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THE ROUTE,
DAY-BY-DAY
 Day-by-day
details of a fantastic route conceived and executed by Phil
Pavord and Martin Clark.
SUNDAY
An easy drive from
either Brooklands to Portsmouth or Ieper to Rouen with the
routes converging on Monday morning at Cormeilles.
MONDAY - CORMEILLES TO
CHÂTEAUROUX
Le Havre, apart from being the
second port of France, has little to recommend it having been
heavily bombed during World War II with the result that the
concrete building style of the Fifities pre-dominates.
However, the Brookland starters will almost immediately cross
the impressive Pont de Normandie, one of Europe's finest
bridges - the view of the Seine is breath-taking!
Rouen is a different proposition to Le Havre. Dating
from before the 3rd Century it is noted for it 13th century
Gothic cathedral and its totally restored old city (World War
II practically wiped out the inner area). Joan of Arc was
burned in the Place du Vieux Marché in 1431. Joan of Arc was
actually sold to the English by the Burgandians. The English,
who despised her, put on a show trial and she was charged with
being a heretic. Rouen was at that time controlled by the
English. The Earl of Warwick supervised the Trial but the
prosecutor was a French bishop, Pierre Couchon. She was duly
convicted, condemned and burned. Charles VIII, whom she had
been highly instrumental in putting on the throne, just looked
on. It appears he considered her a greater asset dead as a
martyr, and evidence of the fiendish brutality of the English,
than alive and an embarrassment to him. (Politics do not
change). Like many French provincial cities Rouen's population
of just over 100,000 belies its importance historically and
economically.
The Normandie region is renowned for
Calvados, an apple liquor, which they not only drink in
copious quantities but use is all forms of cooking. I hope you
have time to sample some of its delights.
After we all
join together at Cormeilles we get you in the mood with a
short Regularity section south of Lisieux before the route
trundles across the mellow Normandy countryside to lunch at le
Grand Lucé - deep in the Sarthe (Le Mans country - can you
smell the Castrol 'R'?). The countryside has often been
compared to southern England with its preponderance of hedges
and trees and its structure of small farms and fields.
During World War II most of the fighting after D-Day
was to the west of our route. However, there was fierce
fighting around Lisieux as the Allies broke out from the
beaches in July 1944.
When writing of Normandy it must
be mentioned that the British ruled the area on and off for
nearly 400 years albeit as a result of the Duke of Normandy
crossing The English Channel in 1066 and becoming King of
England. Can we have it back please!
After lunch we
continue investigating the countryside created by the mosaic
of fields, hedges and copses and the challenging navigation it
produces on our way to the valley of the Loire. We start with
another Regularity section in the Fôret de Bercé (celebrated
for its oak trees including one believed to be over 300 years
old). To say that we start as we mean to go on is a little
strong although this Regularity does include a road at the
beginning not recognised by Michelin!
We cross the
Loire at Amboise and the fortified chateau is easily seen high
on the southern bank dominating the town below. Originally
fortified in Roman times, Charles VIII is mainly responsible
for developing it at the end of the 15th Century. It was at
its peak in the 16th Century after which it was used for
various purposes including, at times, a prison. Rumours that
prisoners were executed by being thrown from the ramparts are
ill-founded but looking at its imposing location it is easy to
see how the rumours started.
Amboise is also the very
unlikely place where Leonardo da Vinci died at the age of 67
in 1519.
Onwards to a TC in Genillé and a long run
across flat and featureless countryside (a necessary evil to
reach the mountains!) followed by a regularity in the Parc
Regional de la Brenne. This is a fascinating series of man
enhanced lakes and fish farms renowned for its spectacular
bird life. On many occasions there is an eerie mist that
settles and if it is just below freezing, which is a distinct
possibility, the whole area takes on a 'Turneresque' look. I
know of nowhere else like it in Europe.
It is then
only a short drive to Châteauroux. "Shattered" may be a
suitable word for a long but interesting day.
