18th May 2011

Left Gruissan and headed for Sete beach which according to the Aire book is 13k in length and has a stretch of 3.5k where motorhomes can park right by the beach and best of all it’s free! Found our way around Narbonne (despite diversions due to road roads) and then the ring road around Beziers, down to Agde and along the small strip of land running all the way to Sete. We then realised we’d been directed onto a new road running parallel to the old one, so at a roundabout we took the bumpy road towards the beach and the old road, only to find the entrance to the parking strip closed and the old road narrowed drastically by wooden fencing! After a tight squeeze and a little “Coming through people!” we managed to get back onto the main road. Headed out of town and stopped at a large supermarket for a spot of lunch and a rethink!

We then decided to head further east and make for Aigues-Mortes where we had intended to stop later on. Used the motorway to get to and around Montpellier (much less hassle!) and along the coast to Aigues-Mortes, entering the Camargue.

Due to our weight we had to go around the town and enter from the other side, no real problems as it’s a tourist attraction and this is the coach route in! Came over the canal and ahead of us was the old walled town, very impressive! After a little driving around trying to find the Aire we eventually found it right at the side of the walled town, set in amongst some vines. A little tight getting in and the pitches were far too small, marked by wooden beams layed onto the ground, so we found a smallish section at the back just big enough for Bella to fit into. The Aire was very quiet, so it didn’t seem a problem taking over one whole section.

After setting up and having a drink, we had a stroll around the walled town, it’s quiet large and full of very narrow streets. It’s still fully inhabited, parking must be a night mare! Still they have plenty of great looking restaurants to choose from as well as a number of art galleries. These had a really wide spectrum of styles, but all very expensive! One was full of oil paintings that looked just like 3D photographs, they were really impressive.