How Harry got to see the Med and snow in one day, How he got into a fight with some guttering (and came off better!)

and How there’s every chance he’ll come home looking as good as new – well, better than now, anyway.

Tuesday 23rd November was a very fine day and we worked steadily almost all day to pack everything away, and dismantle the awning while it was dry. This was because moving on to our next planned destination was likely to need either six and a half hours on the road, or a stop-over on the way, so our ‘usual’ midday-ish start wasn’t going to work if we wanted to arrive in daylight. We rewarded ourselves with our only evening meal out so far, except at McDonald’s for the wi-fi. We found a very nice restaurant near the shopping centre and had a 3-course meal for 14e90 each with half a litre of wine for just 4e (£3.40!).

So on Wednesday 24th we were off pitch at 10am, and away at 10.30, having decided, for ease of getting out, not to couple the vehicles till outside the site. Weather was still fine, the sun was hot even, through the glass of the cab windows, and we avoided Montpellier’s traffic by using a little bit of toll-free motorway, though this seemed to involve setting off in the ‘wrong’ direction at first, which TomTom couldn’t understand. The toll road all the way would have been quicker, but the alternative was a good road and possibly more scenic.

We had our lunch break just beside this splendid avenue of plane trees – not quite warm enough to sit outside, but very tempting, then somewhere between Narbonne and Perpignan we got the view of that perfectly blue Mediterranean, across one of the ‘étangs’ or lagoons. Next came the Pyrenees and the first sight of the snow-covered summit of Mount Canigou, which has come to dominate our skyline ever since.

From Perpignan we turned up the valley of the Tet and enjoyed a glimpse of the ‘Orgues de L’Ille Sur Tet’ which we visited last year:

                                             Next town up is Prades (pronounced ‘Prahd’) where we knew the Camping Municipal was open, but it’s not very well signed (the warden agrees), the instructions in Michelin are misleading, and of course, SATNAV couldn’t find it. So after wandering off up the hill to the next village, we phoned in for instructions. This final extension to the journey meant that our six and a half hour estimate was spot on! Having suggested, but not insisted on, a suitable pitch, the warden then ‘gave’ us a week’s wee-fee for 5e!

Nights are cold – ice on the car this morning, and 5° in the van – but the mornings are gorgeous when the sun comes up. I’ve tried to photograph the panorama, and to video it, but without real success. Canigou is dominant, but through the trees and in the morning it’s ‘contre jour’. There are other areas of snow, too, but some way away. Anyway, here’s an idea: (The pictures make a bit more sense if you enlarge them.)

But it’s impossible to do it justice and if you really want to appreciate Canigou, Google ‘Mount Canigou’ and go to the site ‘Images of Mount Canigou’ – the very first photo is from the town of Prades.

Due to the delay in arriving on Wednesday, it was getting dark as we uncoupled and parked up. I didn’t realise that there is water available with the electricity just beside the pitch, and I thought  we had to go to the service point beside the the toilet block. I misjudged it, or really just didn’t realise how low the roof of the building is. CRUNCH!

  So who got the best / worst of that bout, then? It was obvious I wasn’t the first, and when I ‘confessed’ next morning, that nice warden was very good humoured about it.

And talking (?) of damage, remember this? 

 Well, a few days ago we had a call from the dealer in Poitiers to say the ‘pod’ or ‘cheek’ as it’s called in French has been delivered and would we like to make a date for the repair? Well, we remained flexible over the date, but it seems certain that before we return to the UK, Harry will have a new ‘cheek’. Hooray!