TUESDAY - CHÂTEAUROUX TO CLERMONT
FERRAND
A civilized 08:00 start for this
412 kms day. Not too long but it will prove quite a challenge
for the navigators.
We work our way down to le Cluzeau
- no sign of Peter Sellers here but after the next section you
may think he is responsible for the Michelin Maps in this
area.
The countrywide is now becoming more hilly and
interesting but the navigation remains tricky. After passing
the hilltop town of Auzances we continue down the D996 to St.
Bard for a TC, in what the British would call a "greasy spoon"
café. It is unlikely that you will all get fed at the control,
as the café is so small, so either bring some vitals with you
or try to grab a bite on your journey south (try Auzances). If
you're lucky though you'll experience real French everyday
cuisine.
The next Regularity starts at the Etang de la
Méouze. This is short but interesting being partly gravel and
broken surfaces and will truly test your powers of map
interpretation!
After a short distance we take the
D987 through the Gorges d'Aveze, crossing the River Dordogne,
only 30 kms from its source. Onto Tauves with its very fine
14th Century Romanesque church. Be sure to follow the defined
route to Besse en Chandesse which, unfortunately, we will only
be passing by on our way to Valbeleix. The valley of the
Valbeleix has been created by glacial action approx. 10,000
years ago and is an almost perfect U shape. Further on the D26
you enter the Gorges de Courcoul. This is very much narrower
and clearly illustrates the limit of the ice of the Valbeleix
Glacier.
We are now right in the heart of the Parc
Regional des Volcans d'Auvergne which is nearly 4,000 sq km in
area. The volcanic uplands to the west of Clermont-Ferrand
reach their highest at Puy de Sancy, 1885 metres, occasionally
visible as you travel down the D149 towards Besse. We travel
through the Gorges de Courgoul and soon pass east of the Puy
de Bressolles, at 1,035 metres. Before Clermont-Ferrand we
pass many unnamed puy (the local term for a volcanic "plug" or
extinct volcano). Originally when the area was formed millions
of years ago the volcanoes in this area exceeded a height of
3,000 metres. Erosion then made its mark turning it into the
landscape you see today. The whole area was volcanically
active for 20 million years, the last one being dying out less
than 4,300 years ago The actual hills and peaks were formed in
a variety of ways. Some are formed by solidifying lava that do
not form a crater, leaving a "puy". The more typically extinct
volcanoes are formed by a gradual build up of cinders and ash
around the active volcano's rim. After it has ceased to be
active, a traditional crater is formed. Another method is the
volcanic plug. This is formed when the exterior of the volcano
is eroded away leaving the plug. The land was formed by the
complex action of lava flows many forming layer upon layer.
These were then eroded by the elements to produce the
landscape you see today.
The tricky roads both before
and after St Nectaire will prove testing to say the least. Be
careful in St Nectaire itself as you will (if you follow
correct route) encounter an impossible hairpin junction in the
centre of the village. Please do respect the locals though -
no handbrake turns here please - better to go down the road
and turn in a convenient hotel car park entrance!
Clermont-Ferrand, with a population of 250,000, is the
centre of the Massif Central. Most notable as the hub of
Michelin and what was, before the sanitization of Formula One
a great Grand Prix circuit. The 18th Century Gothic cathedral
looks as if it has been blackened by smoke when, in fact, it
is the volcanic stones used in its construction that create
the black and brooding look.
WEDNESDAY - CLERMONT-FERRAND TO
VALS-LES-BAINS
Today for the Marathon
competitors a 300 kms day. For the Sporting competitors a long
hard day of 550 kms including the evening section.
We
spend most of the morning in the Livradois region. This is a
tangle of small, tortuous lanes. The Regional Park was only
founded in 1984 - its main objective to try to preserve the
rural environment, local crafts and industry. We confounded
many people last year with the "not-as-map" roads in this area
- be warned! Actually, there aren't too many problems in spite
of it clearly being too close to Michelin Headquarters for
them to bother too much about including every road on the map
…
As you pass through Lavoute-Chilhac on the D585 look
to your left. The remarkable bridge over the River Allier you
see was built in the 11th Century and brought up to date in
the 15th Century!! (Worth coming back to see some time). The
abbey is Benedictine and modern by comparison, only dating
from the 18th Century.
Just before lunch at Saugues we
pass Mont Mouchet, a great centre of the French resistance in
World War II. A monument to the Resistance has been erected on
the slopes of the mountain. After this Marathon competitors go
direct to lunch in Saugues but the Sporting boys have one more
little test of navigation.
Saugues itself has a
colourful history. In the 14th Century a band of mercenaries
called "The Englishmen" robbed and pillaged the area and used
Saugues as their headquarters. The French troops could not
defeat them or clear the town and in the end only an offer of
gold did the trick and they left the area with their
ill-gotten gains. In fact they were not English but a group of
French mercenaries that the English had recruited during the
Hundred Years War.
After lunch Sporting class pass
through the beautiful hamlet of Prades - it's OK you're on a
Regularity so plenty of time to look!. After Prades, as you go
south on the D301. Look out on your left for the ruins of the
Château de Rochegude and a few kilometres after, on the D40,
look on your right for the small village of St-Didier-d'Allier
perched precariously on the rock pinnacle. The Gorges d'Allier
really is one of those undiscovered areas of France worth
exploring.
We head now for for the Massif du Tanargue
but be careful to thread your way correctly around Laval-Atger
first. The Massif range has a strange, almost mysterious, look
and ambience. Phil Pavord and I would like to have taken you
through the Gorge de la Borne, just to the south (different to
the two you visit later in the event). In a land of
sensational roads this has to be among the best. However its
unguarded blind bends, bad cambers and its remoteness means it
is not possible to use for a winter rally and will have to
wait for a summer event in this area.
We pass the Col
de la Croix de Bauzon, high at 1300 metres in an area renowned
for its storms. However we are assured it is kept open and the
main road is conveniently placed for re-routing into the
welcoming Val-les-Bains.
Vals-les-Bains only has a
population of 4,000 but its lack of population belies its
importance for rallying. Before the modern sprint rallies
Vals, together with Gap, Sisteron and Aix-les-Bains, was one
on the halts on the Monte-Carlo Rally. Many of the roads you
will be experiencing tonight were used on those arduous
Monte's. Vals is still used today by events from all over
Europe. In fact, The Winter Challenge has spent many a happy
but difficult time exploring the roads in the area. When not
being used for rallies it is basically a Spa town. Spread up
the narrow Volane valley it became popular as a spa in the
19th Century although the springs had been in use since the
17th Century. Today there are approximately 150 springs in
use.
We have the pleasure of two nights in Vals so
check into your hotel. Those on the evening loop - get as much
rest as possible - and the Marathon teams will have time to
party if they have the energy!
The evening loop will
be tough. It has been designed to be. The territory is, of
course, similar to that used in 2002 but we have managed to
find several new roads that I do not think have been used
before. As previously the loop will be based on Burzet and the
famous café in the main street. The formidable Madame will
make sure you are very welcome but I am not sure about myself
as last year - I had the temerity to question whether she had
enough fuel and her reply was fierce. However, Phil Pavord,
whose French is immaculate, was listening and reported it was
not as bad as it sounded and we would not all be chucked out
(I enjoyed the episode though - Phil).
There is little
point in explaining the beauty and history of this small area
as you will all have your heads and eyes in full concentration
mode (and won't see it anyway in the dark!!!). Just enjoy this
most fabulous rally terrain and be prepared for a few
surprises before wearily returning to Vals.
THURSDAY - VALS-LES-BAINS TO
VALS-LES-BAINS
At 390 kilometres today is
the shortest day - you even get a lie-in to recover from the
previous evening! However, it will be a hard day in the
Cevennes.
The Cevennes is one my favourite parts of
France. Hills and valleys less mountainous than the Northern
Massif Central, Pyrennes or the Alps but somehow more
balanced. The Cevennes can be split into two. The contrast
between the side we are rallying, the Eastern Mediterranean
side with its steep valleys and peaks and the flattened,
almost plateau-like North Western Atlantic side. The Parc
National des Cevennes, created in 1970, is a UNESCO World
Biosphere Reserve.
The area has, like many uphill
areas, become heavily de-populated in recent times. Crops are
difficult to cultivate and the traditional silkworm industry
is all but finished although the old farms can still be seen.
You can recognize them as they are usually quite large - two
or three storeys high with very narrow windows.
The
area today is very well forested. Although this is mainly due
to reforestation - originally the area was mainly beech but
the charcoal burners destroyed most of them to supply the
glass-makers. Massive erosion then took place and sheep then
compounded the issue by grazing all the new shoots. In the
1850's Georges Fabris, a local forester, decided to reforest
the region. A total of 35,000 acres were replanted over a
period of time mainly with firs and spruces - the first known
major reforestation project. The main tree you will see today
is the sweet chestnut, first planted in the Middle Ages. In
fact there are so many that it is difficult to imagine what
they could possibly do with the huge crop when it is harvested
in September. I think most of them are eaten by the wild boar
that inhabit the area. The tree is very productive. The wood
makes good furniture and baskets. Cattle like the leaves and
of course the fruit can be eaten or fed to the pigs to make
delightfully sweet and tasty pork.
Robert Louis
Stevenson traveled the area in 1878 with his donkey Modestine.
He travelled 220 kms in 12 days - a little slower than us -
and finished his journey at St Jean du Gard where we are
taking lunch. I hope he didn't do it all on his donkey - he
had regretfully to sell her when he arrived there! (On the
recce in July Phil and wife Pat met a lady with three children
plus donkey trying to do the same trip!)
The roads
from les Vans to lunch at St Jean du Gard are indeed tortuous
and need careful driving and navigation. St Jean I am sure
will be a very welcome sight. It was once one of the centres
of the silk industry. Remember to refuel (car and persons) in
St Jean.
The Marathon competitors have an exciting
loop back to a Time Control and a much longer break before
they catch up with the Sporting competitors, who have a long
and difficult loop to Lasalle and up the Col de l'Asclier via
the Col de la Triballe. The views (if you have the time) from
this Col gives a fine panorama of the Cevennes. The Col de
l'Asclier is spectacular. Towards the end of the Col, on the
D152 you pass under a bridge in a very unlikely location. In
fact it is a sheep bridge used when they use to drive their
sheep from low to high pastures in the Spring and vice versa
in the Autumn. Today, I understand, they use lorries…
The route crosses the Corniche des Cevennes to another
regularity at Ste Croix-Vallée-Française. The road was
originally built by Louis XIV so that his troops could enter
the area in order to put down a Protestant rebellion.
Protestants were allowed by treaty to freely worship but Louis
XIV was determined to convert them to Catholicism, so in 1661
he mounted a campaign of conversion and subversion. By 1685
his spies in the region reported that the Protestants were, to
all intents and purposes, defeated or converted so as a result
the Royal Court declared Protestantism a forbidden religion.
As with most government statistics they were wrong and many
hundreds of thousands of Protestants fled France as a result.
In 1702 a small group of Protestants were arrested in the
Cevennes where upon a group of approximately 60 locals decided
to release the prisoners. This led to general mayhem with
locals using their knowledge of the area to wage a guerilla
war against the King's men. The numbers of rebels grew to
about 4,000. In the end it took upwards of 30,000 men to
subdue them and by 1704 the Rebellion was at an end. However,
the persecutions continued until 1787 when King Louis XVI
signed an edict restoring the Protestants their rights.
After crossing the Corniche we climb towards St.
