Give Me 5 ..... days out with a difference

May is bank holiday or férié time in France with holidays on the 1^st, 8^th, 13^th and 24^th May. These are respectively the Fête du Travail (work festival – surely a contradiction in terms!), Victory Day (to celebrate the end of WWII in 1945), Ascension Day and Pentecost.

Unfortunately for those of us who work, this year the first two fall on Saturdays and it is not customary to get a day in lieu here. However, on the plus side, many people will faire le pont after the Ascension Day holiday on Thursday 13^th. This means that they will literally “make a bridge” between the weekday and the weekend, taking Friday as a holiday, thereby making a long weekend of it. Some schools will also be closed on this day.

Here’s some ideas for days out to make the most of the days off – they are all equally good if you’re looking to fill a weekend or the fast approaching summer holidays. Profitez-en!

Take a wine tour and lunch at Domaine Treloar, Trouillas

Vignerons in the region have been slow to catch on to the popularity of wine tours although many do now offer tours and tastings of varying quality, mostly in French. If all that wine-speak is a stretch for your French, Domaine Treloar (www.domainetreloar.com) is the perfect choice for you. Vignerons Jonathon Hesford (a Brit) and Rachel Treloar (a Kiwi) certainly know their stuff and conduct tours of their vineyard and winery showing how the wines are made. The tour is followed by a chance to sample their produce and allow a little of their expertise to filter into your pleasantly tipsy brain!

The best way to make a day of it is to follow a morning tour with a delicious three course winemakers’s lunch at the vineyard prepared with local produce and washed down with a plentiful supply of, yes, you guessed it, Treloar wines. Advance booking is essential for both tours and lunch.

With my limited knowledge of wine, I can tell you that the wines produced at Domaine Treloar are very drinkable! Those more knowledgeable than myself, including the Guide Hachette and a long list of Britain’s top wine critics, have also heaped praise on them so you’re more than likely to come away with a bootful of vinous booty to enjoy at your leisure.

Mess about on the water in Leucate

As the days get warmer, messing about on the water becomes an increasingly attractive proposition. The huge saltwater lagoon in Leucate (l’étang de Salses-Leucate) in the Aude is the perfect place to do this.

There are activities for all ages and abilities here – from pedaloes to fishing and, if you’re feeling brave, you can even rent a boat and terrorise other users of the lagoon – no licence required! For families looking for something different to do to keep the children entertained, there is a fun canoe treasure hunt with prizes (www.lileauxloisirs.com).

And when all that physical exertion and salty air brings on the hunger, there is a lagoonside restaurant, Au Bord de l’Eau, where you can feast on meat and fish cooked on granite stones at your table. Not a bad place to watch the sun go down after a fabulous day of fun.

Be inspired by Dalí’s house at Port Lligat in Spain

Salvador Dalí was Catalan and lived most of his life in the region. The Dalí Museum in Figueras is dedicated to his work and well worth a visit but more fascinating still, in my opinion, is the house where he lived from 1930 until the early 1980s. It is also a museum, although visits are strictly limited and you need to book ahead (www.salvador-dali.org).

During the time Dalí lived in the house, it was very much a work in progress being gradually converted over 50 years from a fisherman’s hut into a stylish and desirable home. This is reflected in the rather labyrinthine layout of the house. It is thrilling to imagine the artist living there amongst the quirky and opulent furnishings and mementoes which are on show, including the stuffed bear holding a lamp who greets you at the entrance to the house, numerous other stuffed beasts, a nude statue sporting a fencing mask and a snail lamp. And then there is the phallic swimming pool….a fantastically eccentric folly! I particularly loved the windows, all of which are different sizes and proportions and present a different view of the pretty Port Lligat bay which was a major influence in Dalí’s work.

You have to pass through the coastal town of Cadaqués to get to the house and it’s well worth a wander here where you’ll find a good selection of restaurants serving seafood and typical Spanish fare.

Feast your eyes on some art at Céret Museum of Modern Art

It has always seemed surprising that a town the size of Céret is home to a museum housing an incredible array of works by such artistic luminaries as Picasso, Matisse and Chagall. The museum (www.musee-ceret.com) has built up its collection partly from donations from these artists, and others, who have visited the attractive town for inspiration over the years and produced some of their works there.

As well as its permanent collections, Céret’s museum houses temporary exhibitions, and has in the past featured some equally big names. Currently they are exhibiting works from four artists including Catalan designer Claret Serrahima, and cubist painter, Frank Burty-Havilland, who was also one of the museum’s founders.

Once you’ve feasted your eyes on the diverse works displayed in the museum, you can feast your stomach on food in the shady “Place des Neuf Jets” a stone’s throw away from the museum. There are a few restaurants to choose from here.

Go wild at Sigean Wildlife Park

Located between Narbonne and Perpignan just off the A9 and very well signposted, the Réserve Afraicaine de Sigean is is a great day out for adults and children alike, although it is on the pricey side with an entrance fee of 26 euros for adults and 20 euros for children (under 4s go free). The park is set in 300 hectares with a large lake and lots of scrubland where many of the 3,800 animals who live here roam free. You drive through the first part of the park – a 6km circuit which traverses four different zones where you can spot bears, lions, ostriches, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and lots of different antelopey type things. Then there is ample parking so you can see the rest of the park on foot with enclosures for hundreds of species from hyenas and chimpanzees to tortoises and flamingoes.

 There is a restaurant in the centre of the park but the food is certainly not gourmet, so a picnic is a better option.