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Day 2
Wed 21/5/08 Reims to near Clermont Ferrand, France (375 miles) 

A fairly long day ahead but on mainly quiet roads. Immediately the day starts snaking through the nearby national park then through the Champagne region (on all new roads to previous visits to this area), then we’ll slice through part of Burgundy country before resting up in the Loire region for lunch.

Later we’ll use the efficient French Autoroute system to cover some mileage before embarking on a lovely mountain drive to carve our way to our remotely located hotel. 

We have taken the liberty of booking our lovely 3* hotel on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis. The hotel has all the facilities one would expect to allow you to rest up and recharge the batteries for an exciting day of driving which lies ahead. 

Those facilities include a restaurant, bar, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, Jacuzzi, fitness centre, WIFI and other business services.

Day 3
Thu 22/5/08 Clermont Ferrand to Gorge near Millau, France (185 miles)

The day starts with an all new   60 mile segment which carves   through the varied terrain of   the Auvergne region. By desire   the next part of the route hits   the autoroute as it is truly a   very rare and enjoyable stretch   of motorway.

Then it’s onto one of worlds most awe inspiring design and engineering feats, the Millau Bridge.

Stretching over the Gorge Du Tarn in the Massif Central, it reaches up 300 metres (984 ft), taller than the Eiffel Tower and not even the picture shown on this tour page can prepare you for the real life experience of seeing this engineering marvel for yourself which you’ll initially spot from around 15 miles away. 

We then venture onto a viewpoint under the bridge which is actually more incredible than being on it - a photo stop for sure! 

For lunch, we’ve located an excellent restaurant with lovely surrounding views and plenty of parking. After lunch we’ll start our journey through the nearby gorge but this year we’ve decided to use a very nice hotel located earlier on in the gorge than last year. 

This will prove a great rest spot for the challenge of the gorges which lies ahead the next day. 

Being as our arrival will be mid afternoon you can either relax and enjoy this hotels excellent location and facilities or continue the drive through the gorge to some of the very nice small villages before we take the route as a group drive the next morning. 

Some of the roads used were chosen by Top Gear to put 3 supercars (Pagini Zonda, Ferrari F430, Ford GT) through their paces. If it’s good enough for Top Gear……

Our new hotel for this year is a superb 3* hotel enjoying a premium position in the mouth of the gorge. It has modern Zen styled amenities which complement the period building and historic surroundings while also benefiting from an outdoor swimming pool and private parking. Due to its very remote location, we’ve booked it on a dinner bed and breakfast basis. 

Day 4
Fri 23/5/08 Gorge to near St. Tropez, France (255 miles)

Today starts with an epic drive demanding maximum concentration from the driver while the passenger can enjoy the awe inspiring views of our morning gorge run.

Later, we embark on an entirely different kind of route enjoying wide open roads of a national park area which one client last year described as the “drive of my life”.

After enjoying 100 miles of the most incredible terrain the Massif Central has to offer we’ll jump onto the autoroute to cover some mileage, refuel then head onto another interesting route to guide us to our world famous lunch spot, St. Tropez.

After lunch, we’ll take a short drive to arrive at our very secluded hotel by mid afternoon. New for this year, this is a hotel we stumbled across a long time ago and vowed to use one day. It is a beautiful character building set in its own secluded landscaped grounds and enjoys an elevated position with far stretching ocean views. 

In order to maximise the enjoyment of your stay, we’ve taken the liberty of upgrading all the rooms to ocean view. Although officially a 3* hotel, it puts to shame a lot of 4* hotels we’ve come across over the years. 

It also benefits from a newly installed bar area, outside pool and private parking. Evening meels can be arranged for the group with prior notice using a highly regarded local chef, otherwise there is a very good restaurant a stones throw from the hotel in addition to a selection along the coastline only a couple of miles away. 

This will be your home for the next three nights, all of which have been booked on a B&B basis. 
Note re “double” rooms – The first 8 double room bookings will enjoy a free upgrade to “superior” sea view double rooms, thereafter, they are “standard” sea view rooms. 

Day 5
Sat 24/5/08 Rest day – Optional Monaco F1 Qualifying

If you choose to do nothing  today, then there’s no better   place to be than the hotels   private pool or maybe take a   short drive down to the beech.

St. Tropez is also a short drive away or maybe extend the trip along the Riviera coastline and catch the last festivities of the annual Cannes Film Festival which finishes on 25 May.

Or of course, there is the Monaco F1 qualifying before the big race the next day! The hotel is located 75 miles from Monaco which taking the quickest route takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to get to. 

