What's it like
Discussion
//j17 said:
You just have to stop yourself watching TV rather than the track sometimes. Always a little embarrassing to be sat in the Dunlop grandstand watching the TV picking up someone spinning...only for it to dawn on that they are spinning at the Dunlop chicane right in front of you 
Yep, been there and done that! It can be tricky to keep up with the race without screen sometimes though, and this year we moved stands and were just too far away to read the gaps etc and I hadn't realised how useful the end of pits 7 shaped display was when in the previous stand.Wifey is encouraging me to take my eldest next year as "bonding time " - we've never been before so I was thinking of the 1st tickets way but, as with everything, it can be expensive by the looks of things i.e. PV is £200pp more than BN but includes 2 meals a day ? I guess only I can tell if that's worth it
I think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
I think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
damianmkv said:
Wifey is encouraging me to take my eldest next year as "bonding time " - we've never been before so I was thinking of the 1st tickets way but, as with everything, it can be expensive by the looks of things i.e. PV is £200pp more than BN but includes 2 meals a day ? I guess only I can tell if that's worth it
I think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
A lot of people seem to repeat visit with www.lycianevents.com who we went with, and we were very happy with everything. I think we paid about £2100 for 3 pitches and 6 people (we organised our own channel crossings but they can do this for you too). That was for a Wednesday arrival though, it costs decreasingly less to arrive on subsequent days.I think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
If we go again and do anything differently it will only be due to experimentation (e.g. find a hotel/B&B instead) rather than trying to improve on the campsite (unlikely) or save money (definitely possible, but quality will suffer).
damianmkv said:
Wifey is encouraging me to take my eldest next year as "bonding time " - we've never been before so I was thinking of the 1st tickets way but, as with everything, it can be expensive by the looks of things i.e. PV is £200pp more than BN but includes 2 meals a day ? I guess only I can tell if that's worth it
I think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
3 x breakfast and evening meals at BN and car on pitch plus a bigger marquee, 2 Tvs, wifi and a busier bar and a bit closer to start and finish straight etcI think I'd like to take as much hassle out of this as possible ( lazy and old ) but still get the experience of LM
PV site mainly pre-erected tents (PV did have lockers though) more breeze at BN
Great Dane said:
Storer said:
My Le Mans trips cost at least £2k per person (possibly £2.5k) but I never add it up!
Sleeping at the track is not on the agenda.
three people with camping (two plots) and GE tickets 450€ in total via the ACO with membershipSleeping at the track is not on the agenda.
Fuel, tunnel, tolls, host house, hotels, track entrance, grandstand seats, more fuel, all meals, beer, wine, champagne, tram, even more fuel, more beer, wine etc.
We are there for a week and enjoy France so not too bad!
Not quite my thing, but i would recommend an organised and secure site to start with (wish i had!). I used Lycian this year, they were very good, lots of help on hand, clean and plentiful facilities, good view of the track.
I've found a small private set up moving forward, but after 3 trips i know where i want to be located so have chosen a set up to suit.
But of the 3 organised sites i stayed at Lycian was by far the best experience.
Bring comfy walking shoes, you've got a long walk from where their bus drops you to the granstand / village in the circuit (its as close as they are allowed to go).
Think our bill was about 1500 for 2 people, including overnight ferry to St Malo. Then add fuel, food, beer.
We booked our own travel.
I've found a small private set up moving forward, but after 3 trips i know where i want to be located so have chosen a set up to suit.
But of the 3 organised sites i stayed at Lycian was by far the best experience.
Bring comfy walking shoes, you've got a long walk from where their bus drops you to the granstand / village in the circuit (its as close as they are allowed to go).
Think our bill was about 1500 for 2 people, including overnight ferry to St Malo. Then add fuel, food, beer.
We booked our own travel.
Edited by wsn03 on Saturday 22 July 01:28
damianmkv said:
Seems £550-£750 pp is workable ? I really can't justify more for a "long weekend" when I'm doing up a house and have wifey's 40th next year too..
Probably best not staying in an upmarket site, tthe less secure ones are much cheaper.Go Dover Calais too.
The way im doing next year will probably be 500 quid, im not driven by price, its just worked out that way - no agents, small private campsite etc, tickets direct with ACO.
For me its about being in a certain location. Check out my thread about booking independently, someone reckons they save about 800 quid doing it that way and sleeping in their car.
