Kent To Cannes – An Epic Adventure

The words road trip and Europe go together like bangers and mash (or pain et fromage), and what with the current state of the UK, as well as the disconnect from the continent exacerbated by the whole Brexit debacle, isn’t a motoring inspired adventure across The Channel just what we all need right now? A road trip takes all of the best bits of driving that we love, and bottles it into one distilled, concentrated shot of pure bliss. If the emotions evoked were to be put on an album, it would be a greatest hits compilation. Travelling is nutritious nourishment for the soul, but add to that the freedom of commanding your own steed across a continent, with the camaraderie of some good friends, and that sustenance becomes a super food.

In my 17 years of driving, I’ve visited many places, but never had I embarked upon a European, Top Gear-esque road trip with some friends. So, it’s understandable that the idea for one such adventure was floating around at the top of my bucket list. Luckily, in September this year, I was able to tick that item off the list and scratch that particular itch in a car that up until October 2022, was also on that same list. My very own Ford Mustang Bullitt. It’s not a bad life.

For any substantial road trip adventure it all begins with meticulous planning. For us, this took the form of a mildly inebriated conversation over many bottles of ironically, French wine where the idea to embark on this adventure was born. The destination – a luxurious villa in the hills of Vallauris on the French Riviera.

Next up: the cars. Joining my wife and I in the Bullitt would be my friends – Tim and his partner Saskia in his Mercedes-Benz AMG A35; basically a NASA rocket launch with a number plate. Then there was
Max, in his 2005 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA Marlboro Edition. A rather quick car, but in the hands of a two times, (soon to be three!) British 5 Nations Rallycross champion, and Crosskart driver, a ballistic missile.
The third car, piloted by Max’s parents, was originally intended to be his McLaren 570GT. Unfortunately, the luggage space for a trip of this length was not going to be sufficient, so the workhorse Volkswagen Tiguan 240 R-Line was nominated for the job. In a slightly different league than the McLaren, but in the hands of former British Karting star, and current rally driver, Richard Wetherley, it was hardly going to be slow! All that was left to plan now, was a route to our destination. Here’s how it all went down.

Leg 1: Kent to Beaune

A particularly foggy morning in Canterbury greeted us as we began the short journey down to Dover to meet up with the convoy and begin our adventure and some 40 minutes later, we were waiting in our lane for the DFDS ferry to Calais. Of course, this was not your average group so before long, a mild complaint from Tim about his wheel alignment soon resulted in the AMG being jacked up, wheels off and tracking being adjusted. File this under ‘things you don’t expect to see in the ferry boarding queue’.

On the other side of The Channel we left the port and began our adventure across France – but not without some early drama. Max had been racing the previous day in Wales, and had not had time to fill the Alfa’s fuel tank, which was empty – so after rather foolishly not looking for a petrol station near the port, we then spent 20 tentative kilometres trying to find one, eventually locating one in a rural village. And you can file this one under ‘schoolboy error’. Lesson learnt.

With the Alfa no longer running on fumes, we pressed on into the sun soaked French countryside, and before long we arrived at our first spot – a petrolhead pilgrimage, the famous pit lane and grandstands of the former Reims-Gueux circuit, once graced by such illustrious names as Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Lorenzo Bandini and Bob Bondurant. The beautifully preserved features of what would have been the start/finish line stand as a ghostly memorial to a bygone era of motorsport. Then again, due to the level of preservation, it’s not hard to look down the D27, which remains as it would have been and imagine a Shelby Daytona angrily idling on the start line, or a Ferrari 250LM operatically belting out a symphony over the surrounding countryside. If you’re a petrolhead, this is a must visit destination.

After a Le Mans style exit from the ‘pit lane’ we pressed on down to Beaune for our first overnight stop of the adventure.

Leg 2: Beaune to Gap, via an Alp.

