Mgswills Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have just booked the ferry in June from Portsmouth to St Malo to take my 95 Westfield down the west coast of France to Bordeaux, then across to Perigueux, up to Le Mans (no event to see but just want to go to see the track and museum) and finally up to Cean and back to Portsmouth. A friend and I will share the driving and we plan to go from Sunday 15th in St Malo to Thursday 19th back at Cean. We plan to camp one night on the west coast near Challans, then stay at my mums house just out side Perigueux for a couple of nights and finally camp somewhere in Le Mans so we can see the sites. I've read some great posts on people travelling in France and what kit to take. I'm not a mechanic and get my Westfield serviced by a local garage so will take some basic stuff but I'm planning on getting some good recovery insurance in case things go wrong! Can I get your feedback on if you think route is realistic and recommend any camp sites? I've never done more than 100 miles in the Westie In a day and my friend has just sat for a quick ride so we really don't know what to expect. I guess it wouldn't be a great adventure if we did though!!! Is there anything we should go and see at Le Mans other than the obvious. Also I see the AA is generally the recommended recovery company. I'm guessing they would contract a local recovery unit to take me to a garage in the event of anything going wrong? Have people had any issues getting on and off the ferry what with such a low ride hight? I remember seeing good old Jerry Clarkson struggling to get a Farrari onto a ferry and don't want to look as much as a nunney as he did!! I've got an old bike rack which I plan to attach to the back of the westie some how to carry a rucksack for the tent and sleeping bags. The link below is the overall route. Any other advise or pointers gratefully received. https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Melksham&daddr=Portsmouth+to:50.040238,-2.2208243+to:St-Malo,+France+to:48.0514992,-2.3004565+to:47.2799238,-2.1664598+to:47.0137506,-2.280448+to:46.6285167,-1.8576572+to:17+Promenade+de+Cayola,+85180+Le+Ch%C3%A2teau-d'Olonne,+France+to:46.377554,-1.464803+to:45.1864626,0.1221011+to:45.2602494,0.9026478+to:Nailhac,+France+to:place+chinetti+72100+Le+Mans,+France+to:D514+to:50.1098171,-0.5609455+to:Portsmouth+to:50.9609939,-1.559979+to:Melksham&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.546598,0.340576&spn=4.220283,10.458984&sll=49.251896,-0.245132&sspn=0.066333,0.163422&geocode=Fc_ZDwMd42Hf_ykze-3vpGJxSDHtbvSjB8Pt4w%3BFZtmBwMdO3jv_ynp8RQYpEJ0SDF5OzcD6oO2RQ%3BFa6N-wId6Bze_ynb3ysLBdVySDEbDTpgI-QHJg%3BFXlU5gIdNhfh_yldvyYhEIEOSDEt4SuyrX3p-A%3BFSs13QId2OXc_ynf32nOVbMPSDHMIbK89FasFQ%3BFTNv0QIdRfHe_ykdpkZ1RGUFSDFOJx8Hpo0CFg%3BFXZfzQIdADTd_ynDP132QBYFSDFdlv8sMp_MvA%3BFaR-xwIdh6fj_ynVvVYpiFkESDFq_RO4XYwieQ%3BFeL7xAId9Z_l_ykBxvNO_2gESDFYSc8AFFEmkw%3BFVKqwwIdHabp_ymRjmdbTxAESDGGoLZ9fRFt-A%3BFZ59sQId9dwBACnV-EbCB-X_RzEBXzWSfqQ0bg%3BFdmdsgId98UNACmPWR4miGr_RzFgRf7nDGwgUw%3BFRgTsgId-ZcRACmhu6Od70v_RzFvHUv6HeP6Pg%3BFRLB2wIdfisDACEX8ONavyNmGCkBjCOsQI7iRzEX8ONavyNmGA%3BFbKm7wIdoPf7_w%3BFXmd_AIdz3D3_ynZ2azQCy51SDHRIFtat8XhgA%3BFZtmBwMdO3jv_ynp8RQYpEJ0SDF5OzcD6oO2RQ%3BFWGaCQMdVTLo_yn_Xl3wCYtzSDG2_CEjxihw0w%3BFc_ZDwMd42Hf_ykze-3vpGJxSDHtbvSjB8Pt4w&mra=dme&mrsp=14&sz=13&via=2,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,15,17&t=m&z=7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrie Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 There are a number of good camp sites in the Le Mans area, from the municipal site at Ecommoy a few miles south of Mulsanne, to "Le Bounty", which is more upmarket but English run. (See http://beermountain.com/index.php?page=Camping-Bounty ). The riverside campsite at Spay, just West of Arnage looks excellent too' You're daft to miss the race My car had no problem getting on the boat, as they use planks and mats, and they've had too much grief in the past, but some ramps are far worse that others (kick the passenger out for extra clearance and to look underneath) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve (stevel) Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 No go with AA I had cover for a number of years with AA and was booked on The Pennine to Pyrenees trip last September..when I tried to add the European cover they informed me they dont cover Kit Cars on European cover..most of us who did the trip used our insurance company A Plan Hope this helps Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 That sounds like a great road trip I've only been to france the once so far in mine, Dover to Calais then a blat to lemans and back for the race. I had no problem getting on and off the ferries, but becuase my car was so small they found a tiny corner for me to park in on the car deck which was open to the element so be