Leaving Le Mans on the Sunday

[gianlucav12]

Having finally got my tickets and camping sorted I can start to look at some of the minor detail of this years trip.

My return ferry is out of Caen early on Monday so I intend to hit the road after the race finishes on Sunday and ibis the Sunday night.

What is it like getting out of the vicinity of the circuit about 5pm on Sunday? Am I in for big queues / delays?

Cheers

[Jordie Barretts sock]

If you're on the 0800 ferry, then I'd stay at LM and leave in the early hours. We usually chill Sunday night then head up to Caen at about 0430.

Even towing a caravan it's only a little over two hours. Not worth fighting your way out of Le Mans after the race.

[RobbyJ]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

If you're on the 0800 ferry, then I'd stay at LM and leave in the early hours. We usually chill Sunday night then head up to Caen at about 0430.

Even towing a caravan it's only a little over two hours. Not worth fighting your way out of Le Mans after the race.

This is good advice, and this year I'm assuming it will be very bad indeed.

We stay at the track, soak up the last of the atmosphere, then go back to the campsite and just chill while we watch the queues with a glass in hand.

[Vsix and Vtec]

I'd say forget about leaving before 18:00 this year. My partner and I left last year at about 17:00 and there was a small but flowing queue out of Rouge parking. I highly doubt the same will happen this year.

[gianlucav12]

Thanks for the advice. I do still quite like the idea of getting a decent nights sleep in a hotel back in Caen (long drive up to Newcastle from Portsmouth on the Monday) but will have to balance that against the unanimous confirmation that it will be busy exit on Sunday afternoon! Maybe a few zero percenters by the tent until 8ish….

[Chrisgr31]

We usually leave immediately at the end of the race to head up to Calais for a ferry to Dover around 9pm but are usually camping at Expo. We were in Beausejour last year but also got car parking tickets at Expo so moved the cars there on Sunday morning. Last time we stayed in Epinettes which is where we are this year, we moved the cars in to Le Mans city centre in the morning and got the tram back to circuit. Immediately after the race we set off to the tram station and into Le Mans to collect the cars.

However not sure either option will work this year with the crowds! So not sure what to do. Am planning to book a 10.30 ferry and if we miss it get the midnight one!

[Vsix and Vtec]

gianlucav12 said:

Thanks for the advice. I do still quite like the idea of getting a decent nights sleep in a hotel back in Caen (long drive up to Newcastle from Portsmouth on the Monday) but will have to balance that against the unanimous confirmation that it will be busy exit on Sunday afternoon! Maybe a few zero percenters by the tent until 8ish….

Yeah for sure! My partner and I will be BJS until the traffic clears so feel free to say hi. There's something oddly cathartic about driving through France very late at night. The customary beep and wave at fellow Brits is always a nice part of heading to the Eurostar next morning too. We had tremendous fun seeing convoys of everything from the mundane to the exotic with UK plates snaking thier way north.

[BeeGT]

We've not experienced any delays leaving after the race, either straight after or within an hour or so, but that's from the Tertre Rouge campsite and it's an easy connection straight on to the 323. We usually sit in traffic on the approaches to the toll booths along the way, but that's it. We've also done a dawn departure to Caen on a Monday morning, with varying degrees of success depending on a) what time we stopped drinking the night before and b) overnight rain forcing you to pack a load of wet gear in to the car.

[jsat_100]

I stayed in BSJ last year and we made our way back having a pint or two on the way and the queue getting out of the campsite was pretty shocking - engines off and people milling about for about an hour...

[RL17]

Road down to BSJ roundabout from Tramstop/Houx was rammed about 5.30pm in 2022 as walked back after presentations. It'll all be backed up from Arnage village this year too I'd expect but might be better another way if they let people out by arena and under track at Tertre Rouge and onto D323 west and avoid city ( as a lot less corporate/VIP cars inside circuit than normally?).

When do they normally open Mulsanne up after race (by 6.30 to 7pm?) as traffic must get better then again going east of Le Mans