Grenade was one of our stops on the way through the south of France, and this time the motorhome area itself became quite an important part of our experience. We arrived relatively late at the Aire des Quais de Garonne and, despite the late arrival, had no difficulty finding a place for our 23-foot-long motorhome. The spaces are on gravel and are not particularly well shaded, but there was enough room for us to park without difficulty. The area costs €10 for 24 hours, plus the tourist tax, with electricity included even though we did not use it. The service facilities were clean and functional, which made the stop practical.
The experience during the night was rather less positive. Unfortunately, the area was quite noisy, with young people talking and shouting for part of the night. We also did not feel completely safe there, although nobody actually bothered us and nothing happened. This was therefore not one of those motorhome stops where we could completely relax, but it was still useful because of its position immediately beside the old town. The proximity to the centre meant that once we had parked, Grenade itself was very easy to reach on foot.
The town of Grenade is a particularly good example of a French bastide. It was founded in the thirteenth century by Cistercian monks from the nearby Abbey of Grandselve and was laid out according to a remarkably regular plan, with straight streets leading towards the central market square. Unlike many medieval towns that developed gradually around older settlements, Grenade was deliberately planned, and this is still very visible when walking through the centre.
The heart of the town is the covered market, or Halle, which stands in the middle of the large central square. Built in the nineteenth century, it replaced the original medieval market structure but retained the role that the square had played since the foundation of the bastide. The surrounding arcades and houses create one of the most characteristic views in Grenade, while the regular street plan makes it easy to explore the historic centre without needing a long itinerary.
Another important building is the Église Notre-Dame de l’Assomption, whose origins go back to the medieval period. Its imposing brick architecture is typical of the region, where brick became one of the defining materials of religious and civil buildings. The church and the market square together give Grenade a strong sense of its medieval origins, even though much of what we see today was rebuilt or modified over the centuries.
The town’s position on the Garonne also influenced its development. The river was important for transporting agricultural products and other goods, while Grenade became a commercial centre for the surrounding countryside. Today the riverfront is a much quieter environment, with the motorhome area, green spaces and sports facilities immediately below the old town. There is also a large playground and several sporting areas next to the parking area, which make the location particularly convenient for families travelling with children.
For us, Grenade was therefore a mixture of a useful stop and an interesting little discovery. The motorhome area was convenient and the services were good, but the noise and our feeling that the location was not completely comfortable at night prevented it from being an especially relaxing overnight stay. The town itself, however, was well worth walking into. Its regular medieval layout, large central market hall, brick architecture and position above the Garonne made it quite different from many of the smaller villages we had visited earlier in the journey.
Grenade was another example of the way our motorhome journey works in practice: sometimes the place we stop is not perfect, but its position allows us to discover a town that we might otherwise have passed without seeing. In this case, the practical advantages of the location outweighed some of the shortcomings of the overnight stop, and the historic centre gave us a much better impression of Grenade than the parking area itself might have suggested.