Post Le Mans road trip - Ideas?
Discussion
Last year I embarked on a very late notice trip to Le Mans, then onward across Europe for 6 days ( read more here), and I'm planning on doing similar this year too. I am travelling down in a convoy on Friday morning, and plan to leave the circuit on Monday morning. Then I need to head out to pick the other half up at some, yet to be determined airport, on the Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, before we roam around in the sun.
Now, I suppose there are 2 stages to this, mainly due to her inability to be comfortable in a car at speed or bad situations (like climbing a mountain road with no safety barriers in 2nd!). Stage 1 is for me to get across to an airport to collect, along the way taking in some good roads and enjoying the car. Stage 2, is visiting pretty places we can cruise to and enjoy views, history and good food.
I was thinking of trying to get across to Milan over 2 days, it's a long old way, but I could press on and take the rest slower. Taking in Italy for a day, heading into Austria, Germany, Luxembourg & Belgium over the other 5 days.
Oh and due to some document from the Swiss, I should probably not visit that particular country. Annoyingly Switzerland is bang in the middle, with some cracking, roads. I could head to Geneva, take the scenic route to Zurich for the airport collection maybe.
Anyway, what would your plan be?
Now, I suppose there are 2 stages to this, mainly due to her inability to be comfortable in a car at speed or bad situations (like climbing a mountain road with no safety barriers in 2nd!). Stage 1 is for me to get across to an airport to collect, along the way taking in some good roads and enjoying the car. Stage 2, is visiting pretty places we can cruise to and enjoy views, history and good food.
I was thinking of trying to get across to Milan over 2 days, it's a long old way, but I could press on and take the rest slower. Taking in Italy for a day, heading into Austria, Germany, Luxembourg & Belgium over the other 5 days.
Oh and due to some document from the Swiss, I should probably not visit that particular country. Annoyingly Switzerland is bang in the middle, with some cracking, roads. I could head to Geneva, take the scenic route to Zurich for the airport collection maybe.
Anyway, what would your plan be?
Having read the other thread and being in a similar situation speeding (Switzerland, don’t take the same car with the same plates 
).
Not sure where you are in uk, but can the other half get a tgv/Eurostar somewhere (tours/Lyon/Paris or pick up from plane in Geneva, eg, have just booked my mum and dad an overnight sleeper train to Verona via Paris for July).
Italy is perfectly in reach (6.5 / 7 hours to wonderful Courmayeur) and you can go back via Austria avoiding Switzerland, and enjoy the sud Tyrol, or the lakes, then up to the autobahns, a bit of time in the Black Forest, and you can go autoroutes, or Luxembourg and the joyful Belgium motorways!
).Not sure where you are in uk, but can the other half get a tgv/Eurostar somewhere (tours/Lyon/Paris or pick up from plane in Geneva, eg, have just booked my mum and dad an overnight sleeper train to Verona via Paris for July).
Italy is perfectly in reach (6.5 / 7 hours to wonderful Courmayeur) and you can go back via Austria avoiding Switzerland, and enjoy the sud Tyrol, or the lakes, then up to the autobahns, a bit of time in the Black Forest, and you can go autoroutes, or Luxembourg and the joyful Belgium motorways!
I'm in Oxford, so that's not a bad idea, but probably as easy as flying.
I think making our way back from Italy to UK (avoiding Switzerland!) in 5 days is going to mean a lot of driving, google says 21 hours total and thats direct. But some of those places look nice, so will look into maybe going across to the black forest and making our way back from that region.
I may struggle to convince her to do the F1, she's not that keen and has already got us tickets to Silverstone. I also happen to be in Singapore for that race too!
I think making our way back from Italy to UK (avoiding Switzerland!) in 5 days is going to mean a lot of driving, google says 21 hours total and thats direct. But some of those places look nice, so will look into maybe going across to the black forest and making our way back from that region.
I may struggle to convince her to do the F1, she's not that keen and has already got us tickets to Silverstone. I also happen to be in Singapore for that race too!
We travelled up to Millau after Le Mans in 2014 and 2016 for a night and see/drive over the Millau Viaduct, then onto Port Grimaud (beautiful little place)with a stop off in Monaco then back down Route Napoleon and through Switzerland (a must imo) then through Germany and Belgium stopping off at the Ring and Spa before finishing in Bruges....
Were great trips, but yes can be tiring ...
Were great trips, but yes can be tiring ...
Pyrenees. Pick her indoors up at Bordeaux airport. Within a couple of hours you're at the start of some of the best roads in Europe and ones that would no doubt suit Mrs. illmonkey down to the ground. Over to the Costa Blanca then back on different but still fantastic roads to Santander/Bilbao for the ferry home. Around 6 days for the journey.
Zed 44 said:
Pyrenees. Pick her indoors up at Bordeaux airport. Within a couple of hours you're at the start of some of the best roads in Europe and ones that would no doubt suit Mrs. illmonkey down to the ground. Over to the Costa Blanca then back on different but still fantastic roads to Santander/Bilbao for the ferry home. Around 6 days for the journey.
This!I did this a few years ago (except in reverse - ferry to Santander, few days playing in the mountains, stop off at Bordeaux and then up to Le Mans) and it was bloody excellent
After the LM Classic this July we’re heading over to Burgundy for a couple of days in Montrachet. We might then head down to Piedmont (Barolo, Alba) and Veneto (Valpolicella/ Verona). If we do head that direction, we’ll probably stay over in Milan and visit the Alfa museum in Arese. More a holiday than a driving trip so could be wife-friendly.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff