Overall Beermountain Rating 
Camper Profile
Farmers, bikers and small RV owners who want to be very close to the main entrance.
Beermountain Special Award
The pig breeders campsite of choice.
Current Issues
We understand that as livestock are kept on this site at times of the year the ground may harbour parasites. The future of the very nearby and popular Jannine's Bar is unclear.
OUR RATINGS
CATEGORY
|
RATING
|
COMMENTS
|
OVERALL
| |
NOT A DISASTER, BUT UNLESS YOUR NEEDS ARE VERY SPECIFIC, THIS PROBABLY WASN'T YOUR FIRST CHOICE
|
SECURITY
| |
KEEP YOUR BELONGINGS LOCKED UP
|
TOILETS / SHOWERS
| |
QUITE LIMITED
|
NOISE
| |
EURO DISCO
|
ATMOSPHERE
| |
MOSTLY FUN AND FRIENDLY
|
Quite close to the action, but its not conventional camping, and many will prefer to be elsewhere. A quick stroll into the entrance at the back of the grandstands - it is situated behind the museum, next to one of the main car parks.
It's a weird place, mostly concrete, very little grass or soft ground. It is littered with structures that are animal shelters in the main. This seems to work well with bikers who can fit one bike and one sleeping bag in each pig pen.
Pros:
Pros:
A short walk to the main entrance, the village and the museum.
Tailor made shelters for bikers
Generally a relaxed and friendly place.
Cons:
Unusual and inflexible space
Poor sanitation and limited water supply
Very hard ground
Questionable ground for camping directly on
Close by:
Famously a short stagger to the Aux Portes du Circuit (Jannine's) bar, but this may be closed in 2016.
Did you know?
The French pig industry is in crisis as a result of cheap importation of lower quality animals from both inside and outside the EU.
2016 review from Mr Numptie:
Stayed in the pig pens in expo. Pitched tents under the corregated roof sheeting. Kept us bone dry. Everyone there are return campers. You can leave all your gear out no one touched anything. We had tv, satellite dish, barbecue
Etc all safe. We had the security guys looking for beer when we first arrived. Strange they appear to be looking for glass bottles only. Then beer bottle mountains appeared all over so seems like a joke to me.
Showers always a queue 6 deep. Toilets even had queues. All times of day.
Part of site is for motor homes. Really full this year. We have been on this Site at least 6 times now. No rules for size of pitch camp anywhere.
Danish beer tent on site. Cheaper than anywhere else. Very friendly campers of all nationalities.
Probably closest camp site to circuit main entrance. 5 minute walk.
Drivers parade Friday night in town exceptional. Great atmosphere.
Negatives
The planes take off from the airport over this site. You need ear plugs to sleep as you can hear the cars on the circuit very clearly. But it does not bother anyone on the site.
At the circuit I was standing at a food bar waiting to be served and 3 French guys appeared from no where one pushed in front of me one at the back and one at my side. Then I felt a hand in my shorts pocket lifting my Wallet. Obviously bumping into me every which way so that I wouldn't notice the pickpocket. Anyway the wallet would not come out as the pocket has Velcro fasteners on it. I shouted a few swear words etc but realised there could be more of them so walked away warning others about the pickpockets as I was on my own. I have been to Le Mans around 13 times now and never come across this before.
All in all this trip 4 bottles. 9 in our group all enjoyed it. 6 of them were Le Mans virgins and can't wait for next year.
2015 review from Trackside Tripod:
For:
Proximity to the circuit entrance through a car park to the Dunlop Bridge or short walk down the road to the main entrance.
Proximity to Jeannines Bar!
Ease of getting in and out of the Circuit by car.
The very welcoming marquee hospitality of the Danish Motor Racing travel company who's drinks are much cheaper than in the local bars.
Cow sheds provide shelter from the elements, albeit rain, sleet or early morning sunshine!
Good for plane spotters as it's directly below the incoming flight path!
Against:
Rock hard standing. You need rock splitter tent pegs or steel screws and a drill to get the pegs into the ground.
The early morning queue for the portacabin loos and showers can be long during rush hours....and they are loos and showers!
The water temperature in the showers has been hit and miss over the last few years but in fairness, the last 2 years have been ok.
Security. Although there is always someone at the entrances, they seem to let the great unwashed in for reconnaissance missions. They're easy to spot but only if you're there!
They used to have electrics there in the past at the end of each of the cow sheds, but no longer give anybody access to it.
As with most campsites I should imagine, you need to get there as early as possible. It tends to fill up on Thursday!
All in all, the atmosphere is great there (I have had the same neighbours for years!) I think would suit anybody slightly older too as it's just a gnats you know what from the action, yet far enough away not to be directly involved in it. The Morgan Owners Club camp there too, the majority of whom are probably septuagenarians, so that would give you a clue.
They also have a large hard standing area for camper vans at one end with usual highly shared electrics and waste areas.
It's a quieter site than you might think in the evenings, though I've never had a problem getting to sleep anyway, unless I'm still in the beer tent!
2007 update from MiniMan64:
Location & Access: Good, it's close to the circuit entrance, it's outside the circuit so easy to get in and out of, it's handy to the town and Carrefour for supplies, it's close to Jannine's, couple of gates in and out so no queuing
Camping: Bad, it's mostly hard ground and any good spots are taken very early, barns provide some relief but they lack the usual atmosphere of the other sites, parking for your car is usually decent though, lots of inner roads and plenty of hard space
Security: Mixed, the main gate is guarded usually but they are several entrances so it can be hit and miss, bear in mind as well that the Expo parking site is right next door and there's a lot of through traffic, only possible advantages are that the barns can provide some extra help, bring your own locks and they're fairly secure.
