France trip 2024 to Reims Geux, Montlhery & Lisieux

The second of our trips to France with the Mini, MG Midget and Triumph Herald, this time in 2024 with the main reason to visit the Montlhery Vintage Revival south of Paris.

We decided to make it a week long trip this year so a return on the Newhaven to Dieppe ferry was booked (cheapest we could find!) and avoiding overnight crossings. So we travelled to Newhaven for the first night stop and then used the morning sailing  to Dieppe and onto our hotel in Beauvais.

The next day was on to Epernay, stopping to look at the memorial to the R101 airship crash and the Forest of Compiegne where the German surrender was signed in WW1 and the French surrender in WW2. A further stop in a village surrounded by Champagne vineyards just before Epernay and a loveley drive past all the vineyards.

The following morning we drove the short distance to Reims Geux old racing circuit which is gradually having the buildings being restored. On a Friday the group are there working on the site and you can drive in. We had a good chat in broken French and English to the group and lots of other cars pulled in including a Dutch registered 1950's Austin Cambridge which was also on its way to Montlhery.

The rest of the day was spent driving back to Paris where the roads gradually got busier as we neared the capital. Checked into our hotel and eat at a Chinese buffet restaurant.

It was only about a 20 minute drive to Montlhery so we set off at about 8.00am using the motorway but unexplicably the gates didn't open to spectators until 9.00am, there was a huge queue which took 90 minutes to get into the circuit!

Once in we were directed to the classic car car park and went to look at all the vintage cars and motorbikes. A huge variety with many makes we don't see in the UK. Similar to Le Mans Classic groups of similar machines wennt out on the banked track for demonstation runs.

We had to leave around 1.00pm because we were driving to Lisieux for a classic car meet the following day which was a shame as it has taken so long to get in! The drive that afternoon was very hot and into the sun. We eventually arrived at our hotel which lived up to its Tripadvisor comments of being run by an interesting and not entirely welcoming lady! However we had a lovely meal there in the evening and interesting to walk up to the very imposing Lisieux cathedral.

Next morning a very short drive into the centre of the town to the monthly classic car (over 30 years old) meet. Very welcoming and a great variety of cars on show. We stayed until the event closed at lunchtime and then set off back to Dieppe, crossing the Seine on one of the many free vehicle ferries. Secure parking at the Dieppe hotel and a good meal before sleep and the next mornings ferry back to Newhaven.

Jake and I then had the usual 200 mile drive back to Chesterfield.