All about everything
OUR MOBILE (Model ABI LOCK 28) is 12 years old. The usual maximum age allowed on the campsite is 20 years but there are some that are much older. The campsite is open year-round. You can live there for nine months each year. The annual ground-rent is €2,700 which includes water and electricity so the only additional cost is gas.
The ground rent for 2010 is already paid and the insurance has just been renewed for the coming 12 months – cost €169. The only other outgoing is an annual gas check, cost €60. Many owners rent out their mobile home in the summer to help towards the cost of the ground-rent but that is only €2,700 a year; here are the campsite’s rental rates, which would earn you €5,460, minus charges of course. Or, more realistically, if you were just to rent from 10 July to 21 August – peak season in France – the ground rent would be covered.
5/6 to 3/7 - €215 = €860
3/7 to 10/7 - €335 = €335€
10/7 to 31/7 - €450 = €1,350
31/7 to 21/8 - €535 = €1,605
21/8 to 28/8 - €450 = €450
28/8 to 25/9 - €215 = €860
Full inventory
We are offering a lot more than you’d expect to find in a mobile home, partly because it simply isn’t worth paying to bring the excess back to the UK - but mostly because we need a quick sale. If you compare the list with what you’d get from a similar mobile home you’ll see what we mean.
LIVING ROOM
- air-conditioning (cost well over £1,000)
- Samsung TV + remote control
- Panasonic dvd player + remote control
- Orange Live box/satellite dish + remote control
- dual music system
- bed-settee
- 2nd settee
- side tables
- three lamps (one, from Habitat, cost £100)
- a fantasy light (changes colour)
- clock
- pictures
- cushions
- authentic looking plastic plants in pots
- ashtrays
- CDs, DVDs, books
and much more (for instance a lovely framed 3D map of the region inc. the Pyrenees)
KITCHEN
- electric kettle
- electric coffee maker
- integrated (actually concealed) microwave
- plenty of stylish crockery, cutlery, saucepans, frying pans, glasses and serving dishes
- pestle & mortar, chrome citrus juicer
- pot-stands, chopping boards, chef’s apron, tea towels
- toast rack, egg cups, tray
- salad bowl and salad servers
- dish drainer, oven dishes, colander, salad spinner
- assorted kitchen utensils
- wall-mounted CocaCola bottle opener (cost £34.99!)
and much more, including a teapot (of course!)
UTILITY
- vacuum cleaner (a doddle with wooden floors and no carpets)
- assorted tools and extension leads (most of the sockets are UK 3-pin)
- iron and ironing board
- bowl, bucket, broom, dustpan & brush, mop
- ladder - to reach roof of mobile home for cleaning etc
- assorted cleaning products
BATHROOM
- full length stainless steel and glass swivel mirror/storage unit (cost €150)
- beautiful chrome mirror over ultra-modern round basin (cost €75)
- full-size bath with shower over, dual flush toilet
- laundry basket and matching storage basket
- light-up swivel mirror (needs batteries to light up), magnified on one side (cost £34.99)
- picture
- bath mat, soap dish, toilet brush
BEDROOM
- over-bed reading lights
- large fairy-lights wall hanging
- funky electric fan
- radio/alarm
- 30+ matching non-metal hangers!
- assorted bedding
- pillows
- pillow radio
- picture
GARDEN
- glass table and toning plastic chairs
- BBQ
- new hardly-used sun parasol
- patio heater- bike stand
- car parking space
Additional info:
- Five minute walk from Argeles village, and a five-minute car, or bike, ride to Carrefour, the local hypermarket
- 15 minutes to Collioure, an art lovers’ paradise! And 30 minutes to Céret which hosts a cherry festival each year in early May where you can
try cherry beer and enter the annual cherry stone spitting competition!
- 30 minutes to the duty-free Spanish border town of La Perthus where wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables, wine and spirits, petrol etc are
even cheaper than in France
- Airports: 30 mins to Perpignan, 1h to Narbonne, 1h15 mins to Gerona, 1h15mins to Carcassonne
- On the TGV route (Paris - Perpignan 5 hours).
Downside:
Having waxed lyrical about my lovely home I should point out that it is in need of a bit of cosmetic TLC, mostly inside the wardrobe. It is overlooked by other mobile homes, isn’t on the periphery and has two electricity cables running on top of it. But even for me, the pedantic minimalist, this doesn’t matter and the pros far, far outweigh the cons. The interior of our mobile home, the quiet campsite, the environment, the proximity to the village, Argeles in particular, the fabulous surrounding countryside, the villages, the people, the food, Perpignan, Spain on the doorstep and the huge number of things to see and do far, far outweigh those few niggles. Also I’ve never seen the campsite full, even in July, so being overlooked has never been an issue.
Internet:
As yet there is no facility for landlines. There is wifi access close to the campsite office where there is a covered seating/picnic area. It might also be possible to pick up a wifi signal using a dongle (a little gizmo that takes a SIM card and attaches to a laptop via a USB port). I haven’t tried but the campsite say it works on site.
More info:For more photos, including some of the local area, or further info please email Paul or Linda at linda@mistral.co.uk.
For details of the campsite see their website (though it’s very basic) - http://www.closduthym.com
Owners/holidaymakers have use of the facilities - bar, restaurant, shops, theatre, tennis courts etc - at the sister campsite Del Mar Village which
is 2.5km away - see http://www.camping-del-mar.com. Also take a look at http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8YTvuNTHx0