Summer Road Trip to Rustic French Occitanie, Colourful Barcelona and Much-Loved Mallorca
Until now, I've avoided Spain on summer road trips because of mass tourism along the coast. It's not my cup of tea, yet I know not to write off a whole place just because it's popular, and the beaches of Mallorca had caught my beady eye. So this year we headed in new directions. Our journey took us to some rural parts of France , satisfying my need to 'discover' something. En route we enjoyed distinctive and vibrant Barcelona and a heatwave, before setting off to Mallorca on the overnight ferry. Clermont Ferrand At the volcanic park 'Parc Naturel Regionale des Volcans d'Auvergne' we quickly found a gentle hilly trail, thanks to the helpful visitor centre lady's instructions, saving us wasting time (and data squabbling with Google maps). With our 3-year-old in tow, and 35 degree heat, we missed the most dramatic views, but our trail offered wonderful panoramas. The whole place was remote, clean, and very green. The little one c