ANGOULÊME CIRCUIT DES REMPARTS RACES / DORDOGNE TOUR

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	DATES 8 days/8 nights tour September 16th-23rd 2010 5 days/5 nights tour September 16th-20th 2010
	COST PER PERSON 8 day tour 1,485€ fixed in euros £1,350 pp (based on £1= 1.10 €)
	5 day tour 965€ fixed in euros £875 pp( based on £1=1.10 €)
	BUDGET TOUR 5 days/5 nights September 16th-20th 385€ per person fixed in euros £350 pp (based on £1=1.10€ )

Description

8-day tour, ( with a 5 day tour option),incorporating a visit to the exciting Circuit des Remparts classic car races in Angoulême, celebrating their 70th anniversary this year,with 4 days in the Dordogne visiting beautiful villages. Our tour starts with an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St.Malo and then on scenic back roads takes us to the Dordogne with an overnight stop at a sumptuous 4-star chateau hotel in the Loire Valley. Our hotel for the next 3 nights is in the pretty medieval village of Bourdeilles, just 5 milesdown river from Brantome, one of france's prettiest towns.. On Saturday morning we visit Brantome and then drive to nearby Champagnac de Belair where we treat you to a wonderful gourmet lunch in the Moulin du Roc a stunning Michelin * restaurant and converted 16th century water mill that never fails to impress.After lunch we drive to Aubeterre, one of France's most beautiful villages where we visit the amazing monolithic church in a cave, the largest in Europe.Afterwards we continue north to Angoulême to watch the preparation for Sunday's street race which uses the same circuit along the old streets of this walled town that it did in 1939 when the "Circuit des Remparts" first started.We also drive a couple of laps around the circuit on saturday evening and visit the paddock to look at the cars.On Sunday we drive back up to Angouleme to watch the nostalgic and exciting classic and vintage car races.On Monday our 5 day tour returns to Caen to catch the afternoon ferry back to Portsmouth.Our 8 day tour participants leave our hotel and drive down to enjoy a leisurely lunch in Sarlat, Europe's best preserved medieval town, stopping off on route to visit the beautiful gardens at Eyrignac Manoir.After lunch we visit two more of France's most beautiful villages; Beynac and La Roque Gageac both of which overlook the river Dordogne,before arriving at our overnight hotel perched on a cliff top in nearby Domme, another "beau village".The following day we visit the stunning gardens at Chateau Marqueyssac where the views over the river Dordogne are quite breathtaking.We then visit nearby Chateau Castelnaud an impressive fortified medieval chateau followed by lunch at Chateau des Milandes the former home of the American singer and dancer Josephine Baker.On our return back to Bourdeilles we stop off at another of France's most beautiful villages, St Leon sur Vezere for a coffee before arriving back at our hotel on the river Dronne in Bourdeilles for our final night in the Dordogne.On Wednesday our return trip takes us back through the Vienne Valley to the Loire Valley via Oradour Sur Glane and Chinon to our final overnight stop,where once again we stay at the magnificent Chateau de Rochecotte.On Thursday,our final day, we leave the Loire Valley  and drive up to Caen where we catch the afternoon ferry back to Portsmouth.  

5-day version of the above tour available

FOR PHOTOS of our previous tours see our photo gallery using the link on the menu bar at the top of this page.

Circuit Des Remparts Angoulême - History
Each year on the third weekend in September, a classic car race takes place in the French town of Angoulême on a street circuit unchanged in layout since it first hosted an event in 1939. The high spot of the program is a race devoted to Grand Prix Bugattis and typically 20 or more Bugattis race around the narrow streets of the old walled town. In 2009 Angouleme celebrated its 70th anniversary of the "Circuit des Remparts "and Sir Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost and Henri Pescarolo were special guests attending the 70th anniversary event !

Situated some 70 miles to the north of Bordeaux, Angoulême is located in the heart of the Charente district with an attractive town centre and cathedral occupying the high point in front of which lies the start line for the racing. At Angoulême's centre is the ancient Cite des Valois ,with its ramparts or high walls surrounded by steep ascending and descending roadways which are closed off to create a very demanding street circuit. The combination of hairpin bends and fast straights leads to challenging driving and excitement for the spectators on this unique street circuit. The extremely close proximity of medieval buildings and solid stone walls enhance the drama as well as the danger and the roar of vintage exhausts resonating within the confines of the ancient streets is music to the ears.

