To Angoulême by Alvis 12/50 - Day 4

Angoulême - Paddock and Atmosphere

On Saturday we set off bright and early to park at the local Auchan store from where we caught a bus into Angoulême. We collected the grandstand/paddock tickets and programmes and then found a coffee shop.

For those who could afford it there was a rally on Saturday which cost €300 and involved nearly as much eating and drinking as we planned to do for rather less.

The €35 tickets gave us access to the paddock on Saturday and Sunday as well as numbered grandstand tickets opposite the paddock exit and the Carnot corner at the end of the Cathedral straight. Just behind us you could look out over the Ramparts and see the cars racing round the hairpin bends below.

If you just wanted to soak up the atmosphere there were plenty of cafes in the town centre where one could see and hear the race cars being driven through the every day traffic of buses and cars to the paddock.

At the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) the cars were still being displayed from the Concours event of Friday evening.

Later in the afternoon we returned to Auchan to buy a picnic; did I mention that the temperature was nearly 30 degrees...