Prairie Campsite walking directions to circuit

[dredgey]

For anyone who has stayed at Prairie, please can you tell me what route you take to walk to the nearest circuit entrance? Looking on google maps it appears to be about 10-15minutes, but on Google reviews there seems to be people stating that you're sent on a detour which takes an hour?! Mindful that they may fence off certain areas....

[eps]

This image from the tickets thread may help. I should point out that I haven't stayed on that campsite.

https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/15618/202511...

Which route is Google maps showing you? I would expect it to take 25+ minutes to get anywhere useful.

[dredgey]

eps said:

This image from the tickets thread may help. I should point out that I haven't stayed on that campsite.

https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/15618/202511...

Which route is Google maps showing you? I would expect it to take 25+ minutes to get anywhere useful.

Thanks.

Google maps initially takes you on foot through the Technopark (10 mins), but I've seen another map that seems to imply that you have to walk down past BSJ...?

[bennno]

dredgey said:

For anyone who has stayed at Prairie, please can you tell me what route you take to walk to the nearest circuit entrance? Looking on google maps it appears to be about 10-15minutes, but on Google reviews there seems to be people stating that you're sent on a detour which takes an hour?! Mindful that they may fence off certain areas....

Really easy, straight out of road between campsite and hippodrome, cross main road and in to circuit

Not quite as easy as houx / houx annex but not much longer.

[dredgey]

bennno said:

Really easy, straight out of road between campsite and hippodrome, cross main road and in to circuit

Not quite as easy as houx / houx annex but not much longer.

This is the answer that I was hoping for! Was that your own personal experience out of interest?

[bennno]

dredgey said:

bennno said:

Really easy, straight out of road between campsite and hippodrome, cross main road and in to circuit

Not quite as easy as houx / houx annex but not much longer.

This is the answer that I was hoping for! Was that your own personal experience out of interest?

Yep, field a bit boggy though, but good position.

[spikep]

The purple route is the one they made us take last year. The road between Hipp and Prairie was closed off. You entrer via the same access as BSJ into one of the Fan zones. If you are on a pitch in BSJ near the BSJ’s entrance, you are nearer the track entrance than those on Prairie.
The intent is to delay you in the Fan zone and reduce the crowds in the main area.

[dredgey]

bennno said:

Yep, field a bit boggy though, but good position.

Hoping your experience is what’s planned for next year, there seems to different experiences (Spikep comment below).

[dredgey]

spikep said:

The purple route is the one they made us take last year. The road between Hipp and Prairie was closed off. You entrer via the same access as BSJ into one of the Fan zones. If you are on a pitch in BSJ near the BSJ s entrance, you are nearer the track entrance than those on Prairie.
The intent is to delay you in the Fan zone and reduce the crowds in the main area.

This looks like a ballache. Were the routes just sign posted or did you encounter security blocking routes or fences you couldn’t get past?

[spikep]

Morning,
I’ve marked the route in and out in orange, you will need to show your camping pass to the person at the fence, marked in blue to get through.
We spent a while driving around in the dark looking for the entrance, as we assumed we would get in along the black dotted line, I’ve marked on.
The black line is the barrier to stop you walking/driving that way and we never tried to get to the circuit via Hippo, so don’t know if you can go that way. I assume those on Hippo went in via Épinettes.

[//j17]

spikep said:

Morning,
I ve marked the route in and out in orange, you will need to show your camping pass to the person at the fence, marked in blue to get through.

Yep, turn down the road past the tram station and ram the security fencing across the road (or stop and show your ticket first time), then get closer to the track than you expect (especially if a session's on) before turning right at the roundabout. Almost immediately after turn left...into the car park for and stock up on good beer from V&B...or carry on down the road, parallel to the circuit. At the bottom traffic splits for Hippodrome/Prairie with Hippodrome 'first right', one side of a chain link fence and Prairie 'second right', the other side of said fence.

Certainly for Hippodrome and I'd imagine Prairie is the same - after your initial arrival they give you as big windscreen sticker that sees you waved through all the 'no entry' gates from then on.

spikep said:

...we never tried to get to the circuit via Hippo, so don t know if you can go that way. I assume those on Hippo went in via Épinettes.

Two options from Hippodrome, one is a (offical) gap in the hedge into the back of Epinettes and a short walk through to Chemin aux Beouf, and the other out the road entrance/up a nice forest track just back from the road/to the tram station - with a stop off at V&B as they have a not-just-another-pint-of-Calrsberg-or-Kronenbourg air conditioned bar in addition to must be over 50 different beers by the crate.

The tram option isn't going to be the closest circuit entry but certainly nicer than joining the hoard on Chemin aux Beouf to get there Friday and puts you at the top end of the spectating area so you can then spectate your way back along the circuit from Tetre Rouge.