On 24 September nine of us from the Travel Group headed off for an unforgettable trip touring the Little Trains of the Pyrenees.  As this was my first u3a holiday l wasn't sure what to expect but l wasn't disappointed.  We flew from Edinburgh to Barcelona and were met by Margaret from Travel Department. After a two hour drive we arrived in Roses on the Costa Brava at the Hotel Monterrey, which had a wonderful position right on the promenade and overlooking a spotless sandy beach.

Over the week we had numerous train trips which were all different but equally enjoyable. The first was the local Roses Express tourist train up into the Cap de Creus nature park . Stunning views were all around us.  On the other days we visited Villefranche, a UNESCO world heritage site with medieval streets.  We also visited the interesting town of Figueras where the artist Salvador Dali was born. We spent a morning at the Dali Theatre-Museum which had been restored by Dali and was now a museum housing some of his works. Nothing like any other museum l’ve ever seen but then again he was a most unusual man.  On other days we travelled on the red and blue trains, visiting Riversalats and Axat and the stunning Nuria Valley, finished off by a cable car ride.

Our guide Margaret was absolutely outstanding and every day kept us informed of where we were and gave us all the local myths and legends.  The weather was perfect and l had several swims in the sea.  All in all a wonderful week’s holiday, which was enhanced by the company of the Irish contingency who were on our tour. 

Fiona Dick