Move
You could get the impression that this region is all about lazing on the beach and sipping rosé by the pool. You can do that too, and do it very well. But for anyone who wants to move, the range is enormous: hiking, trail running, road cycling and mountain biking, tennis and padel, horse riding, watersports including paddleboarding, snorkelling, diving and e-foiling, golf, CrossFit, and canyoning. In winter, skiing and snowshoeing. If you want to burn a few calories, Laroque is an excellent base camp.
The classic hikes straight from Laroque
The department lives on farming and tourism today, but it had an industrial past, and the mountain still carries the marks. Iron was pulled out of the Canigou massif from Roman times until 1987, when the Batère mines closed, the most productive the Pyrénées-Orientales ever had. It was cut by pick, then by dynamite, the very dynamite made down at Paulilles on the coast. What that leaves us is a mountain riddled with paths, now doubled by forestry tracks that let the fire crews get up there. The playground is vast, and it starts at the end of our road.
Col de l'Ouillat
The village's classic climb, at 936 m right above us. You set off on foot from Laroque and follow the river up to its source, at the pass: a good two hours of climbing. The old-timers went up to cook lunch at the top over a fire of vine cuttings, then nap before heading back down, and the programme still holds. Best trick: walk up and get picked up by car at the top, provided someone is willing to go round via Le Perthus and the D71, the only road up to the pass.
Pic Néoulous
The highest point of the Albères at 1,256 m, right on the border: a stone tower and a television relay at the top. The big local walk starts from the church in the old village and goes over the Col de l'Ouillat, 17 km and 1,227 m of climb, seven hours on the sign: a full day out. From the summit, the Roussillon plain and the sea on one side, the Pyrenees to the west, and on the far slope the Ampurdan plain all the way to the bay of Roses.
The ice well
On the paths climbing to the pass, a great stone cylinder several metres deep, packed with snow all winter. It turned to ice and held until the real heat arrived. Local tradition has it going down by horse and cart to the good restaurants of Perpignan. The village has made a waymarked walk of it. My great-grandmother climbed these same paths for firewood and came back down with the bundles on her back, the strap across her forehead. She had no idea what elevation gain was; she did it all her life.
Chalet de l'Albère
The refuge at the Col de l'Ouillat, on the GR10 long-distance path: restaurant, panoramic terrace over the Pyrenees, and 24 beds. Open all year, which makes it a fine place to end a hike.
Hiking and mountains
Rando 66, the department's portal
The first-hand source for planning a walk: the department lists its waymarked GR, GRP and PR routes here, along with the bridleways and mountain-bike circuits, across the 800 km of marked trails it maintains. Free to use.
The Madeloc tower from Fort Saint-Elme
For strong legs: from Collioure, the loop goes past Fort Saint-Elme then climbs through the terraced vineyards to the medieval signal tower, about 15 km and 700 m of elevation gain. From the top, the whole plain, the Côte Vermeille and Spain in a single glance. Short version for everyone else: you can also drive up the vertiginous little road, then walk the last few minutes.
From the villa
Pic Néoulous (17 km, 1,227 m elevation gain), Col de l'Ouillat, and the whole Albères trail network.
Coastal paths
The coastal trail from Argelès to Cerbère, its quiet coves even in August. Before it was a walk it was a working road: smugglers used it for a long time, and the customs men who chased them, back when going on foot was quicker than going on horseback.
The Canigou
The ascent of the Catalans' sacred mountain (2,784 m).
Font-Romeu as a day trip
Hikes at 2,000 m altitude, 1 h 30 by road.
Races, trail running and swimrun
Coming here to race is a very good way to discover the region: in one morning you cross landscapes it would take days to find by car. And there really is something for everyone, from a 10 km discovery run with 500 m of climbing to a 175 km ultra. Mountain races cluster in the summer. Trail running, when you think about it, is just a hike at a run, nothing more intimidating than that. And for anyone who prefers tarmac, road races are plentiful, at every level and in every season.
What I honestly think
I ran marathons seriously for two decades, so my instinct is to do the recovery run on tarmac rather than on trails full of roots and climbing. But the layout and the climate here are not really made for road racing: there are road races, and they stop at the half marathon. That said, if you want to eat a bit of tarmac straight from the villa, the best plan is EuroVelo 8, which runs along the Albères for nineteen kilometres between Argelès-sur-Mer and Le Boulou. You head either towards Sorède or towards Le Boulou. Either way there are cars for a few hundred metres, and after that it is only cyclists and walkers. You can also put together loops that are half tarmac and half DFCI track, the forest tracks cut for firefighting access. The only problem then is the urge to stop every five hundred metres to photograph the plain, with views that take your breath away. Literally.
