Information applicable to Explorers Academy courses held at Le Village Catalan in Vernet-les-Bains.
How to get there:
By car:
Autoroute A9 to Perpignan, continue until Le Village Catalan is signposted, then exit the motorway at Perpignan Sud and follow signs to Andorra (N 116). Continue past Prades and turn south to Vernet-les-B. at the fortified village Villefranche-de-Conflent. Once at Vernet-les-Bains, follow signs to Centre Ville, then towards Massif du Canigou and Fillols. Le Village Catalan is signposted once you are above Vernet and you see the Mairie and the castle on your left. Turn right after about 50 metres.
By air:
Most international flights are via Paris (Orly Sud), where there are 12 daily flights to Perpignan. There is a direct flight from London Gatwick to Perpignan every Saturday. Optional airports in our area are Montpellier, Girona and Barcelona, with train connections to Perpignan. You should arrange with us in advance to collect you in Perpignan. Airport transfers take an hour. There is also a train service between Perpignan and Villefrance-de-Conflent, 5 kms from Vernet-les-Bains.
By train or coach:
Train to Perpignan. There is a local train service between Perpignan and Villefranche-de-Conflent/Vernet-les-Bains. Please check whether the trains correspond, alternatively call us for a transfer. Several international coach services also offer transport to Perpignan.
Local information:
Shops are open until 7 pm Saturdays and until 12.15 Sundays.
Your accommodation:
During the course you will be staying in one of the traditional Catalan houses in our village. Depending on what you requested, accommodation is in 4 or 6 bed rooms, twin rooms or single room with shared lounge and facilities. Each of the houses at Le Village Catalan is equipped with traditional Catalan furniture, as well as terrace furniture. Each house has a kitchen equipped with a gas cooker with oven, fridge with small freezer, and an electric coffee machine and all the small details have been taken care of, down to the corkscrew. The pure tap water is safe to drink. Bathrooms are equipped with a bathtub/shower, washbasin, bidet and a heater/blower which doubles as hair dryer. Hot water is provided by gas, which ensures there is always enough hot water. Most of the houses have separate WC. The beds are comfortable, singles are 90 cm wide and 190 long, doubles are 140 cm wide by 190 long. Blankets and pillows are provided, but please bring your own linen and towels. Linen can be rented, if required. You should bring a sleeping bag for the odd overnight stay in mountain chalets.
Radio is standard equipment in each house, and a TV is available in the activity house.
A washing machine is available at a charge of F 25 per 5-kg wash.
Weekly cleaning and at the end oof your stay is your responsibility.
Arrivals are Saturdays, unless otherwise agreed, starting at 1600 hour and ending at 1000 hours. If you arrive late, please call 04 68056571 to notify us of your estimated arrival time and we will keep the reception open for you - whatever the time.
Communications:
Telephone and fax is available at the reception. If you wish to receive calls or faxes, the telephone number is (0033) 4 68056571 and the fax: (0033) 4 68056574. For national and local calls, dial 0 instead of 0033. Email will be available for limited use.
If you have a GSM telephone with a roaming contract, it will work well in the village.
Various:
The courses run 5 days a week, with a blend of theory and field work, with several days of the course devoted exclusively to excursions and adventure travel field work - it never gets boring. You will have two days a week at leisure.
Swimming and spa:
There are two heated public swimmingpools in Vernet-les-Bains, one indoors for the winter season and one outdoor pool open during the summer. The pools use clean spring water and are very pleasant. There is also a very scenic bathing area with natural rock pools in the river Rotja near Sahorre, 6 kms away. The Mediterranean beaches are about 70 kms away. Vernet is a thermal spa resort, with all facilities including sauna, jacuzzi and a fitness centre.
Trekking:
This is undisputed one of the best trekking areas in Europe, and the tracks start just behind our village. It is advisable to bring good footwear, a small day-backpack and a water bottle. Belvedere provides spectacular views, an hour and a half from the village you have the waterfalls Cascades des Anglais, a 3-hour walk and you can visit the famous monastery St. Martin du Canigou (also reachable by car and 45 minutes walk), and the long trek to our highest peak Canigou (2785 metres/about 9,000 ft) takes a full day and some experience, although you can reach the chalet at Cortalets (2150 metres altitude) by jeep and walk the last two hours to the top…
Trekking is part of the adventure course, and you will probably want to explore and ejoy the beautiful scenery in your leisure time as well.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by phone, fax or email.