After an evening gorging on red wine and Beef Bourguignon (we were in Burgundy after all!) we woke up the next day full of anticipation. We knew it was going to be a blinder but nothing could prepare us for just how special it would be. The previous day, a wheel weight from Tim’s AMG had decided it would be better off on its own and promptly disappeared into the sunset, never to be seen again, and with a trip across an Alp looming, we hastily looked for a tyre shop in Beaune before leaving. Luckily, a branch of Euromaster very graciously took care of the job. Amusingly, while we were waiting, a lorry pulled up on the main road and dropped off a monster truck. As you do.

A mere hour later and we were all back on one of the fabulously smooth, well organised autoroutes heading towards Parc National des Écrins and the frequent service stations, all adorned with lovely facilities made pit stops effortless along the way. This is something the French have nailed. As we gradually neared the Alps, the rolling French countryside gave way to rocky vistas and spectacular peaks. Passing near Grenoble, we turned off on to the spectacular D1091.

Neither the words nor the photos will do this part of the adventure justice, but I can say with absolute confidence that you simply need to drive this road. Stop whatever you’re doing now, open Google Maps and have a look for yourself. In fact, don’t even do that. Just book a trip. Go there and drive it. It is spectacular. After climbing through various ski resorts and crossing the many rivers that snake their way through the region the scenery just became more and more incredible by the second. After crossing the magnificent Barrage du Chambon and creating a glorious cacophony of suck, squeeze, bang, blow in the tunnel, we needed to pull over somewhere to take in the dramatic landscape, such was its sheer beauty. We parked up beside Lac du Chambon, admiring the stunning peaks surrounding this stunning, azure blue lake. After giving our brains a few moments to catch up, we set off once again, attacking the stunning mountain pass with gusto.

As I mentioned earlier on, we had with us two racing drivers, so I probably don’t need to wax too lyrical here as to what transpired. On the narrow mountain roads, some with sheer, unguarded drops, I became acutely aware of the Mustang’s weight, size and habit of kicking out the rear with little notice – on a few occasions I was envious of my comrade in the cartoon-fast AMG, but I like to think I made up for it with an exhaust note that could likely be heard across the border in Italy.

After many more twisty miles converting petrol into noise, we stopped at La Grave, a beautifully charming alpine village overlooked by the majestic La Meije mountain standing proudly in the Massif des Écrins range. With provisions consumed and our anatomical fuel tanks topped off, it was time to fire up the cars once more and push on to the last stop on the D1091, Briançon. After passing Villar-d Arêne, the road somehow managed to become even more magnificent. The tight, twisties gave way to wide, sweeping bends with visibility for days – giving us the perfect opportunity to really push the cars, making the most of the entirety of the smooth tarmac. For miles we continued on in abject awe of the vistas that just kept coming. Alp after Alp moving aside to reveal another ragged peak in the distance.

Passing through the busy resort region of La Selle-les-Alpes, we departed the glorious D1091 at Briançon, turning off on to the N94. Although the roads were not as dramatic as before, they were certainly no less beautiful, and soon we would be rewarded with a stunning parting gift from this part of the adventure. In the distance, appearing like an Alpine oasis was Lac de Serre-Ponçon, one of the largest reservoirs in Western Europe, spanned by the fabulous Savines Bridge. The crystal clear water, surrounded by huge peaks on all sides was a sight to behold. Imagine driving through a postcard. That’s what it felt like. In many ways, this was the pièce de résistance of the drive – almost as if the Alps had finished preparing a delicious meal, signing it off with a delicate herb garnish. A short while later, we had arrived at our second hotel, just outside France’s highest prefecture, the alpine town of Gap. After many hours re-living one of the most spectacular drives we’ve ever had the fortune to experience, and over a healthy amount of Pastis, we settled down for the next leg.

Leg 3: Gap to St. Tropez

This was to be a surprise of the adventure. We were expecting a fairly straight slog on the autoroutes, giving us all a chance to process the incredible events of the previous day, but what we actually got was more sublime driving. The day however, started with something that was certainly not a surprise, at least to any of us petrolheads. Before departing Gap, Max’s Alfa 147 GTA had decided it no longer wanted to be a V6, and actually really rather preferred being a five-cylinder. Our suspicions were erring on the side of  spark plug fouling due to the increased richness required to drive at higher elevations. Alas, in the absence of any practical solution, as well as a destination to reach, we elected to plough on to St. Tropez.

