 |
|
|
Les Ayguades and the area |
|
|
Les
Ayguades is a thriving family beach resort,
indeed, the
whole area is very family orientated,
no "English" bars, fish and chips and drunkards, although you
get the odd batty english person!!
Here is an aerial view of Les Ayguades, the red dot indicates the approximate position of our house. It is possible to hire a variety of cycles locally and in Gruissan - there are many paths and cycle-ways both on the flat coastal area and extending up into the hills for the more adventurous. Gruissan is about 10mins by bike, Narbonne Plage about 20 mins. There is a local guide indicating walkways and cycleways and their level of difficulty. About half a mile from the house at the southern end of the etang is a wind surfing school, where you can also hire sail boats as well as surfboards. Boards and boats can also be hired just north of the bridge. Horse riding and go-carting is also within walkable distance. Les Ayguades is served by two small commercial centres, both within a few minutes walk from the house, featuring restaurants, pizza takeaway, mini supermarkets, bakery, newsagent, laundeette and wine outlets - Cave de Gruissan and Chateau Lois - remember you are in the centre of possibly the largest wine producing area in the world! There are many Chateaux and Caves within a short drive, certainly quite a few in cycling distance and Château Rouquette sur Mer is just about walkable, well the journey back seems to pass quickly by! La Clape is famous for it's wines, which you can taste and buy directly at the cellars of the growers. La Clape translated means the rock- so no sniggering please. It is 15,000 hectares of hills overlooking Gruissan, Les Ayguades and Narbonne Plage La Clape features its own microclimate, with splendid views of the etangs-lagoons, the sea and, on a clear day, the Pyrenees. Aleppo, umbrella and sea pines cover the slopes and there is a garrigue covered plateau of rosemary, thyme, lavender, and holly and apple oaks. A large part is now a nature reserve and development is sparse. From Les Ayguades there is a regular bus service to Narbonne and beyond.
|
4kms to the south is the family seaside town of Gruissan. Three mornings each week, there is an open-air market where brightly decorated stands offer local produce: fruit, meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit, bread, clothing, wine, honey, fish and other sea food. Fresh fish is available direct from the fishermen. There are also local producers of mussels and oysters. Gruissan also has a good variety of places to eat and bigger supermarkets including a Lidl which quite often has some amazing bargains! The "inland lagoons" around here are quite fascinating and the area is visited by lots of bird watchers. The salt pans, where sea salt is produced are also well worth a visit. During one of the festive
weekends in Gruissan, we had stopped for something to eat at one of the
many side stalls that lined the streets and were quickly introduced to
the other British people known to be in town - shortly afterwards the
Major himself came over to say hello! During this particular
weekend there was all manner of music and dance to watch. 3kms north of Les Ayguades is Narbonne Plage, another very French seaside towns with lots of activities and events taking place during the holiday season. The Roman town of Narbonne is a pleasant 15 minute drive away, the route over La Clape is particularly scenic. The old centre of Narbonne is easily accessed by car with free parking along the quayside of the canal. It is a pleasant place to amble through window shopping. The daily food market is well worth a visit, as noted by Rick Stein during his Canal du Midi TV series. Narbonne has many different types of supermarkets and shops - a trip to the huge Carrefour is actually worth a vist - fortunately, access is very easy from the Les Ayguades side. The proximity of the motorway at Narbonne is a bonus making journeys inland to Carcassonne or south to Perpignan, the Pyrenees, Andorra and Spain very accessible. Narbonne to Barcelona is approximately 2hrs 44 minutes driving time. Links to the websites of nearby towns/cities: Gruissan - Tourism Office site Gruissan - another informative site Narbonne
|
