Monday 21st January 2013

PistonHeads Private Camping at Le Mans

Limited space available on the 1st-Tickets private site at Bleu Nord.

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Shortly after the 2012 Le Mans 24h finished, we asked you to register your interest in staying on what is, in our opinion, the very best private campsite in Le Mans - The PistonHeads/ 1st-Tickets private campsite on Bleu Nord - for the 2013 event. Hundreds of you did just that, and as a result we now have very limited availability for LM13, but it's not too late to join us.

1st-Tickets and PistonHeads pride themselves in being able to offer a high quality, secure campsite with excellent facilities, a relaxed atmosphere and all within a short walk from the main parts of the circuit. We have further improved our site for 2013 and firmly believe our private campsite offers the very best accommodation in Le Mans.  Detailed below are the package costs, what the package consists of including the campsite facilities, the booking process and what will happen when all the spaces are filled.

What is included?

The PH/1st Tickets private campsite will be at its usual place on Bleu Nord, which is a short walk from the circuit and grandstands.  The site is 11000m2 with approximately 180 spaces available for PHers.

You package will include all of the following:

• Pre-allocated and marked out camping pitch – no need to worry, your space will be set out for you, whenever you arrive
• Free Wi-Fi access – No need to rely on patchy and expensive 3G
• Cooked meals included (3 x full English breakfast & 3 x evening meals)*
• Up to 5 day return Channel crossings
• General admission to the event is included
• On-site security, including night patrols at the weekend – security for your car and belongings
• Fenced perimeter – for your peace of mind
• Good ratio of private toilets and showers – no long queues for filthy facilities
• Large marquee creating a social hub for all campers whatever the weather
• Cash bar with a wide range of alcoholic and soft drinks in addition to tea and coffee
• TV coverage of the race so you don’t miss any of the action
• Guest Speakers (subject to availability) from teams taking part in the race!
• All tickets sent “Next Day” special delivery and insured

 How much will it cost?

The table below details our package prices for the most popular channel crossings based on a standard sized vehicle and an up to five day crossing.

Crossing Route	Standard Pitch (3.5m x 10m)				Large Pitch (5m x 10m)				Driver only Options
	Two per Car	Three per Car	Four per Car		Two per Car	Three per Car	Four per Car		Driver only pitch (2.7m x 10m)	Standard Pitch (3.5m x 10m)
Eurotunnel (Folkestone – Calais)	£415 pp	£340 pp	£295 pp		£485 pp	£385 pp	£330 pp		£560 pp	£640 pp
Ferry - Short Sea sailing (Dover - Calais)	£395 pp	£320 pp	£280 pp		£470 pp	£365pp	£315 pp		£545 pp	£620 pp
Ferry - Long sea sailings*	£POA	£POA	£POA		£POA	£POA	£POA		£POA	£POA

Although there is a marked increase on our 2012 prices you can be assured of a comfortable and, dare we say, luxurious stay, with all you need (bar a bit of beer money) included. Having fixed food, camping and even internet access costs means you can budget ahead of the event, which is important for us all.

* Long sea sailings are available via Portsmouth, Poole, Newhaven and Plymouth.  As the long sea crossing operators utilise a flexible pricing model, we can only confirm the total cost of your package at the time of booking your crossing.  In most cases the package price for these routes is higher than the short sea crossing, but they offer the advantage of a shorter drive once in France.

However, if you decide the private campsite is not the right option for your group, we can still help you with standard camping on the main public campsites at Le Mans, tailoring the package to suit your budgets and circuit location needs.

How do I book?

As spaces on the PistonHeads/1st Tickets private campsite are sold as a self-drive package including your channel crossing, you will also need to indicate your preferred crossing route and the number of people in each vehicle.

How do I register my interest in camping with PH?

To give everyone an equal opportunity to reserve spaces for their group, we'll need you to complete the online enquiry form. The 1st Tickets team will then contact you (in date registered order) to discuss your group’s plans including your channel crossing and grandstand requirements.

What if all the spaces are sold?

With the large volume of enquiries and limited number of spaces available, we expect that the campsite will sell out very quickly.  Once all the spaces are filled, we will automatically allocate bookings to the standard PistonHeads camping area on the main Bleu Nord campsite where we will place PH members together.  Although this does not offer all the facilities that are available on the private campsite, it gives you the opportunity to camp with likeminded PHers at Le Mans.  We will still keep your details on the waiting list for the private camping option in case any spaces become available.

