This is John Batchelor, speaking with my colleague Simon Constable, who's been on the Mediterranean shore at Koolieu,

a French village that dates to the 7th century AD.

Simon describes it exactly his visit, the swim in the

Mediterranean, the Catalan influence. This is very close to the Spanish border

with France on the Mediterranean coast. It sounds perfect. It also

I note is where Patrick O'Brien, aka Sir Russ, spent 1949 to his departure from us in 2000, and Patrick O'Brien, the author of

the transporting Aubrey Madarin series of Royal Navy Escapades during the

Napoleana era.

He's buried in Kullier along with his wife Mary. Simon Constable on his visit to the French Mediterranean coast up against the Spanish

border with the foothills of the Pyrenees available in the near distance and is

swimming the clear Mediterranean and his recommendation to visit more of this

tonight. The Mediterranean was delightful to swim in.

It's crystal clear down in Collier.

If it's on the western end of the Mediterranean and it's really quite close to Spain and there's a lot of

Catalan influence there from across the Spain.

Border is very interesting, very clear, very nice to go into that water.

It's refreshingly cool, but not cold. So it's just what you want on a hot day and

there's coves to swim in and it was really lovely it's an

ancient town I mean really ancient even by British standards it's old and it

it goes back to the Visigoths and I think it goes back to the Visigoths.

And I think it was you who told me that it goes back to the Visigoths.

I didn't know that.

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