We left the snow in our rear view mirror and headed towards Carcassonne for a quick lunch stop, and of course, to see the fortified town there. Despite the hordes of tourists and the bone-chilling wind, we enjoyed walking through the cobbled streets, marvelling at the fortress and its towers.

Next we headed off to our destination proper, the Grau d’Agde.  Lying at the point where the River Herault meets the sea, the Grau d’Agde is a charming fishing village. With its riverside cafes, it is a bit reminiscent of a Greek island, so we felt right at home! The weather was gorgeous – mid 20s- which was a pleasant change from the icy conditions we had left behind.

We also visited the Cap d’Agde, which is the more built-up area, set around a large marina. After a stroll around, we settled at a Pizzeria and had a long, leisurely lunch. Ryker found a toy bat in one of the souvenir/toy shops there and since bats are all he ever talks about (apart from combine harvesters) and it is small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, we got it for him. And what a great purchase it was! Hours upon hours of entertainment for him and some respite for us.

Now, more about the Cap: I found out later that the ‘Cap’ area is renown for its ‘family-style naturist resort’, which gets 40,000 visitors per day in peak season (or should that be ‘peek’).  I personally think that ‘family’ and ‘naturist’ don’t belong in the same sentence – at least not in our family! Unless of course they mean it in the universal, we are all one family and therefore we all shed our clothes and dance together kind of way.

Our hotel, L’Ephebe, in the Grau was right on the waterfront, providing us with a brilliant view from our room. The proprietor was a real character, still clinging to his youth by wearing tight jeans, leather jackets and one morning at breakfast, an ‘Ibiza Forever’ t-shirt. Priceless. But there couldn’t have been a kinder soul. He kept bringing Ryker presents and was so attentive to our needs.

I would love to go back there again but I am keeping my clothes on, thank you very much.