Holiday in the beautiful Languedoc area of France

IT WAS the holiday parc with everything. Direct access to a long white sandy beach and the Med, historic walled cities, charming medieval villages, rolling vineyards and rugged mountains – all within an hour’s drive or so in our hired car. Oh yes, and sun, glorious sun, nearly always shining down on our mobile home.

We were staying as guests of European camping specialists Eurocamp at the Cala Gogo parc on the outskirts of St Cyprien in south-western France, between Perpignan and the Spanish border.

The parc had an excellent range of facilities, including a well-stocked supermarket, bar, restaurant, takeaway, games room, outdoor disco and an attractive swimming pool complex, which even had heated water in one of the pools and apparently hosted scuba diving lessons in high season.

Our three-bedroom Vista mobile had a kitchen with all mod cons, a large sitting and dining room area, and decking where we could eat our breakfast each morning before the sunshine became too intense and then turn to our supper as the sun set. More importantly still, the Vista had air conditioning which ensured it did not turn into a giant oven when the fierce sun rose high overhead in the middle of the day.

We had flown with a budget airline for just £60 each return from East Midlands Airport to Carcassonne,where we had hired a car and, before setting off on the 90-minute drive along a tolled motorway to the parc, immediately decided to park up and stretch our legs with a wander around the fortified Cite de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress which was restored in the mid 19th century and made a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1997. It’ is entrancing from a distance, the ramparts making it look like scene from a fairy story or a Disney film. Inside the walls, it was terribly busy, however, and it’s a place probably best visited in the evening when most of the coach parties of tourists have gone home.

Another city we visited during our stay was Perpignan, a larger, sophisticated city with plenty of tree-lined avenues and elegant pavement cafes to enjoy as well as a 15th -century palace and museums.

We were also impressed by Collioure, a prosperous coastal town just a few miles from the Spanish border featuring fortifications rising from the bay, pretty pastel houses and narrow winding streets, lined with artists’ studios, cafes and restaurants, and a typical French market under the plane trees.

Another, unexpected, treat was Elne, just a few miles from the parc. This, the former capital of the Roussillon region, is dominated by a magnificent 11th-century cathedral, complete with cloisters, and there are tremendous views across the rooftops and surrounding countryside.

Fact file:

Cala Gogo is one of 160 parcs to choose from with Eurocamp. Seven nights there from April 25, 2015, staying in a two bedroom, one bathroom Vista mobile home with decking costs from £214 per party, accommodation only. Fly-drive and ferry packages can be arranged through Eurocamp at a supplement. For further information, call 0844 406 0552 or visit eurocamp.co.uk