POA Pilote Factory Rally June 2004


Pilote Factory Rally, St. Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu 8th -13th June

It was with eager anticipation of a great rally that Arthur and I looked forward to our first Factory Visit. So many people had told us about previous visits and what a marvellous time had been had. We had already been away for over a month travelling down to Spain to see friends in Denia and then on to Asserac to Ronnie and Linda’s Rally where we had been blessed both with glorious weather and a won-derful rally, so we were hoping for a repeat performance! And we were not to be disappointed. Hayes Leisure, represented by Paula and Bill together with Steve Hayes and the Pilote Factory representa-tive Aline, really pulled out all the stops to produce an action packed itinerary to keep all 109 guests “Happy Campers”. The campsite at the village of Saint Philbert de Grand Lieu is well situated being within 10 minutes comfortable stroll to local shops, In-formation Centre and a very nice park with good walking and cycling. Well-spaced level pitches made up for the slightly outdated facilities but who minds at only 8E a night including electric! (Hayes treated us to two nights camping and we paid for any extra nights at the camp-site).

The small bar was not yet open for the Season but Sylvia and John gathered us for our rally briefing on our first day and we were provided with drinks and nibbles. It was noted that some had more drinks than nibbles and were well into the party spirit by the end of the afternoon! After some discussion and rearranging of schedules and a lot of time and effort by Sylvia, John, Paula, Bill and Aline a programme was finally arranged that would suit everybody (not an easy task) and it was off to bed to prepare for the early start next day.

With such a large group we were split into two coaches. Being at the tail end of the alphabet we were in coach B, so we first made a trip to the Maldain Vineyard adjacent to the Factory at La Limouziniere, whilst coach A toured the factory. We were given an explanation on the types of Muscadet wines they produced, then we were given some to taste and then we could buy if we wished. Having got us well lubricated it was obvious from the start that the factory visit was just that, a factory visit in the true sense of the word as there was no separate display area, no laid on” this is how we do it” show especially for visitors. What we saw was what it was, and I for one was impressed by that. We were allowed to mingle with the factory workers and ask them questions, touch the machinery, look at all the tools in close detail and take as many photos as we liked – nobody seemed to mind. We all “oohed” and “ached” over the latest models off the production lines – not sure about the new logos though nor the new model name “Reference”. We were then taken off for a buffet lunch at a very nice restaurant, the weather was still very hot and I think we caught the staff out as the buffet was very nicely laid out in the gardens all ready for us to eat outside, however as it was so hot everyone decided to get out the tables and chairs and make up parties indoors out of the sun! Full marks to the staff for quickly re-arranging everything. The food was delicious especially all those scrummy little cakes for dessert, now come on, own up, who had more than two on their plates? I’m afraid my hand will have to go up!

After lunch those needing their afternoon siesta, shower and change for dinner were left behind at the campsite whilst the stalwarts continued on to the very interesting town of Nantes. We were unable to do the planned itinerary due to lack of time so had to make do with a shortened version which included a tour of the city by bus, a visit to the old dock-land area and the Cathedral Saint-Pierre & Saint-Paul where we were fortunate to be able to hear the magnificent organ playing. It was then on to the old biscuit factory for cocktails! Once famous for producing “Le Petit Beurre” the old buildings have been transformed into a contemporary centre of arts and culture. It is also home to “Le Lieu Unique Tour” built in 1886 and fully restored in 2000 and, had we had more time, well worth a visit. For those of us who had not stayed at the campsite to prepare for the evening ahead it was a quick dash to the washrooms (antiquated but roomy), out with the toilette /makeup bags, off with the day clothes and on with the new! We in the “Girls Room” were like a group of noisy teenagers getting ready for a night out, what a laugh! Then off to the buses for the short trip to the Bateaux Nantais for embarkation on to the boat for our evening Dinner/Cruise along the Erdre River.

