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Champagne or Bust – June 20th – 22nd 2008

Here follows details of the confirmed summer run to France. It will be a three day trip commencing on Friday 20th June and concluding on Sunday 22nd.

Overview

The destination of the run is Epernay just south of Reims. Epernay will be the base for the trip. Whilst in Epernay there will a run round the ‘Route Du Champagne’ and a visit to a Champagne House. The return trip will take us via Reims, into Belgium and back towards Calais. En-route there will be the opportunity to stop off at Batterie Todt (WW2 Atlantic Wall museum).

Please note that this information is provided as an overview of the trip. A detailed run pack will be provided for all those that wish to travel. A rate of 1.27 Euros to the Pound was used for costs associated with this trip.

Itinerary

Day One

We are looking at departing the UK at or around 12:00pm. There are a number of options available for those that wish to take part.

For those that use the Eurotunnel

The crossing will only take 35 minutes, so those travelling this route will arrive in France earlier than those taking the ferry.

Upon arriving in France everyone will meet in Cite Europe which is five minutes from Eurotunnel and twenty minutes from the ferry terminals. We will stop here to allow everyone to meet up, do some shopping and have some lunch. We need to leave Cite Europe no later than 16:30pm.

Onward Travel

Once everyone has shopped and eaten we will leave Cite Europe and join the motorway (a26) and head towards Reims.

The journey to Epernay is 305km (approx 183 miles) and will take approximately 3 hours…

This is a Toll route and will cost 18.60 Euros (Approx £14.50)

We will stop en-route at an Aire (Rest Area) for a break and refreshment.

After this we will continue to Epernay.

We are hoping to arrive no later than 8:30pm local time. Upon arrival we’ll check in and then meet in the bar for food and drinks.

We will be staying in the Epernay IBIS hotel for two nights.

Day Two

After breakfast, we are looking at heading off on the ‘Route Du Champagne’ run. This is a triangular route which will take us through the heart of the regional national park. The route will be hilly and we’ll be driving through a forest and a number of small towns and villages so there will be plenty to see. We will also take in the old Reims race circuit, and hopefully stop for some good photo opportunities. The trip will take approx 1.5 to two hours.

Arriving back in Epernay we’ll stop for lunch.

After lunch we’ll take a short walk to the Mercier Champagne House. Here we’ll take the tour which includes a panoramic lift down to the cellars for a ride in a small automatic train along galleries decorated with carvings by Navlet. We will also have the opportunity to sample the Champagne. This visit is optional.

Entrance fees

Individual 7 Euros (Approx £5.50)
Groups (11+ Adults) 6 Euros Each
Or
Special Guided tour
Visit + Tutored tasting of 3 Cuvees non-vintage or vintage 13 to 15 Euros (Approx £12.00)
(Hence why we walk there and probably stagger back)

In the evening we are looking at having dinner at a local restaurant, possibly ‘Le Progres’ Restaurant will be confirmed at a later date. Should be no more than £20.00 per head.

Day Three

We will have to vacate the hotel by 10:00am.

We will be head up into Belgium for thos that wish to buy cigarettes at greatly reduced prices. We will then head across country and head for Le Touquet

We will be looking to travel on non toll routes, however if we have to the cost should be no more than 20 Euros.

We will stop off en-route at an Aire (Rest Area) for a break and refreshment.

Upon arrival at Le Touquet we will take the coastal road and head towards Calais. The coastal road will take us through some lovely villages passing many WW2 blockhouses and fortifications.

We will stop and visit the Batterie Todt museum which faces the UK coastline. Outside is a huge K5 railway gun, which was used to hurl shells at the UK defences during WW2.

The cost for entry to the museum is 5 Euros 50 per person. The average visit will take about 1 hour.

For further info:-
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/gaz/bt.html

After the museum visit, we will head for Cap Blanc Nez. This is a very scenic route and upon arrival we will be able to park and take in the spectacular views.

If the weather is nice there will be an opportunity for everyone to walk down to the beach.

After this we unfortunately have to head for our chosen transport back to the UK.

This will be a great trip and we at MiniClubUK look forward to seeing you all soon.