As the rain clouds gathered on Thursday morning, I jumped in the car with two adventure-loving pals and headed up to the ominously-named Pont du Diable (Devil’s bridge) in Céret to meet up with our guide from Extérieur Nature.

From the Albères mountain range to the coastal paths and ‘réserve naturelle’ of Mas Larrieu, Argelès has some amazingly contrasting landscapes. Here’s a chance to go off the beaten path with a guided tour for all, organised by the town of Argelès-sur-Mer.

Born in Guernsey in the Channel Islands and now living for the past 12 years in the Pyrenees Orientale, I work with plants, herbs, flowers and chocolate and enjoy mixing the two together when I am not painting watercolour mandalas.