Come back Sunday or Monday?
Discussion
We came back on monday - this year our first time, but judging from the Radio Lemans reports and the queues of people leaving the track after the race finished it was taking upto 5 hours to get out of the leMans area.
We just sat down cracked open a beer and had a nice relaxed evening..
The campsite in the morning was somethign to behold. the pikeys will take anything not screwed down - but were politely asking you first?
The trip back was full of exotica and a decent run all the rest stops were full of leMans attendees, with fairly free moving traffic most of the way.
The Team Langoustine guys were great - I hope we can get clearance for a trip in 08 ..
Simes.
We just sat down cracked open a beer and had a nice relaxed evening..
The campsite in the morning was somethign to behold. the pikeys will take anything not screwed down - but were politely asking you first?
The trip back was full of exotica and a decent run all the rest stops were full of leMans attendees, with fairly free moving traffic most of the way.
The Team Langoustine guys were great - I hope we can get clearance for a trip in 08 ..
Simes.
Edited by 51mes on Monday 29th October 23:06
Monday.
Have a few Sunday night, make a nice big campfire with all the charcoal left over. Get on the road 7-8ish Monday morning. If you shoot off straight after the race, the end of the race seems such an anti-climax.
If you do need to leave on Sunday, then pack up Sunday morning and get your car North of the circuit and walk back in for the finish. This will save you 3-4 hours of queueing.
Have a few Sunday night, make a nice big campfire with all the charcoal left over. Get on the road 7-8ish Monday morning. If you shoot off straight after the race, the end of the race seems such an anti-climax.
If you do need to leave on Sunday, then pack up Sunday morning and get your car North of the circuit and walk back in for the finish. This will save you 3-4 hours of queueing.
Always leave on a monday too. The atmosphere in the campsites is a lot more camaraderie as in "will you watch the pikeys don't nick my stuff whilst my mate's passed out and I go for a wizz?"
Last year in Bleu Nord we had donut competitions on the wet mud of the parking area, a lot more sensible and fun than the Friday night affairs, mainly due I think to some people either running out or having already had their full of beer for the weekend.
Last year in Bleu Nord we had donut competitions on the wet mud of the parking area, a lot more sensible and fun than the Friday night affairs, mainly due I think to some people either running out or having already had their full of beer for the weekend.
Yep - MadMacMcMad has it 100% spot on.
Sunday night is always a good laugh on the camp sites. You see the place 1/2 empty with people looking shagged and knowing they have hours of tired driving ahead of them while you sit there drinking beer.
It's also the time for "Operation Leave Nothing For The Pikies" to begin.
If your not taking X home with you...
1) If it burns, burn it.
2) If it holds air/water, puncture it (and burn it if it's not going to smell too bad).
3) If it works, make sure it doesn't by the time the sun comes up (preferably by burning it).
It has to be said Monday has a feel about it. There is this depression over everyone - they know it's really over for another year. This is off-set by the knowledge your nice and fresh and have a relatively relaxed drive back to the coast (and that most of the French police have gone back to their normal jobs).
If you are staying Sunday night (and depending where you have to get back to of course) I wouldn't leave too early. There isn't anything to keep you there so just get up at 8am (when the sun hit's the tent and it becomes 10,000 degrees), pack up, leave 10-ish to get a mid-afternoon ferry/train. All very laid back and relaxed.
Sunday night is always a good laugh on the camp sites. You see the place 1/2 empty with people looking shagged and knowing they have hours of tired driving ahead of them while you sit there drinking beer.
It's also the time for "Operation Leave Nothing For The Pikies" to begin.
If your not taking X home with you...
1) If it burns, burn it.
2) If it holds air/water, puncture it (and burn it if it's not going to smell too bad).
3) If it works, make sure it doesn't by the time the sun comes up (preferably by burning it).
It has to be said Monday has a feel about it. There is this depression over everyone - they know it's really over for another year. This is off-set by the knowledge your nice and fresh and have a relatively relaxed drive back to the coast (and that most of the French police have gone back to their normal jobs).
If you are staying Sunday night (and depending where you have to get back to of course) I wouldn't leave too early. There isn't anything to keep you there so just get up at 8am (when the sun hit's the tent and it becomes 10,000 degrees), pack up, leave 10-ish to get a mid-afternoon ferry/train. All very laid back and relaxed.
