There are excellent walks in this area. With a baby in tow, we’ve not even skimmed the surface of what we might otherwise have done, but have managed a few short walks, in part thanks to the excellent series of walking maps you can buy, covering every small town and its ‘pays’.

Our neighbour kindly passed on a spare copy of the walking map for Quillan and surroundings, and at the weekend we managed a short distance of a 3-hour loop walk into the hills from Serres.

The walk was shaded by the light wooded nature of the hillside, which was welcome in the heat of the morning sun. The path was well marked and graded – at least as far as we walked it. The whole walk, had we completed it, would have taken us up the peak beside the town, affording great views.

A charming high arched stone bridge gives access to the other side of the creek – and the starting point for the loop track.

Allotments give villagers without gardens a means to grow their own vegetables – these plots are beautifully sited on the banks of the river, bordered by stone walls.

A view to distant peaks as we set out – so near and yet so far.

The path winds round the peak to follow the valley in towards Rennes-les-Bains.

Great views from the top – for some at least!