Vernet les Bains Travel Guide

This is a small town on the eastern side of the Pyrenees, near to Villefranche des Conflents which is on the train line from Perpignan and the start of the Petit Train Jeane journey to Latour de Carol. A bus runs from the station to Vernet les Bains

It is a much better place to base yourself than the guidebooks would suggest. The website [http://www.ot-vernet-les-bains.fr/uk/PAGES/vernet_les_bains.php#] is much more appealing. It was the first vllage arboretum in France and, even though the list is not issued by the tourist office until the first of June,* this guarantees you some fine trees and their types are discernible from boards erected in various places.

There is also a geological museum, claiming to have the best publicly available collection of fossils in the country. The curator is the collector himself and he gives an enthusiastic ad interesting tour in up to four languages. It might well drag on a bit if all of them had to be used!

However the main appeal of Vernet comes from the walks - though again you have to wait until the first of June* for the local guidebook.

There are several hotels - some closed until guess when!

*This is mightily irksome at the end of May when the trees are in full leaf and the sun is beaming down!