After a peaceful, yet beautiful drive down the A51 and A8 autoroutes – still surrounded by beautiful peaks, rolling hills and stunning vistas, we turned off at Le Cannet-des-Maures, onto the unexpectedly delightful D558. Think of this road as a greatest hits of all the top WRC rally stages. Blistering straights, tight hairpins, sweeping turns, gradient changes and plenty of ‘narrows, don’t cut’. Starting off as beautiful open roads cutting through vineyards, the journey soon morphed into tight climbs up in to the surrounding hills, with unforgiving drops into dense forests shadowing the bends. Up front, the father and son duo of rally drivers were making short work of these challenging roads, which from behind was a rather majestic and inspiring sight to behold. I’ve certainly never seen a VW Tiguan driven in that fashion and apparently, Max had forgotten that his Alfa had 5 cylinders. It certainly didn’t look that way from behind. The road then became more populated as we approached St. Tropez and typically, the car dealerships lining the roads started to become rather ‘premium’. After we reached the hotel, we soaked up the remainder of the day’s sun and then got ready for the evening’s main event – a meal at L’Opera. If you haven’t been before – go. I won’t bother trying to explain anything, it’s just one of those places you need to visit and experience in person. You can thank me later.

Leg 4: St. Tropez to Vallauris

After a simply riotous night at L’Opera, we prepared for a relatively short journey to our villa in Vallauris. Although the sat nav had recommended a 90 minute route, we opted to take the slower, but thankfully much more rewarding D559/D6098 coastal road. Due to a moderate amount of traffic, this gave us a chance to give the cars some much needed respite and take a relaxed drive, which thanks to the jaw dropping views, turned out to be a blessing. A particular highlight was the incredible Nevada-esque red rocks of the Massif de l’Esterel, located on the Corniche d’Or road linking Saint Raphael and Cannes. A car park gave us a chance to appreciate the incredible contrast of the red rocks against the picturesque, turquoise ocean. Apparently, on a clear day, Corsica can be seen from here, which later I found out was part of the Esterel mountains that broke away. It was so hot however, that the haze prevented us from seeing it. First world problems and all that.

After a descent into Cannes, another climb into the hills of Vallauris saw us at journey’s end. Not that this was a bad thing, as six days of fun in a villa were yet to be enjoyed but the memories of that road trip are something that will stay with me for a very, very long time.

Reflection

Thanks to the gorgeous scenery, wonderful French people and efficient, impeccable roads, the 2,500 mile journey there and back was an absolutely joy. I’ve had more tiring and stressful journeys on a 2 hour jaunt around the M25. However, with a group of friends, constant banter over the walkie talkies we were all equipped with and more importantly, an experience that could be shared, made it 100% better. The feeling of turning a corner, seeing something magnificent and everybody scrambling for the radio – that excitement of mutual appreciation – is truly transcendental.

I turn my parting thoughts to the Bullitt– what can I say? It swallowed four suitcases, two cases of beer and a drinks cooler, a guitar, several bags and multiple other odds and sods with ease. It carried the two of us in superb, air conditioned comfort for the entirety of our adventure, yet it also behaved in typically snorty, angry muscle car fashion on the twisty bits. Sure, with two adults and a healthy amount of luggage weight added to an already heavy car, it wasn’t the fastest thing in the world, nor was it the most delicate, but it did all of it without so much as a hair out of place. A good grand tourer? Absolutely. It also makes the silliest noise which alone is worth the price of admission.

The summary? Stop what you’re doing, pick your closest friends, and organise a road trip adventure. You’ll make the best memories and if you need recommendations for a great GT car that won’t break the bank, well you have a pretty glowing one right here.