Advice for Le Mans virgins
Discussion
If anyone wants a more 'civilised' camp site (if camping can ever be civilised!) and doesn't mind being a little way out from the circuit, we stayed on a municipal site in Spay, about 5km from the circuit. It's got proper showers and toilets, plenty of room for your pitch without having to rope it off with 'Police Incident' tape and even electric hook-ups. Booked it through Just Tickets 'cos they had sold all their in-circuit camping allocation. If you want a quieter stay and don't mind driving to the circuit, I can thoroughly recommend it.
It took us about 10 mins to get to Arnage corner from there which, if you've never been before, is an excellent place to watch the race up close.
There was on site entertainment provided this year by a local Xantia releasing it's handbrake and rolling into the rather picturesque lake...
It took us about 10 mins to get to Arnage corner from there which, if you've never been before, is an excellent place to watch the race up close.
There was on site entertainment provided this year by a local Xantia releasing it's handbrake and rolling into the rather picturesque lake...
Check out www.BlokesAtLeMans.co.uk
My non-commercial site of the exploits of a load of mates who escape to Lemans each year.
We have a possible 4 virgins in attendance for next year, no end of washer-uppers and sanitary maids then!
Richard
>> Edited by richardthestag on Wednesday 1st December 16:31
My non-commercial site of the exploits of a load of mates who escape to Lemans each year.
We have a possible 4 virgins in attendance for next year, no end of washer-uppers and sanitary maids then!
Richard
>> Edited by richardthestag on Wednesday 1st December 16:31
www.lemans.org for details of the ACO.
Security for the cars on the official campsites is as good as you are going to find anywhere. They'll be surrounded by like minded enthusiasts 24hrs a day for as long as you are there. And no matter what car you turn up in, someone else will have a better one.
Security for the cars on the official campsites is as good as you are going to find anywhere. They'll be surrounded by like minded enthusiasts 24hrs a day for as long as you are there. And no matter what car you turn up in, someone else will have a better one.
Thanks.
Has anyone used www.airtrack.co.uk - have been recommended to use them but at £500 for a pitch seems a bit steep especially when you can get the ferry for £25 now.
Is the camping on a first come first serve basis ? Probably only going to get there on Thursday evening and don't want to miss a pitch etc...
Has anyone used www.airtrack.co.uk - have been recommended to use them but at £500 for a pitch seems a bit steep especially when you can get the ferry for £25 now.
Is the camping on a first come first serve basis ? Probably only going to get there on Thursday evening and don't want to miss a pitch etc...
I stayed with Airtrack last year.
The site was good, great facilities and superb location. Right in the thick of things next to the karting track. less than 5 minute walk to the side of the main track. The whole site was fenced and patrolled with access controlled by wristband at the gate. As far as I know you have to book in advance BUT... when I spoke to them a month or so ago they told me they were not selling pitches on their own. They were only doing them as part of a package with the ferry crossing. It was good.....but £500 good?.... well lets just say i'm not going back there this time!
I wanted to sort the ferry out myself, but still have a 'posh' campsite. I've gone with speedferries dover - boulogne (£50 return) and camping at clubmotorsport.
www.clubmotorsport.org.uk
I Haven't stayed there before but have heard very good things from folks who stayed there last year. It's a little way from the track, but they are running a courtesy bus. You get fed too, so all in I think it probably works out at pretty good value for money.
Hope that helps
Owen.
The site was good, great facilities and superb location. Right in the thick of things next to the karting track. less than 5 minute walk to the side of the main track. The whole site was fenced and patrolled with access controlled by wristband at the gate. As far as I know you have to book in advance BUT... when I spoke to them a month or so ago they told me they were not selling pitches on their own. They were only doing them as part of a package with the ferry crossing. It was good.....but £500 good?.... well lets just say i'm not going back there this time!
I wanted to sort the ferry out myself, but still have a 'posh' campsite. I've gone with speedferries dover - boulogne (£50 return) and camping at clubmotorsport.
www.clubmotorsport.org.uk
I Haven't stayed there before but have heard very good things from folks who stayed there last year. It's a little way from the track, but they are running a courtesy bus. You get fed too, so all in I think it probably works out at pretty good value for money.
Hope that helps
Owen.
There's some very good advice on this tread. The www.blokesatlemans.co.uk is very ammusing BTW. If you have a bit of spare time, read the pilgrimage reports!