If you decide that the secondary PistonHeads camping area on the standard Bleu Nord campsite if not for you, we can look to find spaces on an another of the standard ACO campsites or fully refund your group’s deposit.

• Additional Information

Can I add grandstand seats or helicopter flights to my booking?

Yes, you will be able to add grandstand seats, helicopter flights to your order (subject to availability).  As an official agent, we have a good selection of grandstands available.  Grandstand prices range from £66 to £109 per person.  Helicopter flight prices are expected to be announced in March 2013 (likely price range is £90 - £100 per person). We will discuss these options with you when confirming you crossing requirements, etc.

We are staying for more than three nights, can I add extra meals?

Yes, you will be able to add extra meals to your booking for just £20 per day per person.  When we confirm your crossing details, just let us know which extra meals and days you would like.

What if I am not travelling in a standard sized car?

If your vehicle is not a standard size or you are travelling in a campervan or motorhome, then there may be an additional supplement payable for your crossing.  When we call you to discuss your crossing details, we will be able to confirm any supplements due.

Can you provide pre-erected tents?

Yes, we do plan to have a pre-erected tent offer.  The pack will include a good sized tent, chairs, lantern, and air mattresses prices will be based on occupancy and likely be in the region of £120 to £180 per tent and equipment.  There will also be a refundable £125 damage and excessive cleaning deposit per tent.

Hopefully we have covered all the information you may need for your group, but if you have any queries or require any further information, please feel free to drop us a line or call us on 01234 834601.

* Sample menu

ENGLISH FULL BREAKFAST: 2 x smoked bacon, pork and herb sausage, fried egg, hash browns and baked beans, with baguette, tea or filter coffee.

DINNER: 28 day aged Hampshire sirloin, served with vegetable medley braised in herb stock, pepper cream sauce or herb but-ter and fries. Or: Halloumi, roast peppers, olives, au-bergine and courgettes, served with salad, fries and chilli salsa.

 

 

 

[The Moose]

Hmmmm - Sorely tempted!

Am I missing something, or are the actual dates included in the packages missing off the list?!

[Lazygraduate]

Le Mans virgin here - seriously tempted!

[stemll]

They are.

Site is available from Wednesday 19th and have to leave by midday Monday 24th


ETA we stayed there last year, food was excellent and is included (on circuit food is awful) in the price this year as is WiFi. Never queued for a toilet or a shower (will queue for a shower if you must have one in the morning) and they were spotless all weekend. Back this year with two more people.

Edited by stemll on Monday 21st January 16:51

[Antj]

wanted to do this with PH this year as Vauxhall stopped doing it this year. We were spoilt with them.

This year is the first year i am not doing it since 1999 and i have to say to anyone thinking about an organised pitch, if you can, do it, clean showers and security are worth every penny, doubt i will ever go back to the heady crazy days of beausjour,

Hope this is on next year as doing Spanish Grand Prix instead this year.

Edited by Antj on Monday 21st January 16:48

[fatboy18]

The Moose said:

Hmmmm - Sorely tempted!

Am I missing something, or are the actual dates included in the packages missing off the list?!

Le mans is the 22nd and 23rd of June, Most people go down to Le mans on the Thursday (20th)

[SpunkyM]

Super, but I wish there was an option to exclude the food. Not that the breakfast and dinner will be bad I expect but I'd really rather not have the tie down of set meal times. Firing up a small bbq is usually much more fun and kind of part of the camping experience for me.

I wonder what sort of premium we are paying for the food?

[stemll]

SpunkyM said:

Super, but I wish there was an option to exclude the food. Not that the breakfast and dinner will be bad I expect but I'd really rather not have the tie down of set meal times. Firing up a small bbq is usually much more fun and kind of part of the camping experience for me.

I wonder what sort of premium we are paying for the food?

Last year it was €58/pp for three breakfasts and three dinners which is what's included this year. Evening meal included a pint, don't know if that's the case this year

WiFi last year was €10 and is included this year

This year, it's £110 more for two in a car of which €68 (choose your exchange rate to compare) is the food and WiFi at last year's prices.

Edited by stemll on Monday 21st January 16:51

[upsidedownmark]

Any ideas what the form would be if you were to come on a bike - or even 2 (I figure 2 peeps on 2 bikes is probably a similar 'footprint' to 2 peeps in 1 car, but I guess the ferries might see it differently..)

[slowlaner]

SpunkyM said:

Super, but I wish there was an option to exclude the food. Not that the breakfast and dinner will be bad I expect but I'd really rather not have the tie down of set meal times. Firing up a small bbq is usually much more fun and kind of part of the camping experience for me.

I wonder what sort of premium we are paying for the food?

I agree. Nice to BBQ for a change some evenings. Also nice to be able to book your crossing separately too to get caravan club early-bird deals in January (under £50 return Dover-Calais for a motorhome this year if you book in Jan for Le Mans period). Apart from these minor changes, I like the sound of it and may well use this for 2014.

Edited by slowlaner on Monday 21st January 17:32

[chum racing]

The Moose said:

Hmmmm - Sorely tempted!

Am I missing something, or are the actual dates included in the packages missing off the list?!

Sorry we forgot about that

The dates for the race are 22nd - 23rd June. The PH private campsite will be open from Wednesday 19th until the morning of Monday 24th June.

SpunkyM said:

Super, but I wish there was an option to exclude the food. Not that the breakfast and dinner will be bad I expect but I'd really rather not have the tie down of set meal times. Firing up a small bbq is usually much more fun and kind of part of the camping experience for me.

I wonder what sort of premium we are paying for the food?

Based on the feedback from last year's PHers camping with us, we decided to go for food included base package. However, we recognise that this may not suit everyone. The three full english breakfasts and evening meals are effectively priced at £75 per person. Some PHers may want to add extra meals to their booking, which we can also cater for.

upsidedownmark said:

Any ideas what the form would be if you were to come on a bike - or even 2 (I figure 2 peeps on 2 bikes is probably a similar 'footprint' to 2 peeps in 1 car, but I guess the ferries might see it differently..)

Yes, we can cater for PHers on two wheels as well. We normally work on the basis that two (or three at a push) bikes can share a standard camping pitch. Prices are effectively the same as two people in a car and slightly more if there are three bike sharing a pitch due to the difference in channel crossing rates for bikes.

[samdale]

chum racing said:

SpunkyM said:

Super, but I wish there was an option to exclude the food. Not that the breakfast and dinner will be bad I expect but I'd really rather not have the tie down of set meal times. Firing up a small bbq is usually much more fun and kind of part of the camping experience for me.

I wonder what sort of premium we are paying for the food?

Based on the feedback from last year's PHers camping with us, we decided to go for food included base package. However, we recognise that this may not suit everyone. The three full english breakfasts and evening meals are effectively priced at £75 per person. Some PHers may want to add extra meals to their booking, which we can also cater for.

So we can have more meals but not less? Sorry if I'm being thick here. All the facilities do sound great but I think I'd prefer BBQ/DIY than sit down meals.

[struttob]

Sounds very good - but I have already booked my ferry - can it be done without the ferry ??

BOB

[chum racing]

struttob said:

Sounds very good - but I have already booked my ferry - can it be done without the ferry ??

BOB

Hi Bob, yes we would be able to help you. If you follow the link in the news article and register your details, we can then contact you to discuss the package options.

[Hellbound]

Reminds me of the old...

"If you went camping and woke up and a condom up your bum and found an empty jar of Vaseline next to you, would you tell anyone?"

"Erm...no"

"Fancy going camping?"

[struttob]

Is there any power available for charging batteries/laptops/phones/radios etc etc on the pitch ?

Bob

[chum racing]

samdale said:

So we can have more meals but not less? Sorry if I'm being thick here. All the facilities do sound great but I think I'd prefer BBQ/DIY than sit down meals.

Sorry, think I muddied the waters. Yes, you can opt out of the food and go self catering if desired.

[chum racing]

struttob said:

Is there any power available for charging batteries/laptops/phones/radios etc etc on the pitch ?

Bob

Yes, there are charging points in the marquee. We are looking at ways of increasing the amount of charging points available too.

[Wozy68]

Ok I'm being thick.

Where are the prices, where is the 'table below' that tells you?

Am I alone in this? If so please point me in the right direction please

[drybeer]

chum racing said:

Sorry, think I muddied the waters. Yes, you can opt out of the food and go self catering if desired.

This is quite interesting - I've clicked to "reserve" as I do want to be at this site with the facilities which sound great. In addition I do like the idea of the meals being included, but my cousin was wondering is there a discount if you're opting out of the food doing a BBQ thing on your own?

[Mattygooner]

Goingwith Travel Destinations again this year, have been so good for the past 2 years that tochange would be mad, agree that with added security and cold beer, going with an organised company is the way to go.