The races attract an impressive variety of grids: in the pre-war category there are racers including: Bugattis, Fraser Nash, Rileys and MG.s. Post war categories include Porsche 911s,Formula Junior and GTcars including Renault Alpines, Lotus and TVRs.

The meeting takes the form of an entire weekend festival beginning with a Concours d'Elegance under floodlights in a natural amphitheatre alongside the rampart walls on the Friday evening. Saturday commences with the Rallye Touristique International with over 60 classic cars, nearly all pre 1971, competing.On Saturday and Sunday there will be an exhibition of 1939 cars on the lawns around the Hotel de Ville in the centre of town.

Sunday morning opens with practice on the circuit for the afternoon's racing. And for new entrants it is the only opportunity to drive on the closed streets before being let loose in a race!

The Circuit des Remparts is a speed event organised by ACOCRA in association with the ASA des Remparts (the Remparts car club), and the FFSA (French motor sport governing body).

The track, in the heart of old Angoulême uses the rempart streets of the old city for a distance of 1.279 km (0.8miles), and has 2 curves, 2 right angle bends and 3 hairpins. This town track has not changed since the first event was held in 1939.

The races and demonstrations all take place on one day. The morning sees the practice sessions and the races are in the afternoon. There are normally 8 grids and each practice session take 20mins. Positions on the grid are determined by practice times.

From the winners' podium, in the centre of the track, the drivers are taken on a lap of honour in a classic convertible, driven by the President of ACOCRA (Jean-Rene Tillard).

Itinerary

Wednesday, September 15th, Ferry from Portsmouth at 20.30 to St Malo.

Day 1 - Thursday, September 16th, (approx 220 miles)

Ferry arrives St Malo at 8.15am. On leaving St Malo we take the pretty and quiet coast road to our charming breakfast stop at Port Mer in a small secluded bay near Cancale before continuing along the coastal road overlooking the Mont St Michel bay.Our route then heads south cross-country on quiet 'back-roads' to a lunch stop in the charming medieval town of Vitre. From Vitre we drive to Le Mans to visit the world famous motor museum before heading south, still on minor roads, to the Loire Valley and our hotel for the night, the magnificent Chateau de Rochecotte - a sumptuous four-star hotel 5 miles west of Langeais.To see their website click on the link below:
Chateau Rochecotte Hotel - click here

Day 2 - Friday, (approx 200 miles)

After leaving Chateau de Rochecotte we drive along the the River Loire to Langeais and then south to Azay-le-Rideau, stopping, on route, to visit Chateau Chatonniere's enchantingly beautiful gardens.Our route, on pleasant backroads, then takes us through Descartres and La Roche Posay.We continue south to our lunch stop, Angles- sur l'Anglin, one of France's "plus beaux villages" ( most beautiful villages) .After lunch we continue to Chauvigny and then we drive through the picturesque Vienne valley on minor roads into the Charente department through Confolens to Chabanais.Just south of Chabanais, we stop to visit the amazing Chassenon Roman Baths. Located at Longeas, a small hamlet just south of Chassenon, these are amongst the best preserved buildings of their type in the territory of ancient Gaul and possibly in the whole of what was once the Roman Empire. The site also includes three temples, a theatre and an aqueduct, all once part of the ancient Roman city of Cassinomagus. We then continue south into the Dordogne to the charming town of Brantôme, described as "the Venice of the Perigord" due to the river Dronne completely encircling the town effectively making Brantome an island, ( see photo below). Brantome also boasts the oldest bell tower in France attached to the ancient abbey. Five miles down river, in Bourdeilles, our pretty hotel, a 16th century converted moulin,( mill )on the banks of the river Dronne awaits us and this will be our base for the next 3 nights.

Day 3 - Saturday, (approx 100 miles)

Option to participate in the "Charente International Tourist Rally". This rally held on Saturday typically has an entry list of 150 cars and covers 200kms of the Charente countryside. It is open to cars registered pre 1970 and the entry cost is approximately 350€ per car.

Interested? For more info: Click here to download a programme, map & entry form ( 6479KB PDF opens in new window) or visit www.circuit-des-remparts.com or contact us for more details.

A free morning in Brantome, one of France's prettiest towns, followed by lunch at a Michelin * restaurant, the nearby Moulin du Roc, a converted walnut oil mill and one of the Dordogne's finest restaurants, nestling on the banks of the river Dronne,( see photos immediately below).

