2025 September: Laroque-Les-Alberes, France to Capmany, Spain

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There are now twelve motorhomes here when we awake here on the Camping-Car Park site at Laroque-Les-Alberes, another motorhome arrived later last night and is parked in the middle circle.

We have breakfast and watch the same charade to get out of the Aire as there was to get in. I walk over and see our neighbours at the barrier (who helped us get in yesterday); they are waiting for a code by telephone (perhaps yesterday’s code does not let you out)! By now there is also another German motorhome waiting behind them. The code arrives: the French moho drives out closely followed by the German 12-18 inches tailgating behind! The barrier starts to descend as it detects the gap…. Aggghhh! You can almost hear the sharp intake of breath from us observers, but… of course, as it senses an object the barrier raises again. The French and German mohos are both out, the onlookers cheer and the German lady-passenger who is standing watching metaphorically wipes the sweat from her brow.

Today, Wednesday is market day in Laroque-Les-Alberes; we find the pedestrian passageway from the campsite and follow it past tennis club straight to a small arena and the market square. There are some craft stalls with lovely carved olive wood: bowls, tableware, jewellery and even clocks. Although reasonably priced, we do not buy. Up the steps and on the main street are all the food stalls: cheese, meats, olives, fruit and vegetables, even fish. We wander around and then up through the lovely town of Laroque with its narrow, shady streets full of character. Mostly uphill past little squares with cafes and a large plane tree for shade to the signs for the Tower. We follow these climbing the last few meters by steps.

Here we find Castel de la Roque. Up again past the defensive wall to what is now a ruin but would have been the central courtyard of the castle. There are fabulous views in all directions, from the Mediterranean in the east, Pyrenees mountains to the south and the town and countryside of France stretching as far as the eye can see with interpretive boards identifying the mountains all around. It is hot, about 25°C so we sit in the shade and enjoy the peace and tranquillity. As we descend, we have super views over the rooftop terraces, noting one in particular that is for sale and can see why you would buy a small holiday hideaway here. Back down through the town, noting that the market stalls are packing up, and to the Aire for lunch. Mr C. has emailed the owner of a small Aire near the French/Spanish border (but in Spain) where we might stay the night. There is no reply yet, so we sit out under the awning and in the shade of the big pine trees and catch up with our journals and the family, it is a sleepy and soporific afternoon. About 4.00pm Mr C. notes an email from the Spanish Aire telling us to come, there are pitches and he will leave the gate open.

We pack up and leave, emptying our tanks but noting we have 75% water which is sufficient. The barrier opens with minimal delay when Mr C. puts in yesterday’s entry/exit code and so we are on our way. This has been a very good stop for €16.44 (again full marks for Camping-Car Park).

Taking D2 to St Genis des Fountaines, then D618 we find major resurfacing works at Le Boulou but weave our way around onto D900. This is a good dual carriageway road that follows A9 paege. This (A9) crosses the valley high up on a viaduct where we see the trucks crossing one after another going to and from Spain/France. We cross the border on D900 from France at Le Perthes into Spain which becomes N11. A typical border town the main high street of le Perthes is busy, packed with shops and filling stations. We do not need to stop at the border it is open on the French side and we drive straight through without any hold up. The oncoming traffic from Spain into France is a very different story.

Every vehicle coming north into France is being stopped by the Guarda, they are heavily armed, you would not even think about messing with them. The occupants of some cars are out of their vehicle which is being searched at gunpoint. No one is waved through. Consequently, there are long queues of traffic waiting to enter France, not a pleasant experience to watch never mind go through.

As we travel past we see ‘ladies of a certain profession’ scantily clad, sitting provocatively by the side of the road. We have not experienced this before when crossing the French/Spanish border but then, previously we have not crossed via Le Perthes. In fact, there is so much hold up and so many armed police we think they must be either looking for someone or there has been an incident.

Now on N11 Spanish road we drive south to La Jonquera, a small but very busy border town, here we note a large car park with many motorhomes parked, must remember it if here again. We continue along N11 for 10 km the landscape very different on this side of the Pyrenees and so typically Spanish (of course). Rough stoney ground, still quite mountainous as we are still coming through the Spanish foothills. Cork oaks, olive trees, 2-3 metre high bamboo predominate with many umbrella pines giving good shade to the area. There is not much habitation, a few ‘white (or pink) villages’ up in the foothills. In the middle of nowhere we take a left turn onto GI602, a narrower and winding road but still two lanes and wide enough (just) to pass something coming the other way. We pass though Capmany, a small town with most facilities and a few kilometres further on, just before a right-angled bend (again in the middle of nowhere) we take a sharp right turning into a very narrow driveway. Just a dirt track, it is 3 metre high with bamboo, vines and olive trees are all around… Caravansserai: our stop for the night.

A young man greets us as we enter the levelled area and directs us to the site owner, Onyar (or possibly Oñe, pronounced as the Irish Aina) who welcomes us to his humble home in lovely Spanish style. He tells us he worked in London for a while so speaks some English (it is very good). He chats with us and I can hear that Mr C. is now getting his brain to change gear into Spanish! Oñe shows us a couple of flat areas where we can choose to park (there are 5 of the 6 pitches available) then he returns to his Yurt (very large teepee style) behind the bamboo, where he lives with his wife. We choose a parking space under the thin pines, and they do offer some shade. It is a little overcast and threatening rain so not too hot, about 24°C. We set up the table and chairs outside and open wine, drinking it with baguette and tuna rillettes, there are some irritating flies around, but it is pleasant in the quiet and cool of the evening. Later we eat jambon salad and watch as another moho arrives, an older couple get out and she talks on the top note (possibly French) at Oñe for about 15-20 mins… his body language is interesting, especially as she is not going to let him get away! Dusk is coming earlier about 8.00 pm, we enjoy the rest of the quiet evening.

Mr C. selected Caravansserai to stay at because it had such good Google reviews. Most people cited the ‘peace and quiet and nature’ of the place and friendliness of the host. It is an interesting stop. Oñe and his wife live on this piece of land which they are ‘taming’ and developing and are thoughtful hosts. There are tanks to capture rainwater and bottled Gaz for cooking but… it is very basis and there are no facilities at all (no drinking water and nowhere to empty any of the tanks). Oñe explains there is an earth toilet (Canadian outback style I guess… we didn’t visit) and the shower is a large rainwater tank suspended in mid-air on a wood frame above a secluded corner of ground. The water is cold (air temperature) and falls by gravity through a hose. There is no privacy except the bamboo fence screening it on one side (and the kitchen is on the other). The ground is dry dirt with some shade from thin pine trees. It is quiet (although I was kept awake by barking dogs until 2.00am) and noisy aeroplanes flew over regularly. While we don’t mind basic, we enjoyed the stop itself, but it’s not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’, and I wouldn’t return. Its quirkiness and uniqueness were different, fortunately our moho has good facilities making us self-sufficient.