For me, Le Mans is about being with like-mined petrol heads, good friends, and being off the leash and on the lash! You could make an entire Jaskass series for each day at Le Mans (with a double bill on the Sunday evening)
For me, Le Mans is about being with like-mined petrol heads, good friends, and being off the leash and on the lash! You could make an entire Jaskass series for each day at Le Mans (with a double bill on the Sunday evening)
Guys,
This will be my third year at Le Mans, and we are starting to make preperations for the pilgrimage. Does anybody know the best way to buy Dover/Calais ferry tickets without paying £120+ for them. Advice would be gladly recieved :-)
Can't wait for the ferry full of supercars revving and honking horns again. Just one of the experiences that characterises Le Mans. Fabulous.
This will be my third year at Le Mans, and we are starting to make preperations for the pilgrimage. Does anybody know the best way to buy Dover/Calais ferry tickets without paying £120+ for them. Advice would be gladly recieved :-)
Can't wait for the ferry full of supercars revving and honking horns again. Just one of the experiences that characterises Le Mans. Fabulous.
Hi my name is Russell and im a virgin....
looking to go over on the 16th. but which camp site will have the most TVRs on? also where can i buy theses tickets is there a le Mans site for buying camping ticket, and entry tickets. can anybody help??? i have a chance of going over with the berkshire club but they are staying in a hotel.. all i want to do is get there, park the car, get a bbq going and get the beers drunk..
please help
Russ (nitrous) Kent
looking to go over on the 16th. but which camp site will have the most TVRs on? also where can i buy theses tickets is there a le Mans site for buying camping ticket, and entry tickets. can anybody help??? i have a chance of going over with the berkshire club but they are staying in a hotel.. all i want to do is get there, park the car, get a bbq going and get the beers drunk..
please help
Russ (nitrous) Kent
russellkent said:
Hi my name is Russell and im a virgin....
looking to go over on the 16th. but which camp site will have the most TVRs on? also where can i buy theses tickets is there a le Mans site for buying camping ticket, and entry tickets. can anybody help??? i have a chance of going over with the berkshire club but they are staying in a hotel.. all i want to do is get there, park the car, get a bbq going and get the beers drunk..
please help
Russ (nitrous) Kent
you can try thr tvrcc all the camping houx tickets have gone there should be alot of tvrs in Maison Blanche. camping is the best way to go beer bbq and cars
phope100 said:
Guys,
This will be my third year at Le Mans, and we are starting to make preperations for the pilgrimage. Does anybody know the best way to buy Dover/Calais ferry tickets without paying £120+ for them. Advice would be gladly recieved :-).
If a number of you are going then buy a season ticket. You buy a ticket for the number of crossings you think you will make in a year, the more crossings the cheaper it gets. Then you blow the whole ticket for you and the others to cross on the same boat.
Steve
I'm a Le Mans virgin that has just booked up to make the jaunt over this year.
Like many others I had'nt got a clue what the best way to do it was and the more you look into it, the more I got confused!
We ended up getting a package from Motor Racing International which worked out a bit more expensive than if we had gone accross our selves but we found that there were no spare plots on Houx Annexe which was the site that had been recommended. The only down side was that we had to buy race entry tickets as part of the package at their inflated prices but it got to the point where we just wanted to go so much we just thought s*d it! On the plus side apparently they have a hospitality tent that will be very useful if its raining as we have ladies coming along with us. I already know that next year we will be doing it our own way but as it is the first year thought it would be a good idea to go with a known quantity.
So we are leaving Birmingham at abot 3 on the thursady morning in a convoy consisting of british cars of all ages (Triumph Spifire to TVR Griff) to get on the P&O Dover-Calais crossing at about 7am and then the long run down to the circuit. Hopefully arriving in enough time to get a decent spot. Leaving on the monday morning unless the ladies give us too much grief!! SO I hope that there will still be lots going on on the sunday night.
Just starting to think of what to take now, obviously a tent,a beer armchair and a cheap BBQ to leave there but other than that any advice will be gratefully received. Space could be a bit of a Premium but making the journey in something a bit special has got to be better than taking a Saab estate down!! But the air con does sound tempting!!
Stephen
>> Edited by shollis on Wednesday 26th January 13:10
shollis said:You'll probably hear a load of us start up as we disembark at Boulogne then, as we've a 7:45 crossing from Dover, timings should be just about right
...on the P&O Dover-Calais crossing at about 7am...
shollis said:You really don't need that much and even with your good lady in tow you'll have enough space, unless you have a Caterham or with no boot at all...
Just starting to think of what to take now, obviously a tent,a beer armchair and a cheap BBQ to leave there but other than that any advice will be gratefully received. Space could be a bit of a Premium but making the journey in something a bit special has got to be better than taking a Saab estate down!! But the air con does sound tempting!!
