Syd Stelvio - London to Lisbon Day 2
*Le Touquet to Le Mans – 439km
The first day on the road in Europe is always a special one, there’s just something about the roads that are better. Well, actually, there is a lot about the roads that are better. The surfaces don’t resemble a Royal Artillery practice range for one, and on the whole, they aren’t clogged with traffic. Sadly, our sense of freedom was curtailed by some bureaucratic red tape, with a last-minute redaction of the rally’s competition permit for one region, and with the way things work over here if one region says no, it is a no for all of them.
Our three and a half days in France then, will be non-comp on the roads, leaving the event as an exercise in navigation for the time being, until the roads of Spain open up before us. It’s disappointing, but, sadly, unavoidable.
At least the sun was still shining, though the coastal resort of Le Touquet was a little on the chilly side first thing this morning. That would soon change though, and it didn’t take long for the sun to burn off the slight haze in the air, pushing the mercury up to the temperatures we associate with this rally. Sorry. Tour… Pardon my French.
Four ‘route’ sections would provide the entertainment between some of the transit that was necessary to cover the days distance, and there was a sedate couple of laps around the Baie de Somme circuit, just to see what it might be like if we were allowed to use all the gears.
Had we been able to operate under normal conditions, the second ‘route’ section of the day would have made a cracking regularity, with roads that looped back around one another, where a wrong slot would have caused all kinds of chaos. This happened anyway of course, with a few turnings that were easy to miss if your trip wasn’t quite dialled in, but with no timing it provided more confusion and amusement than any great stress, and more than a few cars passed each other heading in opposite directions.
The rolling French fields were looking glorious, as young wheat crops shimmered in a sea of green in the wind, and poppies sat cheerfully glowing in the sunshine. There were big skies everywhere, that were azure blue with pillowy white clouds and the countryside was punctuated with quaint little towns and villages, all complete with the requisite Église and Boulangerie.
It was a lovely day to be out for a drive, and with a fabulous lunch time halt at Château de Tilly it was easy to forget the constraints to which we were running under. The 16th century Château didn’t just provide an ample lunch, but also offered the respite of its peaceful grounds, where crews relaxed in the sun, perhaps catching some ZZ’s, or, in one case, indulging in a bit of Yoga.
Back out on the road and there was more of the same, with another ‘route’ section through some more delightful countryside, before a hefty bit of transit towards Le Mans, and its famous circuit.
We would have the pleasure of driving some of the famous Circuit de la Sarthe, albeit backwards and in amongst the resident evening traffic, but to be in the midst of the Armco and rumble strips, that have been witness to so many great motor racing stories was a real delight and a fantastic way to end the day. Tomorrow, the event continues south, to Limoges, with 449 km to cover and plenty more delightful driving.
Syd.