After lunch we drive north through the rolling countryside of the northern Dordogne to the Charente region where we continue up to Angoulême where we drive round the street circuit to be used for tomorrow's racing and visit the paddocks where many of the cars that will be racing will already be on display.We can also watch the classic car display in the Town Hall gardens as well as see the return of the classic car tourist rally at 5.30pm and explore the bars and restaurants as well as the town itself, the choice is yours! After our visit to Angouleme we return to our hotel.

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Our clients' cars line up in Angoulême's Place des Halles with another hundred classic cars on race day.

Day 4 - Sunday, (approx 100 miles)

A full day spectating at the exciting 'Circuit des Remparts Historic Races', where cars of all ages race around the narrow city streets with the start/finish line in front of the Cathedral steps! We drive up to Angoulême early morning to secure our parking places with a hundred other classic cars on display in the Place des Halles,( see photos above).On Sunday morning from 9.00am the cars practice for the afternoon's racing which starts at 2.00 pm and goes on till 6.00pm.Included in the various classes there is always a Bugatti class comprising over 20 Bugattis which is a sight for sore eyes and a spectacle to behold, ( see photos below).During the day you are free to walk around the track and use most of the grandstands.After the excitement of the day's racing we return to our hotel for dinner overlooking the river Dronne.

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Monday, (approx 100 miles)

(the 5 day tour returns to Caen for the afternoon ferry approx 340 miles)

A delightful day where we visit 3 of France's most beautiful villages.We leave our hotel,(but will be returning back on Tuesday night) and enjoy a scenic run on minor roads to Sarlat approximately 80 miles south and regarded as the pearl of the Dordogne.On route we stop off at the stunninly beautiful gardens of Eyrignac Manoir before arriving at Sarlat, Europe's best preserved medieval town. where there will be ample time for sightseeing and lunch.After lunch we visit two more of France's prettiest villages; Beynac our afternoon coffee stop and La Roque Gageac.We then drive to nearby Domme another "beau village" where our hotel is perched on a cliff overlooking the beautiful river Dordogne as it meanders through the scenic valley below.

Day 6 - Tuesday,(approx 100 miles)

We leave our hotel and visit the amazing gardens at nearby Chateau Marqueyssac with stunning views over the Dordogne valley.We then visit Chateau Castelnaud an impressive medieval, fortified chateau and museum where you can truly appreciate what life and medieval warfare was about.Our lunch stop is the atmospheric Chateau des Milandes which was formerly the home of Josephine Baker the American singer and dancer who stole the hearts of the French in the last century.The chateau is effctively a museum dedicated to her life as she adopted many children who were brought up at the chteau.After lunch we return back to Bourdeilles on quiet, scenic country roads stopping off for a coffee in the sleepy St. Leon sur Vezere,another "beau village"Arriving back in Bourdeilles, we spend our last night in the Dordogne in the same hotel which was our base over the weekend.

Day 7 - Wednesday, (approx 220 miles)

Today we leave the Dordogne and return back to the Loire valley. Again we will follow the Vienne valley but with some variations on the Friday route.Our morning coffee stop is the fascinating yet sobering "Village Martyr" at Oradour-sur-Glane where the old ruined village is a national monument commemorating the June 1945 massacre of the entire village by 200 retreating german SS soldiers. Of more than 500 village occupants less than 5 survived ! The village remains unchanged from the day of the massacre as a sober reminder of man's inhumanity to man, ( see photos below).

 

 

 

After lunch in the "new town" of Oradour we continue north west cross-country through the ancient town of Richelieu and then on to medieval town of Chinon in the Loire Valley, see photop below,and our afternoon coffee stop. From here we drive via the Chateau d'Usse, the inspiration for the "Sleeping Beauty", along the charming south bank river road of the river Loire crossing at Langeais and then driving to St. Patrice and back to Chateu de Rochecotte the stunning hotel where we spent our first night.Tonight we enjoy our final night's celebratory dinner.

Day 8 - Thursday, (approx 220 miles)

We say 'au revoir' to the Loire Valley and head back to Caen for the afternoon ferry via scenic minor roads to La Chartre sur-le-Loir where we stop off at the Hotel de France the headquarters of the Aston Martin, Le Mans racing team in the 1950s and 60s. Over coffee you can browse through the nostalgic pictures of Le Mans legends that line the walls of this famous hotel. After coffee we head north to Alencon and on to Sees our lunch stop.Here you can visit the impressive twin spired cathedral. After lunch we continue north to Caen to the port of Ouistreham for our 5:15pm ferry to Portsmouth, (arrives Portsmouth 10:15 pm).

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