grail,so plenty to do here for the history buff.
One of the biggest vinters in the area is called Templars but I dont know if there is a conection,but its a good tour if you like the local sweet wines produced here,known as Banyuls,which the town of Banyuls is just down the road.These wines are very very sweet but I personaly find them delisious.
Now for the thing that Colliour is most famous for,thats its artists. Picasso,Matisse and Duffy just to name a few all settled here. I am certanly no artist but I can understand why they all came here. There is somthing about the light that is different than anywhere else,I dont know what but its different.Its brighter and clearer than anywhere else.I have stood in the tiny harbour in the middle of the night listening to the waves and watching the moonlight...enchanting.
Then we have the Route de vigneron which is a very steep winding road which goes up the mountain to service the terraced vinyards that have been here for centuries.This road is not to be taken with a motorhome or anything much bigger than a 2CV.
During the day the town is a hive of activity espesialy on market day,but any day is good for the foodys amongst us,some super open air resterants here serving seafood at its best,coming streight from the fish market at Port Vendres which is its neighboring town.
Well that should conclude day 4 and somthing to think about on a wet night in England.

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