Facilities: Ok, there's a main block with the traditional long-drops but we shunned that this year in favour of the portable cabins that had been set-up, one for toilets and kept very clean indeed. Well by Le Mans standards anyway. Showers are a few Euro's but again worth it. Disadvantages, no outside water or power points anywhere on site, although we did note some enterprising and possible mad people had jury rigged a cable into the mains terminal blocks at some points, a seriously bad idea me thinks.
Atmosphere: Poor, it is what you make it but it's pretty quiet, probably one of the quietest sites at the circuit due to it's small size and lack of smaller, wider spaced pitches, there's not much usually going on unless you visit the Dutch tent, probably not a site for the party animals.
Often a baron place, really only a camping area for visitors who want a car or camper van right in the middle of it all with none of the creature comforts
Close by:
Famously a short stagger to the Aux Portes du Circuit (Jannine's) bar, but this may be closed in 2016.
Did you know?
The French pig industry is in crisis as a result of cheap importation of lower quality animals from both inside and outside the EU.
2016 review from Mr Numptie:
Stayed in the pig pens in expo. Pitched tents under the corregated roof sheeting. Kept us bone dry. Everyone there are return campers. You can leave all your gear out no one touched anything. We had tv, satellite dish, barbecue
Etc all safe. We had the security guys looking for beer when we first arrived. Strange they appear to be looking for glass bottles only. Then beer bottle mountains appeared all over so seems like a joke to me.
Showers always a queue 6 deep. Toilets even had queues. All times of day.
Part of site is for motor homes. Really full this year. We have been on this Site at least 6 times now. No rules for size of pitch camp anywhere.
Danish beer tent on site. Cheaper than anywhere else. Very friendly campers of all nationalities.
Probably closest camp site to circuit main entrance. 5 minute walk.
Drivers parade Friday night in town exceptional. Great atmosphere.
Negatives
The planes take off from the airport over this site. You need ear plugs to sleep as you can hear the cars on the circuit very clearly. But it does not bother anyone on the site.
At the circuit I was standing at a food bar waiting to be served and 3 French guys appeared from no where one pushed in front of me one at the back and one at my side. Then I felt a hand in my shorts pocket lifting my Wallet. Obviously bumping into me every which way so that I wouldn't notice the pickpocket. Anyway the wallet would not come out as the pocket has Velcro fasteners on it. I shouted a few swear words etc but realised there could be more of them so walked away warning others about the pickpockets as I was on my own. I have been to Le Mans around 13 times now and never come across this before.
All in all this trip 4 bottles. 9 in our group all enjoyed it. 6 of them were Le Mans virgins and can't wait for next year.
2015 review from Trackside Tripod:
For:
Proximity to the circuit entrance through a car park to the Dunlop Bridge or short walk down the road to the main entrance.
Proximity to Jeannines Bar!
Ease of getting in and out of the Circuit by car.
The very welcoming marquee hospitality of the Danish Motor Racing travel company who's drinks are much cheaper than in the local bars.
Cow sheds provide shelter from the elements, albeit rain, sleet or early morning sunshine!
Good for plane spotters as it's directly below the incoming flight path!
Against:
Rock hard standing. You need rock splitter tent pegs or steel screws and a drill to get the pegs into the ground.
The early morning queue for the portacabin loos and showers can be long during rush hours....and they are loos and showers!
The water temperature in the showers has been hit and miss over the last few years but in fairness, the last 2 years have been ok.
Security. Although there is always someone at the entrances, they seem to let the great unwashed in for reconnaissance missions. They're easy to spot but only if you're there!
They used to have electrics there in the past at the end of each of the cow sheds, but no longer give anybody access to it.
As with most campsites I should imagine, you need to get there as early as possible. It tends to fill up on Thursday!
All in all, the atmosphere is great there (I have had the same neighbours for years!) I think would suit anybody slightly older too as it's just a gnats you know what from the action, yet far enough away not to be directly involved in it. The Morgan Owners Club camp there too, the majority of whom are probably septuagenarians, so that would give you a clue.
They also have a large hard standing area for camper vans at one end with usual highly shared electrics and waste areas.
It's a quieter site than you might think in the evenings, though I've never had a problem getting to sleep anyway, unless I'm still in the beer tent!
2007 update from MiniMan64:
Location & Access: Good, it's close to the circuit entrance, it's outside the circuit so easy to get in and out of, it's handy to the town and Carrefour for supplies, it's close to Jannine's, couple of gates in and out so no queuing
Camping: Bad, it's mostly hard ground and any good spots are taken very early, barns provide some relief but they lack the usual atmosphere of the other sites, parking for your car is usually decent though, lots of inner roads and plenty of hard space
Security: Mixed, the main gate is guarded usually but they are several entrances so it can be hit and miss, bear in mind as well that the Expo parking site is right next door and there's a lot of through traffic, only possible advantages are that the barns can provide some extra help, bring your own locks and they're fairly secure.
Facilities: Ok, there's a main block with the traditional long-drops but we shunned that this year in favour of the portable cabins that had been set-up, one for toilets and kept very clean indeed. Well by Le Mans standards anyway. Showers are a few Euro's but again worth it. Disadvantages, no outside water or power points anywhere on site, although we did note some enterprising and possible mad people had jury rigged a cable into the mains terminal blocks at some points, a seriously bad idea me thinks.
Atmosphere: Poor, it is what you make it but it's pretty quiet, probably one of the quietest sites at the circuit due to it's small size and lack of smaller, wider spaced pitches, there's not much usually going on unless you visit the Dutch tent, probably not a site for the party animals.
Often a baron place, really only a camping area for visitors who want a car or camper van right in the middle of it all with none of the creature comforts
Want the latest information and answers to some questions about this place?
Please visit our forums
