| Tour | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Car Tours International | Wednesday 30th June 2021 | Monday 5th July 2021 |
6 day tour to watch the nostalgic and world famous Le Mans Classic races, combined with a day tour of the beautful Loire Valley. Overnight ferry to St. Malo and then our route takes us via the medieval town of Vitre and the Le Mans auto museum to our sumptuous 4-star chateau hotel in the Loire Valley.
On Friday we enjoy a leisurely tour of the Loire Valley and on Saturday and Sunday drive up to Le Mans to watch the racing.On Monday we drive up to Caen for our afternoon ferry.
DRAFT ITINERARY, MAIN TOUR
Day 1 Wednesday, Overnight Brittany Ferries ferry from Portsmouth to St.Malo leaves Portsmouth at 8.15pm with boarding from 6.30pm
Day 2 Thursday St Malo-St Patrice ( 220 miles)
We arrive in St Malo on overnight ferry from Portsmouth at approximately 8.15am. Our route takes the pretty coastal road around Pointe du Grouin to Port Mer an idyllic, secluded bay just north of Cancale where we enjoy morning coffee, (see photos below).
Our scenic route continues eastwards along the bay of Mont St Michel to Pontorson where we turn south and head down to Vitre a charming medieval town and our lunch stop.
In the afternoon we head east to Le Mans for coffee and a visit to the famous Auto Museum next to the main entrance of the Le Mans 24 hours circuit, Musee des 24 Heures. We also enter the circuit to familiarise you with the layout for the weekend racing including paddock, grandstands as well as car parking etc.
We then leave Le Mans and head south on scenic backroads and a great driving roads to our sumptuous chateau hotel, in the Loire Valley, our base for the next 4 nights Chateau de Rochecotte, in St. Patrice in the Loire valley.Dinner, tonight, is in the hotel’s restaurant.
Day 3 Friday A local tour of the Loire Valley ( 60 miles )
Option to drive up to Le Mans or a tour of the Loire Valley
Today we enjoy a leisurely tour of the Loire valley. We drive along the banks of the Loire and cross over onto a charming minor road to one of France’s most beautiful villages, Candes St Martin with a chance to walk along its medieval streets, visit its ancient church and drive up to a wonderful viewpoint over the Loire Valley.
We then head to our lunch stop, Chinon, where, after lunch, we enjoy a leisurely stroll around the medieval town nestling under the walls of the chateau.
We then drive on minor roads passing by the picturesque fairy tale Chateau of Usse overlooking water meadows and the river Indre. Its romantic white turrets, pointed towers and chimneys were the inspiration for Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty story.
We then drive back to Langeais, across the river Loire and drive 5 miles back to our hotel the 4* Chateau Rochecotte where, subject to weather, you can enjoy the outside heated swimming pool. Dinner tonight in the hotel.
Option: Alternatively participants can make their own way to Le Mans to watch the start of the practising, and return to the hotel in the evening.
Day 4 Saturday St Patrice to Le Mans return ( 120 miles )
We leave the hotel at approximately 9.00am and drive up to Le Mans to spend the day watching the start of the classic races which start at 3.00pm and last for 24 hours.
Click here to see the official Le Mans Classic site for details of grids etc.: www.lemansclassic.com
In the evening return to Chateau Rochecotte in your own time so tonight you are free to make your own dinner arrangements
Day 5 Sunday St Patrice to Le Mans return ( 120 miles )
We travel up to Le Mans again to watch Sunday’s racing with the exciting finale in the afternoon. If the ladies prefer they can spend the day at Rochecotte enjoying the outdoor heated swimming pool and gardens.
After the racing has finished we return to Chateau-de-Rochecotte where we enjoy a celebratory dinner on the last night of the tour
Day 6 Monday ( 200 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 for morning coffee 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 where we can visit the twin towered cathedral.
After lunch we continue north to Caen and the port of Ouistreham for our ferry to Portsmouth.
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