LeMans 2011...are we too late?
Discussion
Hey guys.
Me and a mate have decided that we should celebrate finishing uni this summer with (our first) trip to LeMans. However, my main concern is that we are a bit too late to go...is that the case?
The idea was put into our heads reading an advertisement in evo magazine regarding "free camping", then I found the PH offer, which is much better!
Is it a decent offer, especially re:camping? We have no idea what to look for/avoid, so any help would be appreciated.
Also, when are the details of the car you are taking required? Ideally, I was going to get insured on my Dad's car as it is much better suited to the 1400 mile round trip than my Corsa.
Are there any other tips for LeMans first-timers you could share too?
Thanks again, I appreicate any help.
Dylan
Me and a mate have decided that we should celebrate finishing uni this summer with (our first) trip to LeMans. However, my main concern is that we are a bit too late to go...is that the case?
The idea was put into our heads reading an advertisement in evo magazine regarding "free camping", then I found the PH offer, which is much better!
Is it a decent offer, especially re:camping? We have no idea what to look for/avoid, so any help would be appreciated.
Also, when are the details of the car you are taking required? Ideally, I was going to get insured on my Dad's car as it is much better suited to the 1400 mile round trip than my Corsa.
Are there any other tips for LeMans first-timers you could share too?
Thanks again, I appreicate any help.
Dylan
Edited by Dyl on Monday 28th March 01:05
Go for it! The PH deal is good if you want to be in a specific place, but there are cheaper options. Firstly, as long as you're not too fussy about location (and why be really, I've had a great time in every site I've been in) you can leave it to the very last minute. The entrance tickets are available on the gate on the day, and camping in Beausejour will be available up to the weekend too. Both of these are available direct from the ACO website with no need to pay agent fees. Then there is always eBay in the meantime where it might be possible to get tickets less than face value - I've managed this once before.
Norfolkline are still doing tickets from Dover for £45 return per car too.
http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferries_to_France/
http://www.lemans.org/en/tickets
You can DIY it right now for £105 each for 2 people, even less with more in the car sharing the ferry and camping. If you're travelling from Scotland and have plenty of time booking a £19 Travelodge room to break the journey in each direction might be a good plan too - again, we usually do this to take the rush out of the journey to the ferry.
Beausejour is not the perfect campsite but it's all right. Still plenty going on, still plenty of nice cars parked up, and a lot of walking can be avoided using the free "train" to the main trackside area and the shuttle bus to Arnage and Mulsanne corners. The bus and train stop at the main entrance of the campsite. There is also the potential of "black ops" to trackside from certain parts of the campsite :-)
Norfolkline are still doing tickets from Dover for £45 return per car too.
http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferries_to_France/
http://www.lemans.org/en/tickets
You can DIY it right now for £105 each for 2 people, even less with more in the car sharing the ferry and camping. If you're travelling from Scotland and have plenty of time booking a £19 Travelodge room to break the journey in each direction might be a good plan too - again, we usually do this to take the rush out of the journey to the ferry.
Beausejour is not the perfect campsite but it's all right. Still plenty going on, still plenty of nice cars parked up, and a lot of walking can be avoided using the free "train" to the main trackside area and the shuttle bus to Arnage and Mulsanne corners. The bus and train stop at the main entrance of the campsite. There is also the potential of "black ops" to trackside from certain parts of the campsite :-)
Edited by moribund on Monday 28th March 09:28
Regarding the car, your dads would be more comfortable, yours would be more of an adventure 
My tips in general would be -
- download the Club Arnage guide
- get there by Thursday teatime if you can, so you can see the practice sessions, get your first taste of night running and get a feel for where everything is. Access to all the grandstands is FREE during practice for GE ticket holders, as is parking for Arnage/Mulsanne
- get to Arnage corner at night at some point, it's awesome
- Friday you should try and fit in the Classic Britsh Welcome, watch some burnouts on the Mulsanne, visit the pits (free again) and then enjoy the antics of the evening
The best sites for info are here, http://www.beermountain.com/ and http://www.clubarnage.com/
My tips in general would be -
- download the Club Arnage guide
- get there by Thursday teatime if you can, so you can see the practice sessions, get your first taste of night running and get a feel for where everything is. Access to all the grandstands is FREE during practice for GE ticket holders, as is parking for Arnage/Mulsanne
- get to Arnage corner at night at some point, it's awesome
- Friday you should try and fit in the Classic Britsh Welcome, watch some burnouts on the Mulsanne, visit the pits (free again) and then enjoy the antics of the evening
The best sites for info are here, http://www.beermountain.com/ and http://www.clubarnage.com/
On Friday the drivers' parade in the city centre is good fun ( take the tram there) even though somebody nicked my wallet last year...
go on youtube and look at some of the vid's there like mad friday drivers parade lemans camping and you will get an idea.... beermountain guide is good and very comprehensive....
Everyone does Le mans their own way.... from 100% car nerds to 100% party/beer we are 75% car 25% party
go on youtube and look at some of the vid's there like mad friday drivers parade lemans camping and you will get an idea.... beermountain guide is good and very comprehensive....
Everyone does Le mans their own way.... from 100% car nerds to 100% party/beer we are 75% car 25% party
Edited by Great Dane on Monday 28th March 10:44
It's not too late to book, there will be plenty of people still trying to sort themselves out with tickets, and there are tickets right now on eBay where people overbooked or had people from their group drop out etc.
Just be mindful that the nearer you get, the more expensive the remaining tikcets are likely to get as opportunistic folks will be trying to turn a profit on eBay...
Some of the usual suppliers (Just Tickets, Tickets 2 u Ltd, Travel Destinations etc) will still have camping tickets for sale. Buying your own tickets and arranging you own ferry will almost certainly work out cheaper than buying a package from anyone.
Beermountian has a great deal of info about where to go and what to see. The guys above have listed the highlights.
Personally what my lot always try to do is get there around lunchtime on Wednesday to guarantee a wide choice of pitches, and it means you can buy whatever you need from the supermarkets whilst they still have stock of everything and before they get busy.
As for coming back, your best bet if you have the time off is to head back on the Monday morning, or at least don't try to leave straight after the race - the traffic getting out of there just after race is a complete nightmare. Did it once, never again.
Just be mindful that the nearer you get, the more expensive the remaining tikcets are likely to get as opportunistic folks will be trying to turn a profit on eBay...
Some of the usual suppliers (Just Tickets, Tickets 2 u Ltd, Travel Destinations etc) will still have camping tickets for sale. Buying your own tickets and arranging you own ferry will almost certainly work out cheaper than buying a package from anyone.
Beermountian has a great deal of info about where to go and what to see. The guys above have listed the highlights.
Personally what my lot always try to do is get there around lunchtime on Wednesday to guarantee a wide choice of pitches, and it means you can buy whatever you need from the supermarkets whilst they still have stock of everything and before they get busy.
As for coming back, your best bet if you have the time off is to head back on the Monday morning, or at least don't try to leave straight after the race - the traffic getting out of there just after race is a complete nightmare. Did it once, never again.
We book with Team Langoustine each year.
I know they still have most grandstands opposite the pits and some camping left because I only decided to go over the weekend and booked up today.
We are in Bleu Nord and grandstand we chose Lagashe.
I think BN is almost full now, but Beau is still available.
I know they still have most grandstands opposite the pits and some camping left because I only decided to go over the weekend and booked up today.
We are in Bleu Nord and grandstand we chose Lagashe.
I think BN is almost full now, but Beau is still available.
Last year we overtook a guy on the motorway just before the turn off (we came via Paris)He in a small Astra van from an English plumber with Le Mans stickers on it.... that would have been an adventurer In 2008 we slept in the back a a van owned by my Dutch friend's brother on the side of the road near the exhibition centre... only problem was that it was his work van and he is laying floors.... quite dusty....
Just to say that there are other ways.... (but this with the van can't be recommended) Wild camping is not a good idea....
Just to say that there are other ways.... (but this with the van can't be recommended) Wild camping is not a good idea....
Thanks for all the info guys, the two of us are now sifting through the options to see which suits us best. But we have decided we are definitely going one way or another! I'll try to respond to any points you guys have made...
moribund
Good point regarding a Travelodge. It doesn't seem like a 500 mile journey from here to Dover when you look at it on a map! We'll both be sharing driving of my Corsa so can always sleep in the passenger seat while the other deals with the monotony of the UK Motorway system.
Also, you mentioned the car. My Dad's car, although a much better proposition for cruising down, has been vetoed due to the potential complexities and expenses of insurance in Europe considering he won't be in the car with us. A bonus is the Corsa will be much cheaper for our lowish budget.
We are aiming for a Thursday am ferry too following your advice, plus driving the M74/M6 in the middle of the night should be easier.
Great Dane
The Drivers' Parade will definitely be on the to do list, as is a pit walk on the Friday - even though it will be packed!
Hairy Mary
Not sure if we fancy shelling out £100 for the grandstands (I bet we regret that decision haha) but we will hopefully be active and moving around a lot to see the sights all around the track...and off the track too.
-Lummox-
Wednesday arrival isn't really a possibility with work commitments, etc. but we are aiming for a ferry as early on Thursday morning as possible.
A late morning/afternoon Monday return ferry will be on the cards to allow us to be back in Glasgow for late Monday night.
