After 3 days of not being on the move it was good to set out again this morning. For the pilgrim or traveller to be stationary is not a good thing. It took my about forty minutes to load the car and get ready. I will need to improve on this time if I’m going to make real progress when I’m only staying over night in places.Thankfully the sun was shining this morning and continued to do so all day, getting hotter and hotter. After leaving my friend Tom’s place I pit stopped to take on some fuel. As the 7 only had a 25 litre tank it’s important that once the indicator has passed the half way mark you stop at a garage if you see one. As I’m avoiding all the main roads the likely hood of finding a garage is reduced so it’s better to play safe and fill up when I can.
I headed out of Acigne on the D57, 38km towards Vitre and there was very little traffic and the road was great, so I was able to be generous with the throttle, but not over zealous. At last I was driving through beautiful French countryside with the top down the wind in my hair and sun on my skin.
When I arrive in Vitre I found a parking space next to a small café. I sat outside and brought an espresso, believing that if I gave them my custom they would be more likely to keep and I on the car. It certainly attracted some attention and one chap Michael who had recently moved back from Brazil sat next to me over a coffee to ask all about it.
After this pleasant and rather technical interlude I then went for a stroll round the town. Vitre is fortified high on a hill overlooking the Vilaine Valley. Walking round it you could be mistaken for thinking you are on the set of a pantomime such as Sleeping Beauty or Repunsel as there are tall towers with pencil point turrets though on this occasion no damsels in distress. Most of the buildings are from the 15th – 16th centaury. I first went into the gothic style Cathedral of Notre-Dame which had quite beautiful stained glass particularly in the East window, which featured the resurrection. After lighting a candle and saying a prayer I headed down to the Chateau. There is real only a shell left though the town hall and a small museum are inside the ramparts. My exploration was rewarded down by the station with a delightful café where I stopped for a café frappe and to write some post cards.
My ploy of buying a coffee at the café where I had parked seemed to pay off as the car was all in one piece when I returned and I then set off for Laval. Again beautiful roads and there was nothing for it but to put my Top Gear album on the IPod and listen to some great driving tracks while I sped along the open roads. There nothing quite like driving a 7 down a road lined with trees listening to ‘Keep your Motor Running’ and like a Bat out of Hell!
I arrived in the centre of Laval at lunch time after a small detour to avoid a Peugeot garage that had caught fire which was surrounded by fire engines and police cars and belching the most acrid black smoke. Imagine going back to collect your car after a service to find not only no car but no garage either!
In the old medieval part of Laval, not as extensive as Vitre, is a car park covered with Lime trees providing much needed shade where I stop and went to a Bistro opposite. I had the Plat de Jour which today was mutton, not something often found in the UK but it was delicious. I was lucky to be joined by a very glamorous female called Charlotte for lunch who took a liking to my immediately and sat on the chair opposite for the whole meal. I should add that Charlotte was the Bistros’ cat.
After a very leisurely French lunch I had a stroll round the old part of Laval which is very small indeed and decided that the best thing to do was to head for Le Man so I programmed the Sat Nav to avoid all the main roads and I set of down the D357 which again was another fantastic road. It was very hot so I had covered my face, neck and arms in sun screen before leaving and was also able to utilise my drinking system. This consists of a 1 ½ litre camel back which cyclists use stuffed behind the passenger seat with the drinking tube coming from behind the seat so that I can just grab it with my left hand and suck to get water.
I arrive in Le Man around 3:30pm and although the race doses not begin until Saturday there was already a carnival atmosphere in the town. As I drove passed in the 7 there where many cheers, raised thumbs and claps. My camp site with the Lotus 7 Club is Camp Blue which is fenced off and has security at the gate and patrolling so you don’t have to worry about the car or your kit. We have a marquee with bar, eating area and a huge TV which is about 8ft by 10ft that has the racing beamed directly to it. There were already lines of 7s by tents and I was directed to a nice shady spot by a tree and only 50yards from the shower and toilet block. No tardis like blue chemical toilets here these are all plumbed in and there is piping hot water in the showers all the time. The only negative thing is a very noisy generator which powers the bar, kitchen and large TV. Apparently this is only an emergency one as the main generator had broken down but would be back on line tomorrow.
It took me about an hour to set my pitch up but apart from the generator I think it will be very pleasant. This is as long as it doesn’t rain other wise it will be a quagmire.
I cooked my supper of chilly and rice and then had a stroll round the race enclosure and even though it was 10pm and dark cars where still practicing for the night driving that would take place during the race and there was a buzz in the air as the sound of very large V8’s sped round the track followed by the red blur of their tail lights. There will be much to explore tomorrow.
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