France – Leucate (En)
Leucate is a fishing village located on a peninsula between the Mediterranean Sea and the Leucate Lagoon. The lagoon is beautiful, with houses and boats lining its shores. Leucate’s harbour is quite lively with bars, restaurants, and shops. But the highlight for us was the oyster farms, situated in a small harbour with seafood restaurants overlooking the sea and the huts. We went to the restaurant recommended by our friend María José, and we loved it!
Where to stay
We stayed at the Rue Dalí motorhome area (42.841193, 3.037949 latitude, longitude) in the village. There are several motorhome areas in the village; we chose this one because it was next to the lake and the beach, and we could walk to the port. The area costs €13.93 per day, including electricity. It has a filling and emptying station, which is very easy to access. The rubbish bins are at the entrance. To enter and have the barrier open, you pay by card and enter the number of days you’ll be staying. They give you a code that allows you to leave the area with your vehicle and re-enter. The area is very large, and the pitches are level, so ramps aren’t necessary. Right across from the area is a McDonald’s, and further down the street towards the beach, there’s a cheap and very good pizza place and a casino with cinemas and restaurants. I highly recommend it. Good for visiting this beautiful village and going to the seafood restaurants. Because you can go out with the motorhome and come back.
What to see
We explored the lagoon, which is beautiful and enormous. There are houses and boats on the shore and a promenade with lovely views.
After exploring the lagoon, we arrived at the port where the tourist office is located. The port was quite lively with shops, bars, and restaurants. We decided to have a few drinks at a very cute bar that specialised in local beers. Ben tried one of the local beers, and I had a very good strawberry tequila. We enjoyed our drinks with a tapa of patatas bravas with three different sauces.
The next day, following our friend María José’s advice, we went to the Chez Face d’Huitre restaurant. We left early to park, since we were travelling in a campervan, and we were right to do so; we got the last space for a large vehicle like ours. By 12:30, everything was full. The restaurant is located among the oyster farm huts. The restaurants are magnificent, with terraces overlooking the water and the huts. All the restaurants serve only seafood: oysters, prawns, clams, mussels, sea urchins, and sea snails. We ordered oysters, prawns, clams, and mussels. What I didn’t know was that everything was raw, except for the prawns. I ate the prawns and tried the clams, which weren’t bad. Ben ate the oysters and mussels. Everything was very cheap, including drinks, 30 euros!
We returned to the area and went to the beach to end our visit to Leucate.
Our next stop in France is Narbonne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its lively market, museums and rich historical heritage, which you can see in the next blog post.
