Bringing alcohol into the camp sites?
Discussion
Truckosaurus said:
Some Gump said:
... Is there a route from Houx to track without going out and in again?...
Yes, there isn't normally a security person if you wander out the side exit past the Airtrack private campsite.Should be yes.
People sometimes have trouble early in the week but that's just down to poor communication down from the ACO to the window-lickers actually on the gate, so what starts out as "No glass bottles" ends up on some gates as "No alcohol". It usually gets sorted out after a day or so when people higher-up get bored of all the complains and update the gate staff with a mix of single-syllable words and grunts.
People sometimes have trouble early in the week but that's just down to poor communication down from the ACO to the window-lickers actually on the gate, so what starts out as "No glass bottles" ends up on some gates as "No alcohol". It usually gets sorted out after a day or so when people higher-up get bored of all the complains and update the gate staff with a mix of single-syllable words and grunts.
Safest to assume they'll have a look, but really it's a complete lottery, I've seen bottles being taken from cars and chucked into a skip and half an hour later an old sportscar with a boot mounted luggage rack with crates of stubbies bungied to it being waved through. Maybe they're more relaxed because of when I arrive but I go in through the main gate at breakfast time the Sunday before and have never been searched, a couple of years ago they didn't even check if I had a ticket or camping pass, good thing to turn up when there's only half asleep teenagers manning the gates
850R said:
So am I correct in thinking even en route into camp first day we are likely to get the car and roof box searched for alcohol etc, staying on blue north, ingenious hiding places if that's the case?
Cheers
Blue Nord - probably not as it's outside the circuit.Cheers
Turn up without any alcohol and see what happens, then pop out to the supermarket to stock up and buy bottles/cans as appropreate.
I stay in Maison Blanche so inside the circuit. For the last few years when i arrive (Thursday am) they have had a quick look around the car open the boot etc but not very thorough. There are always a few bottles tucked away somewhere and they have never been found. I usually go out later the same day and pick up a few cases of stubbies and again i hide them away but only by hiding under a blanket or 2. We get these scare stories every year and my experience is that as long as you are sensible and don't make things obvious the you'll be fine..............damn thats me jinxed for this year!!
I think that's quite an old picture from Houx Annexe before football stadium was built. I remember one year someone built a wall of them then drove through it in a Fiesta or something!
Nutters!
(not saying it was the beer mountain lot who did it by the way)
Nutters!
(not saying it was the beer mountain lot who did it by the way)
Edited by Printertosh on Sunday 8th April 17:08
We had cans stopped when we tried to leave Houx and were heading into the circuit. It was very inconsistent. What is consistent is that there is a security presence, mostly to stop bear, as they were not too interested in passes, as that is done on the perimeter security check.
We had to be inventive and hide them in hidden pockets, we found laptop backpacks the best as you can use the laptop sleeve to hide a few and then put clothing and cameras on top.
Sometimes they lift the bottom of the bag and shake it, to determine if anything clinks, and if it's cold.
I always do a bit of mis-direction, and open and offer the bag up, rather than them poking around in it.
We had to be inventive and hide them in hidden pockets, we found laptop backpacks the best as you can use the laptop sleeve to hide a few and then put clothing and cameras on top.
Sometimes they lift the bottom of the bag and shake it, to determine if anything clinks, and if it's cold.
I always do a bit of mis-direction, and open and offer the bag up, rather than them poking around in it.
ukcobra said:
We had cans stopped when we tried to leave Houx and were heading into the circuit. It was very inconsistent.
About the only thing that is consistant about the ACO checks is their inconsistency!A couple of year's back I ran out of camping gas so had to take a Saturday morning jolly from Bleu, through the circuit, to Decathlon and back. Coming back I first tried to go through the entrance by the stadium and the gas cylinder got rejected by the bag check guy. Starting the long walk around via Beausjour I thought I'd try my luck via Houx as it would only add 5 min to the walk if I got rejected there too. Just a ticket check at the site entrance and just a glass bottle check getting from there to the circuit. No issues with the gas cylinder.
//j17 said:
About the only thing that is consistant about the ACO checks is their inconsistency!...
Indeed. Last year I was behind some French lads getting our tickets scanned to leave the circuit and the security guard stopped them taking their glass beer bottles out into the public road area.Yet last year I turned up in a caravan with glass bottles of all descriptions from beer to marmalade to mustard. And no problem at all. Even after a trip to Carrefour and a Rangey boot full of wine bottles did we even get a second glance.
This was on the way into Houx.
A lot depends on the attitude test I think.
This was on the way into Houx.
A lot depends on the attitude test I think.
Tyre Smoke said:
Yet last year I turned up in a caravan with glass bottles of all descriptions from beer to marmalade to mustard. And no problem at all. Even after a trip to Carrefour and a Rangey boot full of wine bottles did we even get a second glance.
This was on the way into Houx.
A lot depends on the attitude test I think.
That was us too, we hid the bulk of the bottles at the back and had slabs of cans on show in the boot. (Thanks Brittany Ferries for always having Grolsh slabs on board.) Always nice to the people on the gate and never had a problem, not sure what they are going to do if they say non! We are camping in here and you are turning us away with £200 of beer and wine?This was on the way into Houx.
A lot depends on the attitude test I think.
This all started in 2014 when a bunch of muppets around TR (IIRC) lobbed empties over the fence and on to the circuit. 2015, the ACO were under pressure (rightly so) to stop this from happening and rather than massively increasing either trackside security or the height of the trackside fence, they opted to stop glass getting trackside. We've never had a problem getting glass trackside or getting a car in with a load of bottles in - provided they're in the boot and (if it's your initial arrival) covered with camping kit, there's been no issue. We tend to choose cans though as they're less hassle and (unlike the first year) Carrefour seems to be wise now this year that cans outsell bottles quite a bit and manage their stock accordingly.
BTW - sorry about the GoPed ban though - that was me.
BTW - sorry about the GoPed ban though - that was me.
Gassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff