[LM24] Le Mans 2016 - Who is Going?

[Muppetdave901]

Originally Posted by Elaviel

Well, after a change around at work, I have finally had my holiday sorted. (As a teacher it wasn't easy) I should be able to head down late Thursday, which is a great improvement on my 11am Saturday a few years back

Allows a bit of extra time for the coach driver to find their way ;o)

[GT6]

I have the option of giving her my camping ticket if she drives down and heading down in my mates car not sure she would ever do the coach again.

[Muppetdave901]

How many of you will be there on the Monday?

[GT6]

I think it will be tuesday when we arrive probably only half a dozen on the first night but other arriving wednesday/thursday

[vincegail]

Sunday morning for me

[Richard117]

Sunday for me too

[Muppetdave901]

Awesome; we need a rentamob for Monday evening if possible

[Aysedasi]

I'll be in LM on Sunday morning too....

[CTD]

I'll be arriving with the 24H2LM crew, so I think that is Monday evening

[Muppetdave901]

Originally Posted by CTD

I'll be arriving with the 24H2LM crew, so I think that is Monday evening

I bloody hope you arrive on Monday or we have problems!!

[CTD]

Originally Posted by Muppetdave901

I bloody hope you arrive on Monday or we have problems!!

Then monday it is .

[vincegail]

Originally Posted by Muppetdave901

Awesome; we need a rentamob for Monday evening if possible

I guess this means you need a few hands to help you with something? Just give us a call!

[Cjd187]

I will be there...
sunday or monday I hope but at latest wednesday.

[911GT1LM98]

Hello, Dear forumers!
My name is Yigal and I'm a 32 yo motorsport fanatic from Israel.

I'm planning on attending both the 24H and the Goodwood FOS, a week later (My first visit there was last year and I can't wait to go back!).

During the last few weeks I've been searching for accommodation (Hotel, B&B) for what will be my first visit to the Greatest race of them all.
Unfortunately, it seems that all the hotels in the vicinity of Circuit de la' Sarthe are booked a long time ago.
Where should I look?
Any help would be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Best regards,
Yigal.

[GT6]

Welcome to the forum Yigal, as you have found hotels close to the circuit will mostly be already booked, but most people camp at the circuit, there are plenty of options on that score with camping tickets still available on some of the less favourable sites and even joining Ken on the international site at houx, all you need is transport there, and some basic camping stuff. At the camp sites you will soon meet people and are guaranteed to find people who will be only to keen to show you what to do and how to see everything. If you stay at the circuit it makes things much easier that booking a hotel miles away and then trying to get back and forth over the 3 or 4 days you will be there.
Some of the camping options include tents and food others are much more basic but where ever you are you will find hundreds of like minded motor fans so you will have plenty of friends within a few hours.
If you do go for camping then the camping roll call i will sort out shortly will detail who is on your site and you can make contact, if you get a tertre rouge one you are welcome to join us but i am sure others will offer the same on most sites.

Good luck with sorting something and please ask any other questions you have

[racerkeke]

Finally. Every year I work myself up into a state wondering where the money's going to come from, and every year (so far) it's worked. Now just waiting for registration to open next Monday and it's done. Into my second decade at The Great Race.

So my wonderful and long-suffering spouse twisted my arm and got me to book a flight home on the Friday after Le Mans, so I could see a bit of the country -- I usually fly in and straight out again. I'm not sure if the idea is that I bring home more souvenirs or what?!? But any suggestions on an itinerary for those four days after? I will be mobile. Cheap and cheerful, please, the Canadian dollar is in the dumpster.
thanks bunches
Keke

[Muppetdave901]

Any particular interests aside from Le Mans. Flying home from Paris? Will you have a vehicle/how mobile are you?

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

But any suggestions on an itinerary for those four days after? I will be mobile. Cheap and cheerful, please, the Canadian dollar is in the dumpster.
thanks bunches
Keke

Not sure if this is of interest (it is cheap but it's not cheerful) but maybe worth a detour? About 90 mins drive north of Le Mans.

