Help... transport questions, should we hire a small van!?
Discussion
I have a dilema regarding transport, hope you guys can help us out as we're Le Man newbies!
We have decided we're going to hire something to drive over to Le Man as we don't have a car with anywhere near enough room to fit stuff it....So I was thinking a small van, Renault Traffic size, that way we can fit loads in, mountain bikes etc...do people hire/take vans for Le Mans, is this the 'done' thing?
Does anyone know of a good/well priced company that would hire one from Essex and allow us to take to France? Or would it be easier, better to hire a small car like a clio?
Also, when we book the ferry do we need to know the reg number or what sort of car we have, as we won't know until we hire one! Do ferry places run out quickly or will we be able to get a ferry ticket right up to June? We're hoping to travel down on the tue or wed, and we're going with the PH/WRR group!
So many questions, any help appreciated!
cheers
We have decided we're going to hire something to drive over to Le Man as we don't have a car with anywhere near enough room to fit stuff it....So I was thinking a small van, Renault Traffic size, that way we can fit loads in, mountain bikes etc...do people hire/take vans for Le Mans, is this the 'done' thing?
Does anyone know of a good/well priced company that would hire one from Essex and allow us to take to France? Or would it be easier, better to hire a small car like a clio?
Also, when we book the ferry do we need to know the reg number or what sort of car we have, as we won't know until we hire one! Do ferry places run out quickly or will we be able to get a ferry ticket right up to June? We're hoping to travel down on the tue or wed, and we're going with the PH/WRR group!
So many questions, any help appreciated!
cheers
I can't really help you out with many of yor questions. However what I can say is, that Ferry's are already fully booked, so you need to get a move on. I booked our Ferries lat weekend and the outward route is Speedferries, on the Tuesday. Thursday onward was fully booked and I couldn't book a return with them as it too is fully booked, so going back with P&O.
dank said:
We have decided we're going to hire something to drive over to Le Man as we don't have a car with anywhere near enough room to fit stuff it....
What car are you taking....?! You'll see loads of Caterhams, Westfields, Elises etc down there on the campsites - how much stuff do you want to take?! I'm travelling with a mate this year whose taking his Tiger and he'll be able to fit plenty of camping kit for a couple of nights. Ok, he's not taking mountain bikes (no need in my opinion) and anything we can't carry (bbq's etc) can easily be purchased near the track. Bikes are handy for getting to further away parts of circuit but I suggest going to these when practice/qualifying is on by car when the traffic is a bit quieter than race days. Most of viewing areas are full of people and bike will only make it more difficult for you to get around 
Think a van might be overkill unless you have a particularly mundane car that you don't mind not bringing!
All you need really is a decent tent, a couple of chairs, airbeds, sleeping bags and some spare clothes. You won't need fridges or BBQs as we'll have cold beer and food service on camp. I wouldn't bother with the bicycles. You can drive about pretty freely with the exception of Friday afternoon/saturday morning & sunday late afternoon
All you need really is a decent tent, a couple of chairs, airbeds, sleeping bags and some spare clothes. You won't need fridges or BBQs as we'll have cold beer and food service on camp. I wouldn't bother with the bicycles. You can drive about pretty freely with the exception of Friday afternoon/saturday morning & sunday late afternoon
The van hire depends on how many people you need to satisfy and what you'd take if given the option. Last year we hired a van from a local place in Manchester and paid about £70 which was split between the 8 of us travelling. We hired a 4kw generator to power the tv, PS2, fridge, lighting, kettle, grill, stereo and xmas lights. It also carried most of the tent gear, 2 gazebo's and bbq.
This year we've got 9 people going and are getting a van again probably from the same place. It sat at 95 on the toll roads no problem.
This year we've got 9 people going and are getting a van again probably from the same place. It sat at 95 on the toll roads no problem.
it doesn't matter what you go in mate, it just party party party on down. it all about about do your own thing,and ejoy your selves, we do.we are taking a 6 berth camper this year so should be a giggle,but watch out for those b******s with cameras they were like flies round s**t last year.(the cops)just enjoy &chill there is nothing better.
Edited by stiggybot on Friday 25th January 21:00
Its up to you what you take! Theres No Problems with vans at all! People in small groups of sports cars usually have a support truck of some sort. Ive done Le Mans several times with various cars and Vans. The van is good for taking down the Sofa, fridge, Generator, Fireworks, rope lighting, Swimming pool (now banned)! Cold boxes for Beer (while picthing tent), and Bicycles. If you end up camping in Beausejour, the bikes come into there own! there is a noddy train which takes you up to the village, but...you nearly always have to wait for it. Also the traffic is a nightmare! On the bikes you can more or less go wherever you like! Also in the vans you become everybodys friend giving people lifts all over the place! You can also launch supprise attacks with a load of you hideing inside the van with water pistols 
You can also carry TOOLS AND TOWROPES (COS they dont sell tow ropes in France!!!(as I found out)
If youre thinking of going on the euro tunnel,theres no problems with Reg Nos, and If you go early enough Ive not had a problem booking a few days before! However its diffrent with the Ferry companies.
Have a good one, Dont forget your sun cream and Raincoat!
You can also carry TOOLS AND TOWROPES (COS they dont sell tow ropes in France!!!(as I found out) If youre thinking of going on the euro tunnel,theres no problems with Reg Nos, and If you go early enough Ive not had a problem booking a few days before! However its diffrent with the Ferry companies.Have a good one, Dont forget your sun cream and Raincoat!
We took a Van last year as a support vehicle and will be doing the same this year, as it's a tough order fitting motor bikes / bikes / cooking and camping gear in to our cars. it also allows to to break off and enjoy the twisties to the max. Therefore depends on what your taking and if you plan to head straight down there etc.
We're taking one as well, luckily one of our team has one, so no need to hire. We usually go down for the week in a group of about 12, in 4 normal cars, and it gets a bit bloody cramped with tents, generators, etc. etc. We hired a Passat estate last year, which was OK... but still not ideal. So we're going with a mid sized van this year, and 3 cars, the van should be able to take all the bulky stuff, and we should have more room in the cars.
We looked into hiring a van for last years trip but found it to be too expensive. In the end we bought a Mondeo Estate off e bay for £136 and put two roofboxes on the top.
Admittedly it was crammed full with all the gear for 12 of us ( including a guitar )but it managed to keep up with the rest of the convoy and was the only vehicle not to suffer any problems on the whole trip. It especially proved its worth on trips to Carrefour to stock up on beer and food.
It even looked good with its graphics on and made a guest appearance in the PH Le Mans gallery.
All in all it was a much cheaper option as it came with valid tax and MOT.It only retired to the knackers yard at the end of last year having seen out its final weeks pretending to be a skip.
Donkey was a star and we all miss him!
Admittedly it was crammed full with all the gear for 12 of us ( including a guitar )but it managed to keep up with the rest of the convoy and was the only vehicle not to suffer any problems on the whole trip. It especially proved its worth on trips to Carrefour to stock up on beer and food.
It even looked good with its graphics on and made a guest appearance in the PH Le Mans gallery.
All in all it was a much cheaper option as it came with valid tax and MOT.It only retired to the knackers yard at the end of last year having seen out its final weeks pretending to be a skip.
Donkey was a star and we all miss him!
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