Traffic Jam Houx Entrance
Discussion
Drove to Arnage on Thursday night to see the last hours of qualifying, drove back to the Houx Campsite about midnight and got stuck in the most horrendous traffic jam turning left into the Houx Campsite Entrance.
It appeared that carpark situated on the Bugatti was using the road running between Houx and Houx Annex as an exit.
I cann’t remember this happening before, can anyone shed any light on this.
It appeared that carpark situated on the Bugatti was using the road running between Houx and Houx Annex as an exit.
I cann’t remember this happening before, can anyone shed any light on this.
We were on Houx and there are a couple of problems with the main entrance:-
- its too narrow so gets blocked by any camper vans, caravans, or wide cars with owners who value their alloys (me!)
- the security checks can take too long. There was a massive line waiting to get in when they only had one guard checking bags and bonnets for bottles, when they had 3 guards everything flowed without a hitch.
Overall though, not a major issue IMHO
- its too narrow so gets blocked by any camper vans, caravans, or wide cars with owners who value their alloys (me!)
- the security checks can take too long. There was a massive line waiting to get in when they only had one guard checking bags and bonnets for bottles, when they had 3 guards everything flowed without a hitch.
Overall though, not a major issue IMHO
We had no problems with traffic this year at Houx but we noticed the boot checks were more thorough. We drove back into site on Friday afternoon having already been pitched since Wednesday, to be asked for the boot to be opened. We still had loads of stuff in there but at the back we forgot we had 2 crates of bottled beer. Completely out of sight but they found them. The lady guard showed me the disclaimer on the back of my ticket and told us we’d have to bin them, so I informed her that we would do a u-turn out of site and return to the supermarché to exchange them for cans. Needless to say the u-turn didn’t happen and we carried on through when her back was turned.
Regarding the original post; after Thursday night qualifying we walked back from Tetre Rouge and down the road in between Houx and Houx Annexe which did have a load of traffic on it. It seemed to stem from the Bugatti circuit area somewhere up there. My brother also lost his ticket at the same time but after a brisk walk back I found it lying on the road in between some cars- phew!
Regarding the original post; after Thursday night qualifying we walked back from Tetre Rouge and down the road in between Houx and Houx Annexe which did have a load of traffic on it. It seemed to stem from the Bugatti circuit area somewhere up there. My brother also lost his ticket at the same time but after a brisk walk back I found it lying on the road in between some cars- phew!
Edited by dredgey on Friday 21st June 21:02
We found it was very time sensitive.
Arrived thursday about 3h30pm, no traffic at all. Set up camp, went out on the bikes for shopping and a drink at 5pm and traffic was backed up all the way past the roundabout ? How did that happen in such a short time?
Came back around 8pm, all smooth again...
Overall I thought given the massive crowd, traffic was well managed both cars and people. Apart from some queues at the toilet shortly before the start and at the showers in the morning, can't really remember queuing much.
Many music festivals and other sports events are far worse.
Arrived thursday about 3h30pm, no traffic at all. Set up camp, went out on the bikes for shopping and a drink at 5pm and traffic was backed up all the way past the roundabout ? How did that happen in such a short time?
Came back around 8pm, all smooth again...
Overall I thought given the massive crowd, traffic was well managed both cars and people. Apart from some queues at the toilet shortly before the start and at the showers in the morning, can't really remember queuing much.
Many music festivals and other sports events are far worse.
dredgey said:
We had no problems with traffic this year at Houx but we noticed the boot checks were more thorough. We drove back into site on Friday afternoon having already been pitched since Wednesday, to be asked for the boot to be opened. We still had loads of stuff in there but at the back we forgot we had 2 crates of bottled beer. Completely out of sight but they found them. The lady guard showed me the disclaimer on the back of my ticket and told us we’d have to bin them, so I informed her that we would do a u-turn out of site and return to the supermarché to exchange them for cans. Needless to say the u-turn didn’t happen and we carried on through when her back was turned.
Did anyone try:1. Stop, take >limit beer out of boot and place on ground next to gate with friend.
2. Drive in with =limit beer.
3. Stop, unload beer just inside gate, turn around and drive back out.
4. Load up to =limit beer again, turn around, drive back in.
5. Repeat until all beer inside.
?
//j17 said:
Did anyone try:
1. Stop, take >limit beer out of boot and place on ground next to gate with friend.
2. Drive in with =limit beer.
3. Stop, unload beer just inside gate, turn around and drive back out.
4. Load up to =limit beer again, turn around, drive back in.
5. Repeat until all beer inside.
?
Worth a go! On this occasion it didn’t seem to be the amount of beer as there was only two small boxes of 1664. She just wouldn’t allow bottles. Previously the checks we had were just cursory glances but this was a good rummage.1. Stop, take >limit beer out of boot and place on ground next to gate with friend.
