Not-so-PBV: Mosset-du-Merde

Our weekend in the PO ended with a visit to Plus Beau Village Mosset. We left Thuir, and the Byrrh factory in a happy state thanks to the generous dégustation, signed out of the hotel, and went in search of a sandwich for lunch. There was nothing in Thuir that looked appetising, so we got in the car and hoped to find something along the way.

Thankfully, we did, in an award-winning boulangerie no less, located on a roundabout at Ille-sur-Têt next to an old convent, and called Le Couvent, that was also a chambre d'hote. They had no sandwiches this early in the year, but did have some mini quiches, so we got four and some bread.

The weather was cold and menacing and not ideal for a picnic, but we got to Mosset, found a spot with a view and sat in the car eating our lunch with spots of rain dotting the windscreen. Nothing new there for a Brit, obviously... The quiches were very good and the bread lived up to our expectations.

PBV Mosset - good thing it was winter so the tree was leafless!

Mosset looked okay from a distance, but it didn't look quite so charming close up. Maybe it looks better in the sun, but it just looked a bit miserable and down at heel in the gloomy winter light.

There was also a lot of dog poo about. Tons of it. No one had been clearing it up for some time, so one had to keep one's eyes down in order to avoid a nasty surprise.

Mosset's museum la Tour des Parfums

This probably meant that we couldn't properly appreciate the cultural heritage of the Catalan village, with its 'rich architectural patrimony' (so says the PBV site).

House of no particular interest except for the very low front door. Compare with neighbour's.

It was too cold to hang about and poo-hop, so we called it a day and took to the road. The way back to the main road takes you through a spa village called Les Thermes in the commune of Moltig-les-Bains. It's set dramatically in a gorge with some stunning views. This building is Le Grand Hotel, a three star establishment with rooms starting at 95Eur (quand même!).

Le Grand Hotel

There's nothing to do else for 15km in either direction (of mountain route), so when you go there, I reckon you'd have to be serious about using all the spa facilities! Still, for a few days of peace, it must be lovely.

It was pretty windy on the autoroute. We stopped to use the facilities in one place and I was quite taken with these poor trees:

Wonder which way the wind blows here... Sea on the right.

It was a weekend plein les yeux of beautiful (or so) villages, industrial splendour, and stunning scenery. The PO is a region that is definitely worth visiting.