Give me five…beaches in the Pyrénées-Orientales

1. Best for families 

The long, wide sandy beach at Canet has something for everyone. It stretches from the port at the northern end, where it is flanked by a vast array of cafés, bars and restaurants, down to the étang or lagoon at the southern end which is a wilder, protected habitat with a few traditional fisherman’s huts and lots of birdlife, including flamingoes, for the twitchers amongst you. In the summer there are numerous entertainments set up on the beach including inflatables and trampolines for younger children (as well as the more permanent carousels much loved by my two) as well as beach bars where you can hire a lounger and sip ice cold drinks brought to you by pretty young things. If you get bored of the beach, there’s an aquarium, crazy golf, a casino and, for the party animals amongst you, night clubs-a-plenty.

 2. Best for small children

If you’ve got real littlies, I don’t think you can beat the “beach” at Villeneuve-de-la-Raho. Ok, it’s manmade and flanks a lake rather than the sea, but it’s a lovely spot where you can sit on the beach and gaze at majestic Mount Canigou, an activity which always calms the soul. The water is shallow, there are cafés and restaurants around the edge (more in summer than winter, although you can usually find somewhere open for coffee in winter), pedaloes for hire in summer and at one end the pine trees offer some welcome shade. The lake is a magnet for cyclists and runners with a small circuit of around 1.6km, or a larger one of around 7km. As a bonus, there is plenty of parking and the whole area is extremely well maintained by the Mairie, particularly the lakeside wild flower meadows which have been recently planted (just don’t go picking them like I did before I saw the signs saying not to!).

 3. Best for lunch alfresco

The Côte Vermeille is a stark contrast to the sandy beaches further north. This part of the coast is where the Pyrenees meets the Mediterranean and is characterised by the vine-covered mountainsides dropping down into rocky inlets and pretty coves. My absolute favourite beach along this stretch of coastline is Paulilles, a spot which is very easy on the eye with azur waters and yachts bobbing about on the water. The Sole Mío restaurant is right by the beach and is lucky enough to have this idyllic spot to itself. It’s a perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon with a bottle of the local rosé and a plate of delicious seafood.

 4. Best for watersports

Right in the north of the Pyrénées-Orientales, the beach at Le Barcarès is a haven for watersports fanatics. Famous for windsurfing – neighbouring Leucate in the Aude hosts the Mondial du Vent windsurfing and kiteboarding championships every year – there is a huge range of activities on offer including both aforementioned sports, jetskis for hire, wakeboarding, scuba diving or for the more sedate, boat hire. There is also an Aqualand set back from the beach for more aquatic fun!

 5. Best for naturists

If you’re a fan of the all over natural tan, the place to go for nude sunbathing is El Bocal du Tech, part of which has also unofficially been dubbed the region’s “gay beach”. This sandy strip is sandwiched between St Cyprien and Argelès where the River Tech meets the Mediterranean. The Languedoc Roussillon is quite well known for naturism and although there is a better publicised naturist beach at the southern end of Torreilles Plage, those in the know seem to prefer El Bocal du Tech, which is better sheltered from the wind and where naked torsos are less likely to be sand-blasted!