Angouleme
Angouleme

This 6-day driving tour includes return ferries, accommodation at the Hotel de France, as well as Angoulême, and, includes hospitality and race tickets. 

 

Angoulême is a true spectacle for fans of classic cars, historic motorsport, street circuits and rallies.

 

The whole weekend is packed with events starting with a Concours d’Elegance, a rally through the Cognac vineyards, a gala buffet in the impressive covered market and of course the racing on the city’s Remparts.

 

We are pleased to continue in our capacity as the official tour operator for the event. Not only does this give us access to the best tickets but also the possibility of extras such as parade laps of the circuit, our exclusive hospitality tent and high-quality rooms at the best hotel in town.

THE ITINERARY

 

Wednesday 15th September| Portsmouth to St Malo | Overnight Ferry Crossing
The tour begins in Portsmouth where we have arranged a special loading line for our cars on the 20:30hrs sailing overnight to St Malo. As we congregate in the private lounge on board, you may get to know your fellow rally companions. This evening both your on board accommodation and dinner with wine is included.

 

Thursday 16th September| St Malo to La Chartre Sur-le-Loir
Our ferry docks into St Malo on Thursday morning. Once disembarked, our first journey takes us to the town of Loheac, just south of Rennes to visit Manoir de l’Automobile. We should arrive at the museum around 10:30hrs where we will all meet in the main museum car park. Coffee and croissants await us in the museum’s cafe area.

 

Having enjoyed all the museum has to offer, we have a 2-course meal with a glass of wine arranged for you at the lovely La Gibeciere restaurant in the village at 12.30hrs. You will be led from the museum car park to a restaurant car park in Lohéac village centre.

 

After lunch, we will head to The Hotel de France where we will stop for one night.

Friday 17th September | La Chartre-sur-le-Loir to Angoulême
After a traditional French breakfast at the hotel, we have a picturesque drive down past Tours and through the Vienne valley with a suggested coffee stop in one of the region’s prettiest villages. We provide a light lunch just a few miles from the coffee stop before beginning the final part of the journey to Angoulême.

 

Having put the cars to bed for the evening in the secure underground car park and checked into your hotel room we will distribute your rally packs and tickets over a private drinks reception. This evening is free for you to familiarise yourself with the town and visit the Concours d’Elegance where you can expect to see an exhibition of vintage and classic cars.

 

Saturday 18th September | Angoulême Rally
This morning the scenic rally (for eligible cars*) departs on some extremely fine roads surrounding Angoulême. There are checkpoint/refreshment points along the way and an excellent 4-course lunch taken at a surprise location. This evening you have tickets for the competitors’ gala buffet in the covered market.

 

Fast Lane Club have their own private area in the covered market with a private wine bar and canapés.

 

*Eligible cars are usually deemed special either by their rarity or age. If you’re unsure about your car, please feel free to ask.

Sunday 19th September | Angoulême Race Day
Today the historic racing begins! Practice and qualifying take place on the circuit during the morning sessions. We have an exclusive hospitality tent for our guests to use at your leisure throughout the day serving light refreshments and an area to relax.

 

Your race tickets will provide access to the paddock and a numbered seat in the Cathedral grandstand on the start-finish straight with a big screen, so you do not miss any of the action. This evening we have organised a farewell dinner at a top restaurant in town with a surprise prize giving.

 

Monday 20th September| Angoulême to Caen Ouistreham
After our final breakfast in Angoulême we travel back to the port in Caen for our 16:30hrs crossing back to Portsmouth. We can arrange a later sailing on the 23:00hrs from Caen if you prefer or alternative ferries to suit your plans should you wish to extend your trip. Please contact us for bespoke packages.

Hotel De France
Situated on the northern edge of the Loire Valley, the Hotel de France, in La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, with its ivy covered Art Deco façade, offers chic and luxurious rooms. With a sun drenched terrace, a superb restaurant, bar, inviting swimming pool and gardens that back on to the Loir River, the hotel serves as a comfortable and relaxing base from which to explore the countless delights this region has to offer.

The Hotel de France, famous for its long association with the teams, drivers and cars of the Le Mans 24 hours race, overlooks the main square of the charming town of La Chartre-sur-Le-Loir, in the Sarthe department of the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France.

 

The bedrooms have been decorated to a sophisticated and high standard. With three nights in the hotel, you have time to unpack and relax, as you will return to this delightful location each day. All the front of house staff are warm and welcoming and speak excellent English though the hotel retains its very French feel.

 

Those who appreciate good wine will be pleased to know that the hotel is in the centre of the Vallée du Loir region, with such well-known wines as Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir, both of which will be sampled.

Mercure Hotel, Angoulême

Ideally located in the centre of the town, and very close to the mainline railway station, the Mercure Angoulême Hôtel de France is set in the beauty of a 19th Century home.

 

Enjoy the garden with its view over the historic town ramparts and be impressed by the comfort of the rooms. In colourful surroundings, the Hotel de France is an ideal place to stay for the 3 day Circuit des Remparts historic car festival. The hotel has a wonderful restaurant with its terrace and sample traditional, seasonal dishes.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

Return sailings with Brittany Ferries with cabin accommodation on the outbound crossing

Four nights’ hotel B&B accommodation

Dinner on four evenings including aboard the outbound ferry crossing

Lunch on three days including the Saturday rally

Entry to Saturday Rally and Saturday evening Gala Buffet

Sunday race tickets including paddock passes and seated grandstand

Race day VIP hospitality

Fast Lane Club Tour Managers and Mechanical Support Vehicle throughout

Carbon Neutral Tour – we offset our CO2 emmissions

TOUR PRICES

 

£1,995.00

per person based on two people sharing accommodation and a car  

£2,495.00

per person based on a single driver in single accommodation

UPGRADES:

Outside 2/4 berth cabin on the afternoon return ferry sailing: £48.00

COVID-19 Pledge

 

At the Fast Lane Club we fully understand peoples nervousness about committing to and booking holidays.  The information available seem to point to us returning to some sort of normality by the summer of 2021. 

 

Our pledge to you: If we are unable to safely run the tours due to ongoing Corona Virus restrictions, your deposit will be refunded in full.

 

We will take every precaution possible regardless on each tour to ensure the safety of our guests with appropriate Corona Virus protection protocols.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

We’re here to help…

 

Please call us:

01924 427836

 

Or click the button below to use our online enquiry form

How to book or reserve your place on any of our events, trips & tours:


Booking your place on this event couldn’t be easier. The first step would be to complete the online enquiry form and we’ll call you back to get you signed up.

Once we have discussed your individual options, we will send you a booking form which when completed gives us all the necessary information about you, your co-driver and your car as well as other useful extras such as dietary requirements and special requests that you might have.

 

You can secure a place on any of our tours, road trips or driving adventures with a deposit of just £250 per person. There’s no need to worry about paying anything more until the final balance is due (usually around 8 weeks before we travel) and you’re welcome to pay your final before that date if preferred. If the event you wish to join is within the next 8 weeks, we will require the full payment to be made at the time of your booking.

 

Prefer to have a chat over the phone?

Give us a call on 01924 427836

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Minimum numbers

We have a minimum number of participants required for all of our events enabling them to be viable for us to run – this is usually 10 cars unless stated otherwise. In the event that we don’t reach the minimum numbers, the tour may be cancelled at which point your booking deposit will be refunded to you, or if preferred, allocated to another event of your choice.