Camping Les Cerisiers

Make tracks for arty Céret, home to many an artist including Picasso: there’s an acclaimed modern art museum in town and Céret's Café Pablo is named after the man himself. Lots of these arty types congregated in Céret’s Grand Café in the early 20th century: it’s still open today, so have an hour or two there feeling talented with your sketchbook. Céret is also famed for its bull running festival, held on the weekend closest to Bastille Day (14 July) and for its communal dances or sardanes, where local dancers regularly turn up to informal soirees. If you’re around in summer, an arts and crafts market is held every Tuesday night; for foodie fare including local olives, sausages and cheese, the weekly Céret market is every Saturday. If you’re feeling active, a watersports and forest park awaits at Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts (20 minutes); if not, submerge your deserving self in the waters of Boulou, a spa town 10 minutes’ drive away. And if you wish to see sands and sea – as you rightly should if you’re anywhere in these parts? Pack your beach towel and your book for days at the Mediterranean beaches of Argelès-sur-Mer (30 minutes), Collioure (35 minutes) and Saint-Cyprien (40 minutes).