When we visit these quaint historic villages as a rule, we are either here because of the antique religious building or we are of the opinion that when you've seen one old abbey, you've seen them all.

My recollections as a child were the extreme detours my mother had to make in the mid-eightees to avoid the horrific traffic jams in this small market town. Traffic coming from Spain to the Languedoc coast had two options (there is now a motorway). They could follow the winding coast road up from Port Bou and spend almost an hour going around numerous hairpin bends above long drops into the sea, with long waits at the France/Spanish border above Cerbère, or take the better N11 north through Le Perthus as far as Le Boulou, heading west towards Argelès-sur-Mer. This was much quicker in the early hours of the night or on a quiet afternoon. But on market day, or a busy bank holiday, the traffic through St Génis would grind to a halt and stay that way for what seemed like hours. Unless, as my mother did, you knew the tiny back roads through Laroque-des-Albères and Villelongue-dels-Monts, you had no option but to sit and watch your engine temperature guage rising.

Not only did the main road pass right through the centre of the town, but also the only route across the iron bridge crossing the Tech, came through. Now there is a by-pass, the place has become a quiet backwater where tourists and locals can wander around at their hearts' content.

The town square, with its bars and cafes, is a good place to rest and recover after visiting the Abbey or the active market.