Camping le Sainte-Marie

An easy way to get around this area is by bike – if you’ve not brought your own you can hire from the site. Start by taking the 10-minute ride into the village of Sainte-Marie for shops, restaurants and the beach, and later on take one of the tourist office’s suggested circular routes to see some of the area. The well-marked routes range from six to 20 kilometres and are marked out on a map you can pick up from the tourist office. This stretch of coast is dotted with watersports centres: Sainte-Marie has a scuba diving centre and lessons or rentals for windsurfing, sea kayaking and paddleboarding. For something with a bit more power, try jetskiing from Torreilles, 15 minutes away, or head up to Le Barcarès for wakeboarding and waterskiing. Spare a day (at least) for a trip up to Perpignan, 20 minutes away by car – it’s a really rather handsome place with a mountainous backdrop and a gorgeous medieval Old Town that shows a lot of Spanish influence (the border is only about half an hour away).