prepared with a cover for the cockpit to keep the water out if you have to. The only time i had ground clearance issues was over the speedbumps at customs, 2 up with a weeks worth of kit and 2 cases of kronenburg strapped to the roll bar does make the back sit lower than usual Regarding what to take, i carried only a simple tool kit to allow me to do the obvious together with some spare fluids. Make use of the space in the engine bay for this so you can keep the boot box for clothing. I cabled tied everything to the side of the battery on the scuttle. Have a think about where you might get spares if something breaks. With my car being Mazda based i carried a list of all the mazda garages that were along my route. As for spare parts I carried only a throttle cable, cable ties, a length of wire, some scotchlocks, insulation tape and a roll of duct tape. If you're unfamiliar with your car do you know what different cars and their years which the donor parts are from? Assuming probably not will you have the means to access the boardroom while you're away and post picture to ask us (smart phone etc) so the local garage can then source the bits for you? One always hopes that nothing will go wrong, and rarely does it, but it never hurts to be prepared. Waterproof bags such as those made by ortlieb are good to ensure all your kit stays dry. My passenger found that their comfort was improved by riding with a rucksack under their knees. For breakdown cover i used Britannia Rescue. Check with whichever recovery service you opt for that they will cover kit cars, it has been suggested in the past that not all do. Most of all have fun and enjoy yourself 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve (stevel) Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 To add only 1 car out of the 6 had slight problem getting on and off ferry ..Marcus's V8 his sump was a fair bit lower than the VX and zetec engined cars. Good idea for some sort of luggage rack ..let me know if you want some photos of the luggage rack I made. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Have merged the two threads on this before anyone gets too confused, hope that OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mgswills Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mgswills Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 You're daft to miss the race [/quote What race am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 What race am I missing?LeMans I would imagine. It's the weekend of the 14th/15th June this year so you'll miss it by only a matter of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'm pretty sure my westie is based on a ford cortina as they were the bearings I got to get through the last MOT. Unfortunately it's not quite that simple your typical westifeld is assembled by raiding the parts bins for a number of different cars and with the exception of the mazda and sierra SDV's it would not have been built from a single donor car.As a rough guide of the major bits, your front uprights and hubs would typically be cortina based as you found with the bearings. But that's probably about it, bottom balljoints may also be cortina if it's an early car but likewise could also be BL maxi as used on the later models, upper balljoints are from the transit. Steering rack will be mk2 escort but the origin of the steering column may be either escort or Allegro. At the rear both escort and sierra diffs are common on cars with independant axles, and if you have disc brakes on the back the discs may be Mk4 escort whist the calipers could be either golf or sierra it's unfortunately just as difficult when we look further at the smaller bits such as mounts and bushings. With internet access and a camera it's normally pretty easy for us to quickly identify what you have so should the worst happen and you get stuck well be able to adivse exactly what parts the garage will need to order to get you going again, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 And that's assuming nobody's upgraded anything! As Mark said though, photos posted up on line here will usually see most common parts identified fairly quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Pete Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Enjoy. Just to give you some comfort, i completed a 1400 mile road trip last year, 20 kits started and 20 kits finished. If you are planning on avoiding motorways, its well worth using TYRE (trace your route everywhere) which allows you to plan a route using google maps then load it into your sar nav. The Essex area are heading to France the day you return! Details here http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/104578-essex-blat-of-france-2014/page-2#entry1089217 Talking of which i must get back to planning now christmas is out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.