100 Miles Pyrénées Méditerranée
The full crossing of the department, from Bolquère to Argelès-sur-Mer, mountain to sea. Every finish is judged at Château de Valmy, ten minutes from the villa. Four formats: 175 km and 7,670 m of climbing for the 100 Miles, 117 km and 5,566 m for the Grande Traversée, 73 km and 3,600 m for the Traversée, and 36 km and 1,700 m for the Foulées des Albères. 2026 edition, 2 to 4 October.
Swimrun Côte Vermeille
France's first swimrun: you alternate open-water swimming and running along the Côte Vermeille, through Cerbère, Banyuls, Port-Vendres, Collioure and Argelès. The start is given at the Anse de Paulilles. Seven races, from the Kids to the Ötillö Ultra, in teams. 2026 edition, 12 and 13 June.
Trails des Pyrénées-Orientales
The trail-specific calendar, with distance and elevation for each race.
Le calendrier du sportif
A third calendar, handy for cross-checking dates when you are planning a holiday around a race.
Cycling
The Pyrénées-Orientales have a mild climate and a population markedly older than the national average: 27% of residents are 65 or over, six points above the national figure. The retiree who moved south for the sun is not just a cliché. And a retiree who cares about staying fit looks for a low-impact, sociable sport, which leads fairly directly to road cycling, with the landscape thrown in. Hence the clusters of riders of respectable age you meet on every back road. If you think it is late to start, Robert Marchand took the over-100 hour record at 102, covering 26.927 km. So you can go. And there is something for every taste, from the flat of EuroVelo 8 to the ramps of the Madeloc, which would not look out of place in a Tour stage.
The waymarked climbs
The department has waymarked its climbs: each marker gives the altitude, the distance and the gradient, which turns the ascent into a measurable effort rather than blind suffering. The departmental tourist board lists the routes, from rolling to brutal.
Tour Madeloc, from Banyuls
9.62 km for 647 m of climbing, 6.73% average and pitches at 20%, up to 656 m at the foot of the medieval signal tower. A first-category climb, with the whole Côte Vermeille beneath your wheels. Note that the climb starts from Banyuls, not from Laroque.
Col de l'Ouillat
The D71 from Le Perthus, the only road up to the pass, at 936 m. At the top, the Chalet de l'Albère and its panoramic terrace to refuel before the descent.
EuroVelo 8
The Mediterranean cycle route passes nearby: flat riding, family friendly, without ever looking up at a pass.
Mountain biking
Electric assistance has put mountain biking within everyone's reach, and you can ride genuinely spectacular routes straight from the villa. For instance Laroque, Valmy, Collioure and the criques de Porteils, then back through Argelès and the greenway. Or climb up to the col de l'Ouillat. All the DFCI forest tracks are easy on a mountain bike and call for no particular technical skill. You even see people riding up the Madeloc on an electric bike but, how shall I put it, that is not playing fair. The whole network of tracks and trails in the Albères starts from the village, and bikes can be lent.
Electric bikes
A rental shop in the village, details provided on booking.
Sea
The beaches
Argelès 10 minutes away, the coves along the coastal path between Collioure and Cerbère, and further out La Franqui (40 min), a fantastic wild beach spot with an excellent seafront restaurant.
Snorkeling
France's first marine reserve, between Cerbère and Banyuls.
Windsurfing and kitesurfing
The Leucate and Pont des Basses spots, 30 minutes away.
Coastal water walking
Longe-côte, as it is called here, is very popular along this coast and open to anyone, swimmer or not: you walk with the water somewhere between navel and armpits, often with a paddle. The long, gently shelving sand beaches of Argelès and Saint-Cyprien are the best spots nearby, sheltered from easterly swell by the Côte Vermeille. The clubs themselves are mostly around Canet: Longe Côte Canet, past two hundred members since it started in 2020, and Oxy'Marche, based in Torreilles, which meets at Canet-Plage on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. The easiest way to try it without committing: in summer Argelès puts free sessions on its sports programme, two mornings a week at nine, on the North beach and at Le Racou, with water shoes and a rash vest required and places limited. Saint-Cyprien runs them too, worth checking with the tourist office when you come.