If you can its worth getting a fold-up table for putting your next few beers and food on.
FM radios for Radio Le Mans are a must too, but they can be bought when you get there.
If you need something else the local Carrefour will most likely have it, although you can get most of what you need around the track at inflated prices.
Schollis, you won't regret it... you may be going the expensive route but at least you're going.
If space really is a premium, may I suggest buying chairs down there. The supermarkets usually sell cheap garden furniture which you can leave on the campsite when you leave. The plastic, fixed chairs are usually only about £6, likewsie with BBQ's if you're gonna leave it there, why not buy it there!
Chars,
Mark B
If space really is a premium, may I suggest buying chairs down there. The supermarkets usually sell cheap garden furniture which you can leave on the campsite when you leave. The plastic, fixed chairs are usually only about £6, likewsie with BBQ's if you're gonna leave it there, why not buy it there!
Chars,
Mark B
Sounds like a good idea getting everything down there. I did the 24hour kart race a couple of years ago and seem to remember a Carrefour? or similar nearby that you could buy that kind of stuff from.
By the sound of it as well, any thing you leave behind will be snapped up by the local pikeys! Im a bit concerned that these gangs dont try anything too dirty but as I read on another thread, I like the idea of leaving an empty whisky bottle with a "natural" surprise in it!!
By the sound of it as well, any thing you leave behind will be snapped up by the local pikeys! Im a bit concerned that these gangs dont try anything too dirty but as I read on another thread, I like the idea of leaving an empty whisky bottle with a "natural" surprise in it!!
Onto my 4th year now and getting to finally sort it, I think.
I seem to always use MRI. I know they're a little more expenseive but I'd gladly pay the extra for the use of the clean and que free toilets in the marque. At least you can have a proper dump without 1000 people stood outside your door! The ladies will definately appreciate it.
Had a nightmare last year trying to get into Maison Blanche (which was our 1st time campsite and beauty) as we got there on Friday evening. We had a reet kaffufle and had to stay in Bleu, which turned out to be fine.
I also agree about the Sunday and now set off to stay at Camponille around Rouen.
This year we're setting off from Leeds on the Thursday dinner time and getting a Dover ferry the same evening. Then driving for an hour and staying over somewhere. Then up and doing a Friday big shop (and to fill up with ice for the beer) in Brionne and hopefully to circuit earlier!
The atmosphere is mental and even if you are a virgin you can't go wrong!
Enjoy all.
I seem to always use MRI. I know they're a little more expenseive but I'd gladly pay the extra for the use of the clean and que free toilets in the marque. At least you can have a proper dump without 1000 people stood outside your door! The ladies will definately appreciate it.
Had a nightmare last year trying to get into Maison Blanche (which was our 1st time campsite and beauty) as we got there on Friday evening. We had a reet kaffufle and had to stay in Bleu, which turned out to be fine.
I also agree about the Sunday and now set off to stay at Camponille around Rouen.
This year we're setting off from Leeds on the Thursday dinner time and getting a Dover ferry the same evening. Then driving for an hour and staying over somewhere. Then up and doing a Friday big shop (and to fill up with ice for the beer) in Brionne and hopefully to circuit earlier!
The atmosphere is mental and even if you are a virgin you can't go wrong!
Enjoy all.
Oi my Caterham has the third biggest luggage space of all the cars I own so I reckon it's practically comodious even for someone of my delicate frame.
As to everything you need, Carrefour is probably the biggest supermarket you'll ever go to and is only a mile from the campsite. Go there with the intention of "buy it to burn it" and you'll find a greater choice than you'll ever need.
Remember shopping at Carrefour is about buying totally superfulous items that you will only use the once and one upmanship in the campsite is prerequisite, thus the more ridiculous the better.
As to everything you need, Carrefour is probably the biggest supermarket you'll ever go to and is only a mile from the campsite. Go there with the intention of "buy it to burn it" and you'll find a greater choice than you'll ever need.
Remember shopping at Carrefour is about buying totally superfulous items that you will only use the once and one upmanship in the campsite is prerequisite, thus the more ridiculous the better.
Just my 2p’s worth. I did Le Mans for the first time last year.
Coming from a slightly different angle it is possible to do Le Mans “on-spec” with no advanced bookings.
I made the final go/no-go decision on the Wednesday evening before the race. Drove down on Friday afternoon with no-campsite or entrance tickets and got there about 8 pm. The aerodrome campsite is open until late on Friday and you can by tickets on the gate (you need to go to the ticket office which shuts around 5 pm to get into the other campsites if you haven’t pre-booked). Aerodrome has no facilities but is only a 10 min walk from the main gate and cost 18 EUR. It was also virtually empty when I got there so no probs finding a shady spot by a tree.