Thanks again guys. I'll add my name to the Crossings wiki to see who else will be on-board, I can't wait now! 72 days til departure...
moribund
Good point regarding a Travelodge. It doesn't seem like a 500 mile journey from here to Dover when you look at it on a map! We'll both be sharing driving of my Corsa so can always sleep in the passenger seat while the other deals with the monotony of the UK Motorway system.
Also, you mentioned the car. My Dad's car, although a much better proposition for cruising down, has been vetoed due to the potential complexities and expenses of insurance in Europe considering he won't be in the car with us. A bonus is the Corsa will be much cheaper for our lowish budget.
We are aiming for a Thursday am ferry too following your advice, plus driving the M74/M6 in the middle of the night should be easier.
Great Dane
The Drivers' Parade will definitely be on the to do list, as is a pit walk on the Friday - even though it will be packed!
Hairy Mary
Not sure if we fancy shelling out £100 for the grandstands (I bet we regret that decision haha) but we will hopefully be active and moving around a lot to see the sights all around the track...and off the track too.
-Lummox-
Wednesday arrival isn't really a possibility with work commitments, etc. but we are aiming for a ferry as early on Thursday morning as possible.
A late morning/afternoon Monday return ferry will be on the cards to allow us to be back in Glasgow for late Monday night.
Thanks again guys. I'll add my name to the Crossings wiki to see who else will be on-board, I can't wait now! 72 days til departure...
You will have a great time, the excitement will build and I am sure you will visit all the other usual forum sites, like CA, beermountain and ten-tenths, but for your first trip I would save on the grandstand and make sure you have a decent campsite/tent/chairs/gazebo/cooking equipement for a 4 day stay that is much more important.
I was a first timer last year Dylan and I've got about 25 years on you!
We did Friday - Monday last year but coming over a day earlier this time for the reasons given by the others.
One tip from an old git, my son did a 2000 mile French run in his 1100cc Clio with a couple of mates without incident but it made me and his mum feel better knowing he'd got some european breakdown cover....just in case!
Have fun!
Duncan
We did Friday - Monday last year but coming over a day earlier this time for the reasons given by the others.
One tip from an old git, my son did a 2000 mile French run in his 1100cc Clio with a couple of mates without incident but it made me and his mum feel better knowing he'd got some european breakdown cover....just in case!
Have fun!
Duncan
gt6
The excitement is already very high and it's not even booked yet, it has been something I have wanted to do for the last five or six years. Only this year I decided to treat myself as a celebration for surviving four years of university
The car will have plenty of space for equipment (and hopefully extra for some beers ) so there shouldn't be any worries there - 4 man tent for the two of us should be more than enough!
LFB531
I just turned 21...I'll let you work out how much older you are
European breakdown cover will definitely be arranged, my parents probably wouldn't let me leave without it, and a full service will be done about a fortnight beforehand - maybe a little earlier incase of any potential complications.
The excitement is already very high and it's not even booked yet, it has been something I have wanted to do for the last five or six years. Only this year I decided to treat myself as a celebration for surviving four years of university
The car will have plenty of space for equipment (and hopefully extra for some beers
) so there shouldn't be any worries there - 4 man tent for the two of us should be more than enough!LFB531
I just turned 21...I'll let you work out how much older you are
European breakdown cover will definitely be arranged, my parents probably wouldn't let me leave without it, and a full service will be done about a fortnight beforehand - maybe a little earlier incase of any potential complications.
after sleeping on a coach the first year, we drove down after that and from 3 people in a 3 man tent, we now all have our own 3/4 person tents and therefore room in the cars become more of an issue. From the original tiny sports cars we now tend to use large estates and the space is all utilised by the ever increasing list of essentials.
However for the classic the old buggies will be used and a slightly more careful packing//choice of equipement is required
However for the classic the old buggies will be used and a slightly more careful packing//choice of equipement is required
BOOKED! 
As we are first-timers we decided to save ourselves hassle and went with the 1st Tickets PH Offer that I mentioned in the OP.
Ferry is at 8am on Thursday 9th from Dover, added to the Crossings Wiki, so it will be a loooong overnight drive from Glasgow.
Camping in Bleu Nord.
My car will have a PH Smiley or two on it for you to spot - on the back left so that you see it as you overtake, I won't be doing much overtaking myself
See you all there!
As we are first-timers we decided to save ourselves hassle and went with the 1st Tickets PH Offer that I mentioned in the OP.
Ferry is at 8am on Thursday 9th from Dover, added to the Crossings Wiki, so it will be a loooong overnight drive from Glasgow.
Camping in Bleu Nord.
My car will have a PH Smiley or two on it for you to spot - on the back left so that you see it as you overtake, I won't be doing much overtaking myself
See you all there!
Edited by Dyl on Tuesday 29th March 14:14
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