Les Jardins du Roussillon

A long drive along quiet country roads, far from the hustle and bustle of traffic, through fields, meadows, vineyards, and campsites. A discovery of the Roussillon plain and a return to the leafy seaside promenade in Argelès-plage…

Start by descending towards the Mimosas campsite to take the Massane road to the right. Keep the fast lane on your right. Arrive at the Auberge du Roua, take the direction of EuroVelo 8. Cross the ford that crosses the Massane river and go up (St Julia fountain).
Take the road to Sorède on the left. At the roundabout turn left on the San Père crossing for 1.4 km. Be careful crossing the roundabout. 
Take the direction of the Cave du Mas Cristine, at the bridge over the SNCF tracks, continue to the left on the Chemin de St-André. At the crossroads (Le Canigou campsite) turn left, follow the Chemin de Taxo d'Amont which will take you to the Château de Taxo d'Amont.
At the crossroads turn right on the road to Taxo d'Amont. Cross the ford, the discovery farm, you come out on the crossroads of the D914. Turn left to the Palau-del-Vidre roundabout (caution area).
 Go under the expressway bridge then turn left towards the composting area on chemin du Mas St-Jean for 1.7 km. At the level of an earthen embankment, a straight road can be guessed which passes close to the Mas de la Mer Blanche (olive oil). At the crossroads, continue on the road parallel to the Riberette river, leave the chemin de l'arbre blanc. At another crossroads, stay on the road and leave the Pas de las Baques path. The landscapes crossed are then shaped by meadows, bocage hedges where horses and sheep graze. At the end of this road, turn left, then after a few meters left again to pass under the bridge over the Tech river. The dirt road on the left is the entrance to the Mas Larrieu nature reserve. Further on you will see the EuroVelo 8 cycle path on the left. Take it until you reach Argelès-plage. At the roundabout, turn left towards the sea. Pass the buildings.
On the right, walk along the promenade planted with umbrella pines and tamarisks. The area, shared with pedestrians, is very busy in the summer season. Pass the casino, the pedestrian alleys, the Argelès Photo Nature exhibition and continue to the port by the footbridge. Walk along the quays (very busy in summer). Go through the technical area and cross the Racou dirt parking lot towards the roundabout.
Take the direction of Collioure, then on the right take the protected cycle path for 300m.
Cross the road to Collioure to get back to the small road of the chemin du Priou and du Mas Comes.
Turn left and go under the expressway bridge which heads towards Mas Comes. To the right is a dirt track that runs along the vines of Château Valmy. Go through the cellars and back up to the car park.