Note to first time campers: Get a shady spot under a tree if you can! It can get bloody hot in them tents!
After setting up camp a quick stroll down to the main gate saw no queues and I was able to pick up an all weekend entrance ticket for 58 EUR. Not sure if this is more expensive than booking in advance. From there walked into the main paddock and joined the revellers in the bars there which was swinging along nicely by about 10’ish. The rest of the weekend went on from there and was superb.
I shall probably make the same late decision this year. The only thing I will do differently is take Monday off work to recover!
Walking round the campsites and reading threads on PH I know a lot of people – the Brits especially – put a lot of effort into organising some amazing camp sites with motor homes and other support vehicles, flag poles, perimeter fencing, huge barbeques, enough booze to run a pub for a week, sun lounges, mopeds, fridges, freezers, generators, even spectator towers and mini swimming pools.
However, if like me you have problems committing to events like this long in advance then it is possible to do it with a lot less planning and still have fun
See you there in June!!
Coming from a slightly different angle it is possible to do Le Mans “on-spec” with no advanced bookings.
I made the final go/no-go decision on the Wednesday evening before the race. Drove down on Friday afternoon with no-campsite or entrance tickets and got there about 8 pm. The aerodrome campsite is open until late on Friday and you can by tickets on the gate (you need to go to the ticket office which shuts around 5 pm to get into the other campsites if you haven’t pre-booked). Aerodrome has no facilities but is only a 10 min walk from the main gate and cost 18 EUR. It was also virtually empty when I got there so no probs finding a shady spot by a tree.
Note to first time campers: Get a shady spot under a tree if you can! It can get bloody hot in them tents!
After setting up camp a quick stroll down to the main gate saw no queues and I was able to pick up an all weekend entrance ticket for 58 EUR. Not sure if this is more expensive than booking in advance. From there walked into the main paddock and joined the revellers in the bars there which was swinging along nicely by about 10’ish. The rest of the weekend went on from there and was superb.
I shall probably make the same late decision this year. The only thing I will do differently is take Monday off work to recover!
Walking round the campsites and reading threads on PH I know a lot of people – the Brits especially – put a lot of effort into organising some amazing camp sites with motor homes and other support vehicles, flag poles, perimeter fencing, huge barbeques, enough booze to run a pub for a week, sun lounges, mopeds, fridges, freezers, generators, even spectator towers and mini swimming pools.
However, if like me you have problems committing to events like this long in advance then it is possible to do it with a lot less planning and still have fun
See you there in June!!
It has always been my experience that race tickets are widely available at the circuit. You can camp in PARKING Blue, for half the price of Camping Blue, and can pay on entry.
I don't know of any organiser that does not load up the price of advance tickets.
You will struggle to get a grandstand, and you won't get your campsite of choice if you don't book in advance, but Parking Blue is opposite Camping Blanc anyway, and isn't far to walk.
There is a great campsite at La Chartre sur Le Loir, about 25-30 miles away, (not to be confused with nearby Chateau du Loir). The campsite is located right by the village, 5 min walk. The Hotel de France in the village is a popular watering hole, with a great restaurant, although it has become rather 'corporate' in recent years during the race weekend. This hotel used to be used as a base for the John Wyer teams, Aston Martin, Gulf Porsches and GT 40's. It has a good display of memorobilia.
The drive there and back is also a great one if you use the D304. The whole area is very nice. watch the speed traps, though, and they've been after drink drivers too.
The camp site is so cheap its not worth worrying about, and has good clean showers. Is a picturesque riverside spot.
I don't know of any organiser that does not load up the price of advance tickets.
You will struggle to get a grandstand, and you won't get your campsite of choice if you don't book in advance, but Parking Blue is opposite Camping Blanc anyway, and isn't far to walk.
There is a great campsite at La Chartre sur Le Loir, about 25-30 miles away, (not to be confused with nearby Chateau du Loir). The campsite is located right by the village, 5 min walk. The Hotel de France in the village is a popular watering hole, with a great restaurant, although it has become rather 'corporate' in recent years during the race weekend. This hotel used to be used as a base for the John Wyer teams, Aston Martin, Gulf Porsches and GT 40's. It has a good display of memorobilia.
The drive there and back is also a great one if you use the D304. The whole area is very nice. watch the speed traps, though, and they've been after drink drivers too.
The camp site is so cheap its not worth worrying about, and has good clean showers. Is a picturesque riverside spot.
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