Cliff top picnic with heart-etched table perched on the edge of the Cap Béar cliffs. Perfect for a spring feast of sun, sea and sandwich
Out for the Day… in Eyne, the Valley of Flowers. Need a tonic? How about fresh mountain air, kaleidoscopes of wild flowers, serene mouflon and shy izzards grazing, bubbling water features, bumblebees, butterflies and beetles, maybe even a little late snow?
Meaning “fire runs”, the Correfoc makes sure that any festival goes with a bang!
At this time of year the P-O transforms into a kaleidoscope of wildflowers. Lesley McLaren takes us through a few of the more common ones to be found in the verges, hedgerows and rocky slopes of the Albères and Vallespir.
Across the bridge from Ille sur Têt, on the road to Belesta, along a small road on the left running along by the river, lies the ruined village of Casenoves, (‘new houses’ in Catalan).
Did you know that the English word ‘cherry’ is believed to come from the old French word ‘cherise’
Until the French Revolution, Madame, (my Lady, equivalent to Monsieur, my Lord) was mainly used to address the bourgeoisie, whilst Mademoiselle, (my Damsel) was the form of address used for both younger and older ‘common’ ladies.
A circular 3h 15 mins walk with approx. 380 metres of ascent. Starts with descent to Montner and then ascent to Força Réal, with final descent to Col del Bou via Le Sentier Botanique.
Céret is the undisputed cherry capital of the P-O, and probably the whole of France, its cherry trees the last of the spring fruits to blossom but the first to bear fruit. By May, the first cherries of the season are on their way to the President of France, and stalls, trestle tables, and rickety makeshift benches laden with the fruit appear on every street corner, in garages, lay-bys and the Saturday market.
Cherry trees are the last to blossom and the first to bear fruit. As the pink of the peach flowers fade and fall, a white lace spreads itself over the cherry orchards surrounding Céret. Céret…