Edited by //j17 on Tuesday 30th October 10:20
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The first year we stayed Sunday night and drove early Monday, the last two years we've made tracks about an hour before the race ends on Sunday avo.
The argument about driving tired kind of depends on what you do Sunday. In our case I felt worse Monday morning than I did after not sleeping on the Saturday.
The argument about driving tired kind of depends on what you do Sunday. In our case I felt worse Monday morning than I did after not sleeping on the Saturday.
Vette_1978 said:
The first year we stayed Sunday night and drove early Monday, the last two years we've made tracks about an hour before the race ends on Sunday avo.
Each to his own but never understood the leaving-before-the-end thing. Poor people who suffer from premature evacuation 
.This year we enjoyed the after race chill by getting roaring drunk in a bar in Arnage sheltering from the pouring rain and watching the serious traffic trundle by. Then headed across to Le Mans to watch the Grand Prix that was on and then for dinner.
Monday morning, leisurely get up and pack routine and headed off at 11 for the 6pm ferry.
Monday morning, leisurely get up and pack routine and headed off at 11 for the 6pm ferry.
Monday return for us, but nobody seems to have mentioned the chances of getting stuck in huge queues on the Monday as well. We've queued the last couple of years approaching the Toll that's a couple of hours up the A28 (sorry can't remember where it is!). This year we lost well over an hour, probably nearer two. It's a friendly jam though filled with Brits though that usually involves hopping out to push the overheating classic cars to the side of the autoroute!
It's also worth making sure you fill up with fuel well before the Monday as the fuel stations on the A28 are few and far between (getting better though I think?) and had massive queues at them for the last two years.
Clearly the back roads avoid these problems but for some reason I always forget how bad it is until I hit the back of the queue!
Allow yourself plenty of time for your ferry as the ferry co's don't miss the opportunity of charging extra if you've missed your boat plus they've usually filled the boats early (with all the punters who missed the earlier boats!) and will claim that you arrived late...
It's also worth making sure you fill up with fuel well before the Monday as the fuel stations on the A28 are few and far between (getting better though I think?) and had massive queues at them for the last two years.
Clearly the back roads avoid these problems but for some reason I always forget how bad it is until I hit the back of the queue!
Allow yourself plenty of time for your ferry as the ferry co's don't miss the opportunity of charging extra if you've missed your boat plus they've usually filled the boats early (with all the punters who missed the earlier boats!) and will claim that you arrived late...
Cheers, that's worth knowing - it'll be an early start on Monday as it is to make the lunchtime ferry (don't want to go later as we have to get back to Yorkshire).
I've left before the end the last two years and this time I want to run around on the track like a mad thing and enjoy the full experience
I've left before the end the last two years and this time I want to run around on the track like a mad thing and enjoy the full experience
To give you an idea going down (from Calais) it usually takes us around 5 hours, that includes a couple of "comfort breaks" and probably a short meal or at least a sarnie.
Coming back it usually works out at over 6 hours and that's with a couple of rushed toilet stops. It's easily possible to take an hour to get out of Le Mans, an hour to get through the tollbooth and 40 minutes to get into the ferry port. That's without queuing to get fuel as the SAAB Diesel doesn't have a fuel tank problem.
We tend to leave the site at 11 and get to the Ferry Port at Calais for sometime just after 5. I guess if you get going earlier it might be easier but then you've either got to get up hideously early (please don't camp next to me!) or you've got to pack up on Sunday night.
You'll need to get your asses in gear very early to get a lunchtime ferry and you'll also need to be quite lucky.
Coming back it usually works out at over 6 hours and that's with a couple of rushed toilet stops. It's easily possible to take an hour to get out of Le Mans, an hour to get through the tollbooth and 40 minutes to get into the ferry port. That's without queuing to get fuel as the SAAB Diesel doesn't have a fuel tank problem.
We tend to leave the site at 11 and get to the Ferry Port at Calais for sometime just after 5. I guess if you get going earlier it might be easier but then you've either got to get up hideously early (please don't camp next to me!) or you've got to pack up on Sunday night.
You'll need to get your asses in gear very early to get a lunchtime ferry and you'll also need to be quite lucky.
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