Angouleme Circuit de Ramparts

[crossy67]

Who's going the the Circuit de ramparts in Angouleme France then? It's on from 18th-22nd September. Really good event where you can see old cars being raced round the city walls, some times into them too. Sunday's the best day, even if you just want to wander round the city looking at vintage Bugatis parked unattended in old courtyards waiting for their next race.

http://www.circuit-des-remparts.com/

[crossy67]

We've only been once three years ago. We're too busy putting up guests to go now. You can get a pass that will get you into the paddocks cheaply but you won't see much of the racing from there. You will see lots of really interesting, rare and very valuable cars though.

Have a look through my photobucket at some of the pictures. There's a lot of crap on there too but most of the decent pictures are on pages 2-11. I seem to have lost all the photos I took from the paddocks of the old LM cars. I need to dig them out they were really quite good. http://s170.photobucket.com/user/crossy67/library/...

[crossy67]

Where was the place you rented?

[crossy67]

You not going near Aubeterre-sur-Dronne are you? We have a lot of Stangs visit a couple of times a year, wondering if you're one of the noisy buggers.

[crossy67]

AC BILKO said:

Jarnac for a tour of the Courvoisier distillery (orheaven as the wife calls it, lol)

No no no. That stuffs the Woodpecker of Cognac. Don't buy any thing until you've been to the Ballouet distillery. I go now and again and buy his 5 year old cognac, it's beautifully smooth drinkable neat. I tried his 3 year old and that's also really nice. Can't remember 100% but around 16€ a bottle for the 5 year and 12€ for the 3 year old. He also does a decent (but not the best) pineau at 6€ last time I visited. This is the place the locals buy their cognac, he grows his own grapes and ferments them then distills them. It's all done in house.

The place is really uninspiring to look at but he does a good tour of an authentic working distillery, he speaks English and his produce is second to none. If you're going with your wife don't let her wear a short skirt (trousers are best) becasue he'll send her up a ladder to sample the pineau directly from a 3 meter tall vat whilst he stands holding the ladder looking up .

His address is:

1 r Ardillères, 17490 NEUVICQ LE CHATEAU

Yellow pager link with his hours and contact details are:

http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pros/05317022


If you want to buy a load of wine don't waste your time in supermarkets, go do the dealers in St Emilion, you can get some really good deals. I get a 200-2004 bottle of Bordeaux that's gorgeous for 12€ a bottle and some really nice 2005 Pomerol for 20€ for a special treat. To buy anything like that in a supermarket would be 25€ and 35€ respectively.

[crossy67]

We have the parade pas tour house at about 2.30pm, we shall be sitting on the balcony for an hour or so with a couple of bottles of something. We have guests staying for the weekend so might have to make room :-(

[crossy67]

They are a pain for not advertising it very well, god knows why they can't publicise the date earlier.

Yes to a grandstand, the crafty buggers have started putting boards up now so unless you're actually in the circuit you won't see anything. Not sure which one's the best to go for though sorry. Not sure how it works now (only been once) but the time I went you bought a ticket and you could sit wherever you wanted, sure that's changed now. I'm sure they are allocated and as such a lot of corporations buy them and give them as gifts leaving the stands empty as their guests don't show.

The time we went we had pit passes, that was fantastic.

[crossy67]

What date is it taking place this year?

[crossy67]

We have a B&B in Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, 45 mins south of Angouleme. We get some people staying for the weekend from time to time. The Ramparts weekend is THE big even in that area and as such fills all the available accommodation. Remember, the rest of the year there's not enough people wanting to stay in Angouleme to fill a single decker bus.

[crossy67]

Ours is here http://www.aubeterrechambredhotes.com/

This is the villages web site. http://www.aubeterresurdronne.com/en/

You won't find many Google map images because the streets are quite narrow. Friday nights are the best with happy hour in the bar bringing everyone out. It's a really busy and popular tourist destination. We've got loads of weddings taking place in the area so get booked up a lot. Not sure on bookings for September, Julie keeps all the booking information with her and she's visiting UK for a week.

[crossy67]

We're at the bottom of the village, there is a hotel opposite us with a decent car park or (so long as I still have access) we have a garage you could park in about 50 meters up the road.

[crossy67]

The Saturday rally has come past our front door three times in the past five years. It's a great spectacle, I sit on the little balcony with a few beers and watch them go past.

[crossy67]

Does anyone know the route for the Saturday run yet? I can't find anything at all.

[crossy67]

So is it in there and would you have the paper?

[crossy67]

We have a press photographer staying with us who's photographing the event. He said he'll find out for me and let me know tomorrow morning. Be really nice if they pass our house again, we can sit on the balcony with a bottle of wine watching them pass.