The 2012 PistonHeads Alpine Tour
Classic routes, epic views, and all the organisation taken care of for you
Sign up to the PistonHeads Alpine tour and, with the Black Forest as a warm-up and Stelvio as a stop-off point, Petrolhead Nirvana will take you on the most amazing few days of your driving life.
They've selected an incredible mix of passes and roads, which battle with the scenery to take your breath away.
For 2012 many of the old favourites from previous years remain, but PN have made a few changes to make the tour even better. So as well as the Black Forest and Stelvio, you'll take in the Grimsel, Susten and Furka passes, visit St Moritz and stay in Val D'Isere. Oh, and drive a special stage of the Monte Carlo Rally and the highest paved pass in the Alps.
And new for 2012 is the loan of one of PN's TomToms, with all the routes pre-loaded, so getting lost and missing the best roads is not an option.
These are eight days of pure driving pleasure on roads that all petrolheads dream of driving. And you'll be doing this alongside other PHers while being looked after by tour managers who know their way around some of the best roads on the planet.
Day 1, Calais To Offenburg - 404 Miles
We take advantage of the efficient French autoroutes to get as close to the action as possible on the first day. It's an opportunity to use the supplied walkie-talkies to banter with your fellow drivers and get to know the other cars travelling along with you.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty German breakfast we head into the Black Forest, sampling the roads Ducati use as their testing grounds. Then we head south into Switzerland, passing Winterthur and Liechtenstein, through Davos and over the Fluela pass into Austria, before ascending the (in)famous Stelvio Pass - at the top of which we find our hotel for the night.
Day 3, Stelvio to Furka - 265 Miles
This is the first 'passes day', leaving Stelvio via Umbrail, then taking in Lake Livigno and St Moritz on the way to Julier Pass, followed by San Bernardino, Susten, Grimsel, finally arriving at our hotel at the foot of the Furka pass.
Day 4, Furka to Val D'Isere - 240 Miles
Another 'passes day', beginning with Furka, St Gotthard, and Nufenen before heading down the valley past Sion; then up over Grand St Bernard into Italy, and the Petit St Bernard into France, on to Val D'Isere and our traditional ski lodge hotel.
Heading away from Val D'Isere we begin the day climbing the second-highest paved pass in the Alps, the Col D L'iseran (2770m), using the magnificent Col Du Galibier (2645m) as a stepping stone to the Col De La Bonette (2802m), which is the highest paved pass in the Alps and one of the major challenges in the Tour de France (though it's easier in a car...). We round off the day with the Col De Turini (1607m). Our hotel for the night sits on the summit of this challenging classic road steeped in the history of the Monte Carlo Rally.
Day 6, Col de Turini to Annecy - 250 Miles
Day 6 is all about the Route Napoleon. A mixture of fast sweeping bends, tight twisty sections and views that will make you gasp. A truly amazing piece of tarmac. We end the day at Annecy, known as the Venice of France, a beautiful town with stunning views.
A short dash to Geneva from Annecy, and then a quick trip up the mountain (watch out for bikes - this is a biker paradise) and over the top, dropping down to Auxonne and on to Dijon.
Day 8, Dijon to Calais - 345 Miles
The last day of the tour, but we have saved something special. A trip to the old Grand Prix circuit at Reims. For so long this historic circuit and its outbuildings were in ruins. Now, however, they are being brought back to life. We have time to stop for a photo opportunity and a quick blast down the old straight. Finally, we head to Calais and a sad farewell to your fellow tourers and new-found friends.
PN are also of course aware that Le Mans Classic is the weekend of 7th and 8th July and, with that in mind, the PN crew have options available for those who would like to do both.
What's included
- Return Eurotunnel crossing.
- 7 nights accommodation with breakfast included.
- Two experienced tour managers in two cars to lead and chase.
- Loan of TomTom with all routes pre-loaded.
- Loan of powerful licensed walkie-talkies.
- Drivers' packs with route notes, maps and useful information.
What's not included:
- Lunch, dinner, drinks, tolls, fuel.
- European breakdown cover (this is a requirement on all tours).
A £50 discount applies if you book before Christmas 2011, making the price £1149 per person.
There is a solo driver option, which is still based on sharing a room (but it means you can hog the driving) which is £1299 per person, with the £50 discount that comes down to £1249 before Christmas.
The booking deposit is £500 per person.
If you would like to book, please call the guys at Petrolhead Nirvana on 0845 838 7363.
In fact i may well do that myself...
In fact i may well do that myself...
Out of interest how do you co-ordinate things like stopping for fuel? Surely the range that each cars fuel supply can manage must differ quite widely across the convoy?
Looks like it goes right past my door, would be great to join in for a small stint!
- Richard
We had a mini Marcos with us on last years trip which had a low top speed but was very nimble across country.
That's another reason we have two support cars; so there is no pressure to go faster than you feel comfortable.
Out of interest how do you co-ordinate things like stopping for fuel? Surely the range that each cars fuel supply can manage must differ quite widely across the convoy?
We work on the car with the shortest range and ensure there's plenty of margin for error when planning where and how often to get fuel.
Some cars can go 400 miles while others can barely do 120, so we work on the assumption we need to find fuel every 100 miles in that instance.
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