This location was chosen so as not to incur substantial hotel prices for our three evenings in the area as a result of the Monaco Formula 1 and the Cannes Film Festival. 

Monaco F1 Tickets - When you book on this tour we will send you information with your tour booking confirmation regarding the various options available for booking your Grand Prix tickets.

You can choose from. 

Grandstand – there are many Grandstand seats around the circuit. We will send you a web link that will allow you to book your tickets directly online. This website link allows you to view available grandstand areas (with photos and prices), before making your selection. Prices vary from £60 to over £300 for EACH day. 

Terrace/Yachts etc – we will also send you details of various premium options such as hotel terraces, restaurants, yachts. Pries vary from £1,000 to £20,000 for both Saturday and Sunday. 

Day 6 Sun 25/5/08 
Rest day – Optional Monaco F1 Grand Prix

Another rest day……..hmmmm… what to do? Monaco Grand prix maybe? See above for ticketing information. Note - we will look into transport options into Monaco for our group depending on the final level of bookings we achieve.

If you spent the day enjoying the most exciting race on the F1 calendar, you'll no doubt want to stay in Monaco and soak up all that glamour and atmosphere before returning to the calm of our remotely located hotel for the last evening.

Day 7
Mon 26/5/08 Cannes to near Gap, France (255 miles) 

We can confidently say that   today will provide you with some   of the most memorable driving   you’ve ever experienced. With   the French coast line behind us   we’ll soon be embarking on what   many critics consider the best   road in Europe, the Route   Napoleon.

Evo magazine used it in their Performance Car of the Year 2005 test which is proof in itself just how good this road is. Not only are great roads on today’s agenda but you’ll also experience awe inspiring sites in the form of the Gorges Du Verdon. 

Often compared to the mighty Grand Canyon, it certainly isn’t on the same scale but actually has better roads to drive on and that’s the most important aspect to us. Once again if you’re a Top Gear viewer you’ll see some familiar scenery.

Remember when Jeremy Clarkson raced his Audi RS4 against 2 rock climbers - and lost? Well that’s where we’re heading and included on our trip through this mighty gorge are both the roads that JC declared as the 1st and 2nd most demanding roads in Europe. Do we agree? Well not entirely but that’s just knit picking.

You’ll be stunned by the route today – guaranteed! We’ve again found a little known restaurant for our lunch stop which has one of the most incredible views on this trip and of course plenty of parking. 

After we’ve marvelled at this incredible area and driven its best roads we’ll head north again on the Route Napoleon. By late afternoon we’ll delight in taking you away from the expected route and into no mans land to drive one of our favourite roads – all 50 miles of it! It’s one of those special finds that proves that often the most enjoyable roads to drive are actually not the main headlining routes that most people know of. 

In complete contrast to our previous cosmopolitan hotel near St.Tropez, we’ve arranged for you a very traditional large family run 3* hotel. After a full and truly exhilarating day of driving, we’ve taken the liberty of booking this hotel on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. 

Day 8
Tue 27/5/08 Gap to near Dijon, France (285 miles)

As soon as we leave the hotel we’re straight into some great driving to lead us once again to the infamous Route Napoleon.  With substantial visibility, very long sweeping bends and mountain views as far as the eye can see.

You can’t help but feel this isn’t the same road we were travelling on earlier the previous day, but this is what makes it one of worlds most pleasurable to drive.

We’ll stop at a lake side town for lunch before getting back into high gear to cover some mileage utilising the efficient Autoroute network to guide us to our overnight stop located not far south of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy.

We’ll certainly see off the tour in style as we enjoy our last night in a very imposing French country chateau (new for this year). Set within very impressive grounds extending to almost 30 hectares this incredible chateau benefits from a gastronomic restaurant with various internal and external dining areas and an outdoor heated swimming pool. 

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll choose to dine elsewhere in the evening (which is our intention!) so as usual we expect to have a memorable final group finale.

Day 9
Wed 28/5/08 Dijon to Calais, France (365 miles)

Our last day but don’t think that   means its just mile eating   motorways to endure. We’ll start   with a 70 mile cross country   route to guide us through rural   France before using the   autoroute to take us to our lunch   stop on the outskirts of Reims.

For those who haven’t visited it, the old Grand Prix pits are just around the corner should you want to get some photos. After lunch we’ll head north to catch our afternoon Eurotunnel crossing back to Folkestone. 

Upon arriving back in the England we’ll bid farewell as we all slip back into the grim reality of driving on our less than inspiring motorway network to lead us all home. Until next time……