Edited by wsn03 on Sunday 23 July 03:00
Based on my position in the Midlands I could buy the tickets from an agent for my usual campsite and get there in a 35mpg average car for the following:
Fuel to and from Dover £50, Ferry £100, Fuel and Tolls in France £90 (Tolls to Abbeville, then cross country from Rouen), 2 x entrance tickets and 1 camping pass for the dearest public campsite £330 (based on last year prices from an agent who will sell you just a camping pass and tickets, not an expensive 'ALL IN' package) Total = £570 or £285 per person based on 2.
Personally I would never choose the private camping option, if you choose the better public campsites before they sell out then there just isn't any problems or dirty toilets with queues (based on my experience from camping in public campsites for the last 12 out of 13 races, it's a myth from a decade ago!)
Save the rest of your cash for £10 pints and expensive t-shirts
(or invest in a decent cooling method for supermarket canned beer and take the t-shirts with you
)
Fuel to and from Dover £50, Ferry £100, Fuel and Tolls in France £90 (Tolls to Abbeville, then cross country from Rouen), 2 x entrance tickets and 1 camping pass for the dearest public campsite £330 (based on last year prices from an agent who will sell you just a camping pass and tickets, not an expensive 'ALL IN' package) Total = £570 or £285 per person based on 2.
Personally I would never choose the private camping option, if you choose the better public campsites before they sell out then there just isn't any problems or dirty toilets with queues (based on my experience from camping in public campsites for the last 12 out of 13 races, it's a myth from a decade ago!)
Save the rest of your cash for £10 pints and expensive t-shirts
(or invest in a decent cooling method for supermarket canned beer and take the t-shirts with you
)Don't think 1st tickets will sell you just the entrance and camping ticket, again you have to buy a package including ferry / crossing.
Select Motor Racing, Just Tickets and Tickets2U sell just camping and entrance tickets. This is the cheapest way to go if buying through an agent.
Although Tickets2u is part of Travel Destinations causing their ticket allocation to appear to be prioritised towards the later, so again a package is available.
Internet selling sites are quite good for a last minute bargain. Also unwanted tickets are on here nearer the race. Or pay for one membership with the ACO and get in early as soon as they release tickets to their members, although I haven't tried that and have heard some stressful stories on here about everything other than the cheap campsites selling out in minutes / seconds (but that's only from reading on here).
Good luck
Select Motor Racing, Just Tickets and Tickets2U sell just camping and entrance tickets. This is the cheapest way to go if buying through an agent.
Although Tickets2u is part of Travel Destinations causing their ticket allocation to appear to be prioritised towards the later, so again a package is available.
Internet selling sites are quite good for a last minute bargain. Also unwanted tickets are on here nearer the race. Or pay for one membership with the ACO and get in early as soon as they release tickets to their members, although I haven't tried that and have heard some stressful stories on here about everything other than the cheap campsites selling out in minutes / seconds (but that's only from reading on here).
Good luck
Travel Destinations' prices for 2018 are already released and are a (IMHO) reasonable £219 per person for Eurotunnel, Beausejour camping and race ticket, based on 2 persons. There are supplements per person for the other camping options and that's when the pricing gets a bit cheeky, given the face value of the permits (which are required per car, not per person).
Based on West Kent to Le Mans, our combined fuel and toll charges were about £75 each plus our "kitty" (more like fat cat) money for food and drink in town/ at the circuit.
By comparison, my first trip in 1999 was £99 with the same company but with a ferry crossing and camping on Houx Annex. Good times.....
Based on West Kent to Le Mans, our combined fuel and toll charges were about £75 each plus our "kitty" (more like fat cat) money for food and drink in town/ at the circuit.
By comparison, my first trip in 1999 was £99 with the same company but with a ferry crossing and camping on Houx Annex. Good times.....
BeeGT said:
Travel Destinations' prices for 2018 are already released and are a (IMHO) reasonable £219 per person for Eurotunnel, Beausejour camping and race ticket, based on 2 persons. There are supplements per person for the other camping options and that's when the pricing gets a bit cheeky, given the face value of the permits (which are required per car, not per person).
Anyone going for this option should remember to add £30 per person if you want to stay longer than Thursday to Sunday as I'm pretty sure the crossing is based on a maximum of a 5 days return which is cheaper than a standard return crossing.Gassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff