Our Grand Tour - Where should we go?

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skiday
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#1 Our Grand Tour - Where should we go?

Post by skiday » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:43 pm

Note to moderator; I first placed this thread under 'Pub Chat' but then thought that area looks a bit quiet, so have duplicated it here. Please delete this if it doesn't belong here, or the other one, whichever. Thank You.

Hi folks

We have owned our E-Type for four and a half years now and we haven't gone anywhere much with it, so finally I have booked our passage to Caen France from October 4th to the 13th. I feel we must have a 'grand tour' before I could consider letting it go. Our only brief is to travel through France to the south, maybe a little into Italy or perhaps Spain. Obviously a trip to Le Mans museum is in there, but it can't all be about cars (apparently). Our means are more modest than our ownership of an E-Type and Aston Martin might suggest, so a trip to Monte Carlo Casino is out! I would love recommendations of things to see and do that we should not miss. Also any tips that we might no otherwise think of when touring with an E might help (apart from the obvious breakdown cover).

Thanks

Andrew (and Brigitte)
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#2

Post by Heuer » Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:15 pm

We love (in no particular order)
Deauville
Biarritz
Reims pits at Gueux
Millau Bridge
Beaujolais region
Normandy beaches
Blockhouse V2 rocket site
Chablis region
Loire chateaux's
Oradour sur Glane (don't ask, look and remember)
Anywhere in Burgundy
Alsace - fantastic at this time of year, visit Bugatti and Schlumpf Museum's
Schlumpf Mulhouse - best museum in the world

Plan a route and many of us can offer suggestions. Bear in mind France is big, help can be a long way away, the Autoroute's are boring, drop on to the D roads, avoid the N roads, work on the premise of 150 miles per day. You are planning on 9 days so forget the South of France, Italy or Spain because they are not doable in the timescales you are allowing, certainly if a) you have never done it before and b) you want your wife to ever travel in an E-Type again!

My suggestion for this time of year - Alsace: viewtopic.php?t=1102 but given you have booked to Caen maybe consider Bordeaux, Biarritz, Carcassone, Millau Bridge, Aveyron Gorges and a trip to Oradour. Check your mileages though, it is a bloody long way. viewtopic.php?t=2555&highlight=gorge and viewtopic.php?t=1020&highlight=gorge

Other option is Chablis and Burgundy regions via Champagne. There is a superb Hotel in Chablis at 71 euros a night and a delightful B&B in Mersault as a base for touring Burgundy.
Last edited by Heuer on Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
David Jones
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#3

Post by 44DHR » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:29 am

Andrew,

Check out David's excellent "Essential Touring Spares List" which is under the "E type Running Reports" listing. We have used this and expanded it to suit our needs on our European tours.

Don't overstretch yourself and where you say you "have not gone anywhere much" in the car, you really need to ensure your car is in good reliable condition. Give the car a full going over with an oil change and all filter changes - including the fuel filter in the glass bowl in the engine bay - as you can't see externally if it is getting blocked. We run electronic components wherever possible to improve reliability - such as ignition and the fuel pump - to remove any contact points. You could have trouble in getting your engine oil, so take 20/50 oil in several 500ml plastic bottles which you can throw away as you use the oil. Carry a couple of spare brake light switches and some wiper blades as you don't want to lose your brake lights or screen visibility on the continent. Put RainEx on your windscreen for those times you don't need to wipe the screen.

I concur with David's choices of locations and suggest you stick to northern or central France on your first venture abroad. You certainly won't get down to the south of France or Italy in your planned timescales - we know because we have done that 2,400 mile trip in our E type in 2012, followed by other long 1,900 mile trip in 2013 to Switzerland. We did over 3,100 miles in 3 weeks this August in the States from LA to Bonneville and back to California for the Rolex Motorsports Reunion and Pebble Beach, so we know a bit about long distance touring. Plan to relax and don't drive every day of the trip - if not for your comfort and enjoyment of the trip, but to retain your marriage !! Plan to make your final day on the run back to the ferry port a leisurely, relatively short distance one - not a mad dash to get back.

As you know, we are also on the Isle of Wight so feel free to call round and I'll run you off a copy of our expanded Touring list. I can also lend you various spares if needed - distributor cap, rotor arm, bulbs, glass fuses, switches, fan belts, water and petrol hoses, wiper blades, clutch and brake seal kits, exhaust rubber mounts, electric powered jack, etc.

regards,

Dave
Dave Rose
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#4

Post by skiday » Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:13 pm

Good advice so far, thanks. By the way Dave, jolly sporting of you for not being at the IoW JEC show this year allowing me to win 'Best Jaguar Sports Car' this year. I see your name is on the cup three times so far! I know I said I would come and see you before but things got in the way, this time I just might.

I have thought about distances and when we toured New Zealand we hired a car one way and flew the other. With that in mind I have just booked a one-way train journey on the Motorail for the car and us on the TGV on the Saturday to save the return leg. This gives us time to visit Le Mans, then two days to get to Bordeaux where we then plan to relax by the 'Silver Coast' for a few days on perhaps a little local touring. Sat we go up to Paris, collect the car Sun afternoon (up to 5pm) and plenty of time to get to Caen for Monday night 23:00 (btw - what is the particular attraction of Deauville?) It seems Paris has not gone ahead as planned to ban old cars.

We will see Oradoour sur Glane. I must have missed it by a couple of miles by being on the N147 and not the D9 road when I traveled through France (& Spain & Portugal) on a motorbike when I was 22 p.i. (pre-internet)

So now I can be more specific and say any recommendations from Le Mans to Bordeaux are very welcome, either attractions or memorable roads.
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#5

Post by Heuer » Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:37 pm

Deauville - just a beautiful seaside town. They have horse races on the beach, an annual film festival, expensive shops for the ladies, great restaurants and stunning architecture. The Hotel Royal Barriere is worth a visit (a favourite of Winston Churchill) although fairly expensive. Alternative is to stay in the nearby and very beautiful Hornfleur (Hotel L'Ecrin is another of our favourites - superb B&B with secure parking a short walk from the old harbour) and enjoy both.

When you get to Bordeaux visit Talmont-sur-Girond, Angouleme, Sables d' Olonne (car museum) and Royan for days out. As for roads equip yourself with a highlighter pen and a Michelin road map. Mark you daily start and end points and then plot a route along the most direct D roads (yellow) and usually parallel to the Autoroutes. They are un-policed and invariably deserted; avoid the N (red) roads as they are well policed and clogged with trucks. The 'Bis' routes are OK if you come across any. If you get tired jump on the Autoroute and head to your destination. Just make sure you fill with super-unleaded every morning (stations in rural areas are few and far between and usually closed for lunch). The big supermarkets are the cheapest for fuel and they are where you will get oil and other fluids (petrol stations rarely sell them).

As Dave says, you car needs to be in tip top condition so get it checked over by a specialist as you may miss something. Also check your ride height - all French towns/villages have 20mph limits enforced by severe humps. It is particularly a problem if you are running anything other than 185 tyres and/or have sagging suspension; you could lose your silencers or worse. Rather than carry extra brake light switches fit the mechanical switch upgrade.
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

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#6

Post by 44DHR » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:34 am

The key message to anyone reading this who is contemplating a European run is good planning - whether it be as Andrew is doing with his homework checking out suitable areas to visit, or ensuring that the car is well prepared. As the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail".

While it is essential to have Continental breakdown cover with recovery - we all really don't want to have to use this and have our trip curtailed when a few basic preparations could have avoided simple problems - which in the UK are easily sorted, become untenable overseas. For example, to carry a spare 7/8 inch diameter seal for the clutch slave will cost pence.

In Andrew's and my case, on the Isle of Wight we only have one sole stretch of dual carriageway - all half a mile of it, so little chance to really run our cars. When touring a car will be experiencing much higher speeds and for longer duration than normal. My own experience with a blocked fuel filter was documented in one of my Grand Trip postings, but this problem only became apparent on a sustained high speed run. Any weaknesses in the ignition, fuel feed and coolant will soon show up with constant running. Also by running over longer periods in a different climate, quite high underbonnet temperatures can be developed so we use "Water Wetter" to reduce the coolant temperature and ensure all heat shields are fitted. Another tip if using an unsealed "classic" battery is to regularly check the electrolyte level as the high temperatures can evaporate this over time and cook your battery.

So good preparation is key to any continental trip - but I personally would avoid driving anywhere in Paris !! Good luck and keep us posted on your return.

regards,

Dave
Dave Rose
1967 Series 1 4.2 FHC

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#7

Post by christopher storey » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:37 am

44DHR wrote:Andrew,

We run electronic components wherever possible to improve reliability - such as ignition and the fuel pump - to remove any contact points.
Dave
I agree with all the rest but disagree, rather strongly, with this. Electronic ignition in my view is a disaster waiting to happen. In our relatively small group of cars who go touring together we have thrown away 4 ignition systems this year , 2 Pertronix, 1 123 , and 1 Ultrasparks. Whatever you do, if you must fit electronic ignition, keep the points and condenser, and if the baseplate is changed, the baseplate , and carry them with you as essential spares .


PS, on reflection , it is 5 systems rejected . On another 123 on an XK150S it was intermittently causing pinkin, so that went too!

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#8

Post by Heuer » Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:59 am

My choice would be the Lumenition 'Magnetronic' as it is simply a module that replaces the contact breaker with a magnet and sensor switch. No fancy electronics, and I used mine for 40,000 trouble free miles without adjustment or replacement. The SimonBBC module does a similar job:
http://www.simonbbc.com/electronic-igni ... 6-cylinder
David Jones
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#9

Post by 44DHR » Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:19 am

I totally agree with both Christopher and David !!

I run the simple Lumenition electronic ignition and I have had no issues with it whatsoever in over 12 years usage and all my travels. I do however have the original parts that were removed and as part of my touring spares I take the original baseplate, the points and condenser as essential spares.

I also take a spare distributor cap and rivetless rotor arm, together with spare coil. I also have a new unused Simon BBC distributor, (which I bought as it was amazing value for a complete unit), which I take if all else fails !! Part of my touring spares is the old SU Fuel pump which I rebuilt with new points after I bought my troublefree electronic pump.

It is a matter of preparation and reassurance for me - as in all my travels with these spares, I haven't had the need for any of them - but I'm sure if I didn't have them on board something would happen to require them !!

regards,

Dave
Dave Rose
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#10

Post by Heuer » Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:47 am

Dave

Watch out for that contact breaker SU fuel pump. Like you I have an electronic version and carry the mechanical as a spare. Before our trip this year I decided to check over everything and powered up the pump to be met with a resounding silence! The mechanical pumps are not a problem if you use the car all year round - it is the winter lay-off that causes the problem as witnessed by my non functioning unit. I had to dismantle it to get it to work which would have been a real pain on the side of the road. So check you spare every year before the season starts!

As for rotor arms the only one to get is the red Distributor Doctor version - they really are superb in every way. http://distributordoctor.com/red-rotor-arms.html
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

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#11

Post by skiday » Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:53 pm

Well the itinerary is now set.
Day 1; Drive to Mont St Michel, then later on to our overnight in Le Mans old town.

Day 2; Visit the museum at Le Mans track, then on to our over night at a friends house near Parthenay.

Day 3; Visit Oradour sur Glane, then on to overnight at Angouleme.
Day 4, +5&6; To Beach resort Euronat near Royan via ferry across the Gironde river mouth.
Spend 3 day relaxing by beach, or if inclement, visits nearby, but definitely Europe's highest sand dune at Pilat Plage.

Day 7; Drop car off at Bordeaux train station for it's overnight to Paris, then take TGV for overnight in Paris.

Day 8; Cycle round Paris on Velib bikes. Pick up car late afternoon, drive to overnight at Vernon.

Day 9; Visit gardens and house of Monet nearby, then drive to Deauville for dinner. Catch overnight Cean ferry for Portsmouth. Arrive next day and catch ferry to IoW.

All hotels are booked, mostly cute gite type accommodation.
Sounds like a good trip to me.

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

I am servicing the car as laid out in Chris Rooke's book which is very easy to follow. I'm also fitting a no contract Tracker device. I just need to know where to find a permanent pos feed at the fuses and a negative (the pos feed has it's own in-line fuse). I think fuse 1 or 2 are good for a permanent pos live feed. I can attach the neg wire to the chassis, but would rather plug into the wiring if that is better. Any thoughts?
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#12

Post by Heuer » Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:26 pm

The queues for Monet garden's can be horrendous with, invariably, one little old (grumpy) lady at the ticket desk - take a picnic! If you can buy tickets ahead of time do so as being able to breeze in past the waiting crowds will make your day: http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/ticket/ Beautiful though.
David Jones
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#13

Post by skiday » Wed Oct 01, 2014 12:12 am

Thanks for the tip. Tickets now bought!
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#14

Post by 1954Etype » Wed Oct 01, 2014 7:04 am

Sounds great. Dont forget to pack towels to dry the inside of the car! Have a safe and reliable trip.
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#15

Post by Hubert Dallard » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:04 am

Hi Skiday,

check my classic car map: I have prepared a 2 days roadbook in the Bordeaux wineyard:

http://matr3.over-blog.com/2014/07/une- ... c-car.html
Hubert Dallard
S1 FHC 3,8l 1964

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#16

Post by skiday » Fri Oct 17, 2014 4:53 pm

Well, we're back, and we had a great time. We managed to get in;
Mont St Michel (great D roads on the way there)
Le Mans Old Town (super quaint)
Musee Du 24 Heures
Oradour-sur-Glane
Angouleme (beautiful + free museum)
Royan (missed the ferry)
Silver Coast beach resort (Warm enough to get kit off)
(Train to;) Paris; up Tour Montparnasse & The Louvre
Monet's Garden & House
Honfleur (also super quaint)
Great food, good accommodation, good driving in a great car, what a great trip!
Only problem with the car was that the heater refused to turn off so our feet were cooking. We got a marine engineer in Royan to by-pass it for us. Luckily we didn't need any heat as it was still nice and warm.
Tom-Tom went bonkers a couple of times and rain was heavy at times but roads were smooth and deserted - bliss!
Image

Andrew
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#17

Post by Heuer » Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:11 pm

Well done Andrew! I did warn you about Sat-Nav's though. :lol: More pictures?
David Jones
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#18

Post by skiday » Sat Oct 18, 2014 4:42 pm

All the photos we took are the same (but not as good perhaps) as photos you can find on-line for any of the attractions I listed. We tend not to take many pics with us in the frame as we spent a lot of time criticizing and laughing at the Japanese for having to be in EVERY picture they take (they must really know what they look like by the time they go through their holiday snaps). I took a picture of the crowd in front of the Mona Lisa. Virtually no one stands there actually looking at it, they all just have a bun fight wanting to get a picture of it, which will be rubbish compared to what is on-line of it, or they're trying to take a 'selfie' with it. Madness!

Image

We do have a few taken at the beach holiday resort Euronat, but as that is a naturist resort they won't be going online.

I took a little bit of movie on the brilliant roads between Caen and Mont St Michel. See here;

http://vid292.photobucket.com/albums/mm ... 86ks4s.mp4

I'm now working on the little things that need attention. I'm testing the tap that controls the interior heating. It lets a dribble through when closed, but when we were driving it didn?t seem to make much difference when open or closed, our feet cooked either way. I suppose I'll get a new one even though it was new when I restored the under-bonnet.
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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#19

Post by skiday » Sat Oct 18, 2014 4:55 pm

Having said you can get a good picture of the Mona Lisa on-line I thought I would grab one, and then I saw this, which made me laugh;

Image
Andrew Day. Former owner of S1A 4.2 2+2. Current cars; Aston Martin DBS 1968, Ferrari F355 & Fiat Coupe 20vt. Flag of choice; EU

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