"The cemetery contains 2,958 Second World War burials, the majority Canadian, and 87 of them unidentified."

http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/...WAR%20CEMETERY

[Bodysnatcher]

A day can easily be spent at Versailles - can be as cheap as free if you only visit the gardens and just look at the palaces from outside.
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/prepa...jardinspayants

[racerkeke]

Originally Posted by Muppetdave901

Any particular interests aside from Le Mans. Flying home from Paris? Will you have a vehicle/how mobile are you?

I will have a rental car, and will be flying out of CDG. I'm not planning to go into Paris itself this time. I'm thinking to go over to Tours or Normandy, but I'm not really excited about world war history -- I'm more into interesting small roads instead of péages, beaches, food, and architecture (this is starting to sound like an OKCupid posting, eek).

Batmobile (Eric) has been very kind and suggested visiting St-Malo, and driving up to Deauville along the coast. But anything else?

Anybody have a fun route (rack your brains, Le Mans veterans, and remember the days when there was no A route between Caen and Le Mans)? The only set plans I have are to leave the track on Sunday and for a hotel near CDG on the Thursday night!
thanks so much!
Keke

[claude2cv]

St Malo, Mont St Michel and Bayeux are worth visiting. I like the area around Falaise, which has some very pleasant routes and scenery, check out a map with contour and you will see why round there is known as little Switzerland. Le Havre is not worth a detour but the rest of the coat route is good with some pleasant harbours.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

I will have a rental car, and will be flying out of CDG. I'm not planning to go into Paris itself this time. I'm thinking to go over to Tours or Normandy, but I'm not really excited about world war history -- I'm more into interesting small roads instead of péages, beaches, food, and architecture (this is starting to sound like an OKCupid posting, eek).

Batmobile (Eric) has been very kind and suggested visiting St-Malo, and driving up to Deauville along the coast. But anything else?

Anybody have a fun route (rack your brains, Le Mans veterans, and remember the days when there was no A route between Caen and Le Mans)? The only set plans I have are to leave the track on Sunday and for a hotel near CDG on the Thursday night!
thanks so much!
Keke

If you head up to the Normandy coast Etretat is a lovely town with a memorial to some guys who tried to fly across the Atlantic in the 1920s. Not far from there Honfleur is show stoppingly lovely as a small town chock full of art galleries, nice restaurants, and nice cobbled streets.

Heading south from Le Mans towards Tours Villandry is a great chateau with really fun gardens where they creatively do things with vegetable patches. I also have had fun in the Perche, where there are some lovely sleepy towns and countryside to enjoy.

Have a look at this site - it's got some good pointers, and feel free to drop me a DM if you want specific hotel / restaurant recommendations etc.

[Muppetdave901]

If you're not averse to heading South slightly to the likes of Tours, you're heading in to major château country. Château de Chenonceau is just East of Tours, and they reckon that's the inspiration for Disney's castle.

Just North-East of there is Chambord (slightly East of Blois), we went there a couple of years ago - beyond stunning! It was Louis XIV's hunting lodge (built before him, he refurbished and altered it!) - I can't remember how many rooms there are, but if you think there are stables for 1200 horses... In the centre is a double-helix staircase which has to be seen.

Saumur looks interesting as a town (although I have heard French people say it's boring!), with an imposing river overlooking the Loire. They produce a sparkling wine in the champagne style in the area, which I think, pound-for-pound is brilliant; you can go around the caves they produce it in (we visited Ackerman).

Looking at that on the map, I'd maybe do Saumur-Chateaux-Chartres-Paris with winding routes between them...

[racerkeke]

Oh, you guys are great! Now I have to decide whether to do chateaux or beaches! Thank you so much. More suggestions welcome! My biggest question now is, do Google Maps' driving directions timeframes actually work?
keke

[isynge]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

Oh, you guys are great! Now I have to decide whether to do chateaux or beaches! Thank you so much. More suggestions welcome! My biggest question now is, do Google Maps' driving directions timeframes actually work?
keke

Google Maps timings are pretty good, and you can cheerfully tell them to avoid autoroutes / toll roads which makes for a more interesting journey.

I honestly don't think it needs to be an either/or re chateaux or beaches - from Le Mans all are reachable, while France is a big country, it's not quite North American in scale!