Martin, a justifiably popular name in France!!, to the Col de
Pendédis and through an amazing little road (and nudist camp)
to the N106. I believe the mill on this road is an ex-silk
worm factory (do you really make worms?) but could find no-one
to confirm this. The smaller roads both before and after this
will certainly test your navigational skills.
Travelling north we pass through the picturesque town
of Génolhac and take the D906 to Villefort. It was my
intention to take the D362 to the west into the Mont Lozère
region but our French authorisations expert, Michel Bret,
tells us the road is automatically closed in the winter
regardless of conditions. Mont Lozère, at 1699 metres is the
highest non volcanic mountain in the region. Its nickname is
Bald Mountain on account of its heavily eroded granite.
Through Villefort and into one my favourite regularities - the
navigation is not tricky but the terrain is very wild on this
plateau which is typical of the North West part of this
region. Through to Sablierres and onto a well earned rest in
Vals-les-Bains.
FRIDAY -
VALS-LES-BAINS TO GÈNEVE
Today we pass over
some of the most famous Cols in the Western Alps. Col de
Bacchus, de la Bataille, de la Rama, de la Machine, du
Cucheron, des Egaux, de l'Epine, Grand Colombier and the
infamous Col de la Biche.
After working our way across
the A7 we head off into the limestone massif of le Vercours.
As you travel the mountain roads look out for the monuments in
memory of 1944. Each monument has the same words "MORT POUR LA
FRANCE". After D-Day in June 1944 the Resistance flew the
Tricolour on many village flagpoles in the region. The Germans
took exception to this and sent 25,000 troops into the
mountains. The Resistance, expecting help from the Allies, had
shown their defiance too soon. There was no help and the
Germans soon wrought bitter revenge against the whole
population of this area.
The action commences at
Mirabel-et-Blacons over the relatively easy Col de Bacchus and
de la Bataillie. Then tackling the notorious Col de la Machine
with its series of tunnels (actually easy these days - more
like a motorway) and back up through the "Goolies" - otherwise
known as les Petits Goulets and les Grands Goulets. If you
haven't been there before - boy are you in for a treat.
Probably some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in
France. On across the plateau of the Vercours, we then descend
to the Gorges de la Bourne, up again and down the Gorges
d'Engins onto the outskirts of Grenoble and the Chartreuse. We
were going a different way but the road after the Tunnel du
Mortier is closed for the next 10 years! Lunch in Voreppe -
it's market day today but should all be cleared up by the time
you get there. If not - grab yourself a bargain!
St.
Bruno chose the area known as the Chartreuse 900 years ago to
found the Carthusian Order. The monks started some of Europe's
first iron and steel foundries using charcoal. When coke
replaced charcoal the industry died. The monks then turned
their hands to a much more rewarding endeavour - the making of
Chartreuse liquor. The recipe, which is supposed to be a
secret kept by the Carthusians, contains over 100 plants and
herbs. Today it is made in a distillery at Voiron. Personally
I have never been able to work out how you mass produce
something made with a secret recipe! But what do I know?
After the scenic and tarmac delights of the Chartreuse
we flank Chambery before - weather permitting - coming down
the hill (some hill this) of the Mont de Chat. We emerge
directly opposite Aix-les-Bains - a town visited many times
before by the rally. Not this time though. We proceed along
the western side of Lac du Bourget before tackling Grand
Colombier and then Col de la Biche. The road on this section
is a very wooded but still climbs to 1,500 metres. From the
top, if it is a clear day and you have the time, you can see
from the River Rhone back to Mont Blanc. I hope the weather
holds as this Col marks the last competitive part of the
rally. The last Control is a café where you can hand in your
Time Cards and finally relax. This Control is the official
Finish. The route to Genève is your choice but please remember
the traffic will be heavy.
I hope you will have
enjoyed what is a very challenging route. It is called the
Winter Challenge - and we hope that is what we have provided.
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