2. Drive in with =limit beer.
3. Stop, unload beer just inside gate, turn around and drive back out.
4. Load up to =limit beer again, turn around, drive back in.
5. Repeat until all beer inside.
?
//j17 said:
Did anyone try:
1. Stop, take >limit beer out of boot and place on ground next to gate with friend.
2. Drive in with =limit beer.
3. Stop, unload beer just inside gate, turn around and drive back out.
4. Load up to =limit beer again, turn around, drive back in.
5. Repeat until all beer inside.
?
Stop on road round the corner from entrance. Send friend into camp site & pass beer over fence......................1. Stop, take >limit beer out of boot and place on ground next to gate with friend.
2. Drive in with =limit beer.
3. Stop, unload beer just inside gate, turn around and drive back out.
4. Load up to =limit beer again, turn around, drive back in.
5. Repeat until all beer inside.
?
Or take a shed load in early in the week when not bothered about limits in preparation for the weekend when limiting people
There was no limit on the quantity of beer allowed in to Houx/Houx Annexe, it was glass that was banned and what the vehicle searches were for.
Easy solution for beer - buy in cans. For spirits/wines (that only generally come in glass bottles), dropping a friend off a few hundred yards up the road with the bottles in their rucksack, who then walked in, worked each time.
Easy solution for beer - buy in cans. For spirits/wines (that only generally come in glass bottles), dropping a friend off a few hundred yards up the road with the bottles in their rucksack, who then walked in, worked each time.
TurboRob said:
There was no limit on the quantity of beer allowed in to Houx/Houx Annexe, it was glass that was banned and what the vehicle searches were for.
Easy solution for beer - buy in cans. For spirits/wines (that only generally come in glass bottles), dropping a friend off a few hundred yards up the road with the bottles in their rucksack, who then walked in, worked each time.
What annoyed me is that glass bottles should have been allowed on campsites just not at the track itself. Easy solution for beer - buy in cans. For spirits/wines (that only generally come in glass bottles), dropping a friend off a few hundred yards up the road with the bottles in their rucksack, who then walked in, worked each time.
Some drinks don’t come in cans in France ie Cidre. Plus I drink a lot of it! Yes we could bring cans but when there are 5 people drinking 15-20 cans a day and arrive Saturday before the race we simply can’t .
Inspections defiantly stepped up from Wednesday onwards.
I am seriously thinking of not going next year. And that would have been 20 years on the trot! Hypercar season can’t come soon enough.
Some guys built a pyramid out of glass bottles in Houx Annexe that spelt out 24h, so I'm not sure the searches were too thorough ..
We took cans but did get given some free confiscated bottles of beer from a friendly ticket checker when we were walking out of the circuit and back to the camp site though, which was nice.
We took cans but did get given some free confiscated bottles of beer from a friendly ticket checker when we were walking out of the circuit and back to the camp site though, which was nice.
They only ever check the boot so we have always been able to take loads in using the main cabin of the car. We just got complacent on this occasion and forgot we’d dumped some back in the boot. Either way, the reply that we would go back and exchange them worked well enough to allow us to drive in unnoticed once she was looking in the back of another car. 
We’ll probably move on to cans for the future though. Part of me feels that we all that bundle over to Le Mans for the week, some people leaving a right mess, so we should be responsible for making it easier for them to clear up after we have left, and cans must be easier.
We’ll probably move on to cans for the future though. Part of me feels that we all that bundle over to Le Mans for the week, some people leaving a right mess, so we should be responsible for making it easier for them to clear up after we have left, and cans must be easier.
Edited by dredgey on Sunday 23 June 15:20
TurboRob said:
Ironically there was a large glass recycling bin on Houx Annexe too...
Haha! Didn’t see that but it shows what a mockery the set up is. Supermarkets stock up with bottled beer with staff promoting sales of the stuff, then when you get to the campsites you’re told you can’t bring it in but if you’re cunning they have arranged for the bottles to be recycled! We arrived in Houx on the Weds with no bottles searches , (but usual cycle staff who are clueless on camping plot pitch locations!) but were told on our Thursday return back from supermarket run, not to bring bottles in campsite from 'Tomorrow' .(Friday).
We just nodded , had no search and drove in with all our beer anyhow!
You would think the ACO would co-ordinate with the local supermarkets if it's such a big deal.
And this year the campsite to track gate 'bottles in bag monitor gangs' from last year were not much around this year at all from our experience..
We just nodded , had no search and drove in with all our beer anyhow!
You would think the ACO would co-ordinate with the local supermarkets if it's such a big deal.
And this year the campsite to track gate 'bottles in bag monitor gangs' from last year were not much around this year at all from our experience..
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