Kayak and paddle
Rentals on every beach, inflatable canoe at the villa.
Diving in Port-Vendres
The Centre d'Activité Plongée Port-Vendres takes every level: first dives and snorkelling treks for anyone who has never put their head under, courses for children from age 8, wreck and reef dives for certified divers, and all the way up to tek and rebreather training. Equipment hire and tank filling on site.
Paddleboards and e-foils, built here
Redwoodpaddle boards and PWR-Foil electric foils come from the same house, founded by Chris Defrance and based at the Canet-en-Roussillon marina quarter. The showroom is at 4 rue Pen Duick, and the brand runs its test centre on site: you can try the e-foil, the board that lifts off and flies above the water, where it is built and with the team that builds it. The cost of the test session is deducted if you leave with a board.
Boating
Motorboat rental in Port-Vendres to explore the Costa Brava from the sea and meet the dolphins.
Golf
Saint-Cyprien Golf Resort
35 minTwenty-seven holes by the sea, the largest complex in the department.
Golf Club de Montescot
Nine holes south of Perpignan, with the Canigou and the Albères all around. The right format for half a day.
Club de Golf Peralada
30 minAcross the border, eighteen holes among the château's vines.
Camiral Golf & Wellness, Stadium Course
1 hrThe championship course of the region, at Caldes de Malavella. It used to be called PGA Catalunya, and many booking engines still use the old name.
Golf du Domaine de Falgos
1 hrAbove eleven hundred metres at the far end of the Vallespir, on a 650-hectare estate, with the view running to the bay of Roses. The only one I would keep, and I do not even like golf.
Golf de Font-Romeu
1 hr 30In the Cerdagne, created in 1928 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi.
CrossFit
Looking after your heart with endurance sport is good. Protecting your muscle mass matters just as much, and it is the easier one to neglect. The region is not short of ordinary gyms, but I fell into CrossFit about ten years ago and never climbed back out. Always ready to preach the four fundamental lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press and strict press. I found what I wanted a few kilometres from the villa.
La box Imperium
The gym where I train when I am in Laroque, five minutes away by car: chemin de la Carrerasse, in the Saint-André industrial zone. WOD, weightlifting, gymnastics, cardio, and personalised programming if you are working towards something. Holiday drop-ins are welcome, just let them know you are coming. Open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm, and Saturday morning from 10 am to noon.
Jaison Longearet
The owner of the box is also my personal coach, and a friend. Above all he is an elite athlete: 7th in France and 45th in Europe at the 2023 Open, then 37th at the European semi-finals, and 1st in France at the 2024 Open. In May 2025 he went to take on the world's best at the World Fitness Project in Indianapolis, three days and eight events. So if you want to work on something specific during your stay, you have come to the right place.
Canyoning
The canyons of the Albères, the Canigou and Galamus run from April to September: abseiling under waterfalls, natural water slides and jumps (always optional). Three guiding outfits in the department, pick one by canyon and by format.
Esprit Canyon
Based in Ille-sur-Têt, 20 rue Louis Boyer. Galamus, Molitg, the Llech and Taurinya, in six formats running from "Plaisir" to "Adrénaline". They also run a warm-water canyon in winter, which is a local curiosity.
Terre de canyoning
The widest catalogue in the department: Molitg, Thuès in warm water, Galamus, the Baoussous, the Llech, Mas Calsan, the Salt del Pi, the Cady, Taurinya, Saint-Vincent. Half days, short days or long days. From age 7, and they say it plainly: you do not need to be an athlete.
Pyrénées Canyoning by Max & Lola
Two guides based in Perpignan, rue de l'Albère, who know the canyons of the Pyrénées-Orientales well.
Tennis, padel and horse riding
Tennis and padel
Clubs in Laroque and the neighboring villages.
Horse riding
Riding centers nearby, treks in the Albères.
Winter: skiing and snowshoeing
The Catalan Pyrenees ski resorts
About 1 hr 30 by road, the same distance as going hiking at Font-Romeu in summer. The villa is heated and the pool has its telescopic cover, so winter here is not a dead season.
Snowshoe routes
Eight snowshoe route guides in the department, from the Puig Péric to the Madres by way of the Canigou, the Pic de la Mine and the Tossa Rodona. The same site lists walking routes for the rest of the year.
Book your stay
Book directly online: real-time availability, secure payment, calendar synced across all platforms. On-site welcome is handled by Sud Séjour, our local concierge service, reachable for any question.