Updating the Guide - Campsites

[Bonio]

Morning, I will attempt my update of the Beausejour campsite in the same format as previously written by others.

Access Access to the site is just on the inside of the Porsche Curves to the east of Arnage on the R.D 92. There are many ways to gain access but the easiest we have found over the years is from Arnage (the road that passes by the train station off the roundabout in Arnage by the bank). The access via the road that follows down through the Blue campsites and main entrances are very busy and you  can find that you will get caught up in heavy traffic. Once under the bridge of the Porsche curves you will find the entrance to the site about 200m further down the road on your right. Be aware though that there is a Danish tour operators site just before the main entrance. We arrived on Wednesday so unfortunately I do not know when the site opens.

Proximity The site is located on the inside of the Porsche Curves and for access to that part of the track is fantastic with only about a 10 min walk at the most to gain entry to it. As for the rest of the circuit though be prepared for a much longer walk i.e to get to Maison Blanche entrance then you need to allow yourself a good 30 min walk and maybe 45 mins to walk to the tram stop. This means that bicycles are a essential must. All is not lost though as the ACO do provide buses to the Techno Park and other locations around the circuit if you do want to rest your weary legs though these tend to get full very quickly and the regularity of them can not be predicted. There was a bike hire facility at the site this year too but as for the prices, I never investigated.

Facilities Lots of facilities to ensure your stay is as pleasant as it can be in the sprawling city of canvas. Lots of toilets are spread throughout the site with minimal queueing, always kept clean and plenty of bog paper in all of them. The showers were also spread pretty evenly around the site but there were at busy times quite lengthy queues. The water at times was also more cooling than hot but this may just be due to the demand at the time. At the main entrance there is also a bar and burger place for your refreshment as well as a shop selling items such as bread, water, bog roll and other nik nacs for the average camper. I have already mentioned about the bike hire. There was also an AA van located on the site ready to assist anyone who had membership and a problem with their vehicle.

Atmosphere Ha, now we get to the gritty. Beausejour has a little of a reputation of being something Aka: Mad Max. Now as someone who has stayed there for about the last 7 years I can confirm that the site has had its moments but the last 2 years or so it seems to have quietened down considerably. Yes there still are the crazy element who seem to have a fixation with air horns and European techno music but there are also the mainstream peeps who are there for the racing, meeting of likewise fans and general chilling. Really there is something for everyone and we have never had any trouble and made good friends over the years. The security team there are also on the ball, when there has been any high spirits the security team have been able to calm the situation quickly and diplomatically thus ensuring everyone has a good time.

General You are allocated the standard pitches but these are not marked, so we tend to turn up and spread our clutter as much as we can until someone says otherwise and we come to a compromise. Now Bsj is quite a sprawling site with many tour operators having their own mini sites within it but if you know where to look you can find your own piece of turf to make your own. We usually go into the field or woods next-door to the Village on the Curves as it is quite isolated from the main site and thus quieter. There are metalised roads that take you through the site but beware if there has been heavy rain as in the case this year, then the site can have a lot of standing water. Likewise during hot years it can become quite a dust bowl. There used to also be quite a lot of action on the Bsj roundabout on the Friday night but thankfully this seems to have moved back up towards the Houx sites now. If you are into your Black ops then this is defiantly the site for you too, with great access to the inner part of the circuit you can get to the safety barriers down the Mulsanne or the outside of Indy corner if you know where to go.

Security You will have your vehicle partially searched when you first enter the site (This is only a cautionary glance and no rifling through your possessions takes place). I think they are just looking for gas bottles as we had bottled beer and they did not say anything. As stated previously, they also are very quick to respond to incidents that may happen on the site and regular can be seen doing patrols on quad bikes. When we left on the Monday morning they were still at the main entrance so I presume they were still on duty. We have not personally experienced any thieving or the like over the years but this does not mean that it does not happen.

Overall The cheapest of all the ACO sites and that is for a reason i.e. the location, its a fair way from the main part of the circuit. Yes it does have a reputation but that has evaporated over the years and as with any site, you cannot pick your neighbours. You will not be left wanting of any facilities and the access to the inside of the Porsche Curves is fantastic. Out of ten, I would give it a six.

[Pilgrim]

Evening All. Here's the Expo campsite report, albeit belatedly.

Access Access is pretty good, with one main pedestrian and vehicle entrance within two minutes walk of the main circuit entrance. The nearest bar (the world-famous 'Aux Portes du Circuit' AKA 'Jeannine's) is only about 90 seconds walk from the Expo entrance. The site opens on the Sunday before the race at 10am.

Proximity It really couldn't be any closer to the circuit without being inside it. Which is great if you're, like me, disabled or chronically ill. The walk between the Expo entrance and the main circuit entrance is slightly downhill entering the circuit and shouldn't be too difficult to make the return trip. As I go on foot and don't have a vehicle, I find that specially convenient.

Facilities Frankly, woefully inadequate. I found only a couple of toilet and shower blocks in which not all the showers were always operational. The simple fact is that there just aren't enough sanitary facilities for the number of campers, especially later in race week when the site really starts to fill up. So, it would benefit enormously from more ablutions blocks. That said, they are usually kept in decent condition.

Atmosphere Definitely not a site for the party animals amongst us. The atmosphere tends to be one of sociable calmness (by 24 Hours standards, anyway). Expo folk aren't party poopers, but we're not prone to constant drunkenness and industrial-volume music going 24 hours a day. If you're looking for a party site then Beausejour and what remains of Houx Annexe are probably more your thing but, if you like things a little quieter, then you might find Expo more to your liking. Personally, I've come to like this site very much.

General You don't get marked pitches on Expo. The cattle sheds are great if you're travelling with a small vehicle. bike or arriving on foot. They do have concrete floors, though, so banging in tent pegs isn't really an option. You could use an electric screwdriver but, as these are used as cattle sheds the rest of the year, I wouldn't do it. I don't like the thought of leaving an animal lame because they stepped on a screw I'd left sticking out of the concrete. The grassy areas are often on very thin soil so, if you're looking to pitch tents/gazebos instead of using pop-ups, you want to get there early to find one of the relatively rare spots where pegs will actually go into the ground and stay there.

Security Theft isn't much of a problem on Expo. There's only one way in and out and there's no through traffic from other sites, making it one of the safer sites to camp on. If you take sensible precautions like not leaving valuables on display, locking anything valuable in your vehicle and using vehicle locks, bike chains, alarms and so on, you should be fine. Expo's as safe a site as any and better than some.

Overall I like it a lot. It's a close to the main entrance as it can be. It's not rammed with drunkards and general idiocy 24 hours a day. Theft isn't something to worry about beyond the usual precautions. It's only a short walk (around ten minutes) from the nearest tram stop (Guetteloup) and Jeannine's is literally across the road. For me, it's as close to perfect as I can get.

Score 8/10. It would have been 9/10 except for the woeful lack of sanitation facilities.