The evening proved to be every bit as good as expected, beautiful hot weather, lovely scenery as we floated along with no less than 16 Chateaux lining the banks all lit up by floodlights. And we have never seen so many herons perched, standing or flying by our boat. The meal was interesting! We were commenting on the tenderness of the steak but the next day we were informed that “Le Filet Steak” was in fact “Le Ostrich”! Eric and Lynne had organized gifts of pewter rose bowls for our Hosts. After a vote of thanks from Eric, the gifts were then presented to Monsieur Philippe Bouffant the Managing Director of Pilote and Paula and Bill representing Hayes Leisure. Then it was back to the coaches and campsite by 12.30am after what had been a memorable day. AND there was more to come!
The second day of our Factory Visit Rally dawned bright and sunny and we were soon aboard our respective coaches wending our way through the picturesque French countryside for our visit to the Puy du Fou and Cinescenie. We had all been given an information leaflet about the Puy du Fou and we had spoken to Jill Lacayo who had been several times and had given us a general idea of what it was all about but nothing could have prepared us for such spectacles that we were about to encounter.
Le Grand Parc du Puy du Fou is an area covering 40 hectares containing 8 separate areas of open-air shows and displays. We managed to see four shows as each show had set performance times so we were able to plan our day to see as much as possible and I think most people did this.
Our first show was Le Bal des Oiseaux FantOmes (The Ghost Birds’ Ball) The commentary was all in French so we could not follow the story but if you have ever seen a falconry display then you have seen nothing compared to the aerial displays of over 100 birds of prey including Owls, Falcons, Golden Eagles, Vultures and Condors, that appeared from all points around the arena which was set as a ruined castle. At times it was just not possible to take it all in with birds swooping and wheeling around and over our heads. It even featured a large balloon soaring above our heads from which came an array of falcons, harriers and eagles, gliding down majestically on the thermals to land on the out-stretched arm of the trainer in the center of the arena. We had never experienced anything like this before. At the end of the performance the arena became alive with all the birds as they performed an aerial acrobatic ballet to the music from Swan Lake, a truly wonderful sight.

Having got our breath back we decided to head for the Drakkar arena where peaceful French villagers in the year 1000 were leading an idyllic life. The stage was set to represent life as it was, simple farmers tending their animals and land living in their settlement by the sea, that’s until the Vikings arrived! There was much fighting and pillaging and lots of shouts and screams and Vikings mounted on horses galloping about and around the camp all of which was explained in the French commentary so we could only guess what the story was! The Piece de Resistance had to be the 20 metres Viking Dragon ship erupting from the water in a frenzy of flames! Of course the French Prince managed in true James Bond style to overcome all these dreadful Vikings, the Viking ship was destroyed and sank back into the sea and once more peace reigned in the little village. After all this fire and brimstone stuff we managed to find a shady seat for a spot of lunch and then it was off to The Gallo-Roman Stadium to see the Gladiators and something I was looking forward to – the Chariot Race. I was not to be disappointed! Inside the 115m long Coliseum for over 40 minutes we were treated to a wonderful display of horseman-ship. Interwoven throughout was the well-known Bible story of the Christians and the Lions when the lions refused to eat the Christians! But for me the excitement of the build up to the Chariot Race, the music, the beautiful Arab horses gleaming in the sun, the tension as they lined up for the start, was paramount. Of course the good guy wins, the nasty Caesar is thrown to the lions and the winner claims the beautiful Christian slave. Throughout the performance there was to be heard much hissing, booing, cheering, thumbs up and thumbs down especially from the hoards of young people (and us) out on school trips, but this all added to the atmosphere and was great fun. Fighting our way through the crowds and dust we stopped off for a few quiet moments in La Cite Medievale where we were able to see, feel and share in the daily life of a re-constructed thirteenth century village. Not so sure about the sleeping with the donkey and pigs but the bread tasted good and we were all impressed with the woodcarvings!
Then it was on to our last attraction La Bataille du Donjon (The Battle of the Keep). The arena was set for the year 1429. The Puy du Fou castle was the scene of a ferocious battle between French and English troops. Gigantic moving war machines spitting fire, combats on horseback by teams of colourful knights and spectacular riding displays featured in the 30 minutes bloodthirsty show, once again I was enthralled by the beautiful horses.
We just had time to have a stroll around the grounds and an ice-cream before it was back to the coach for our mystery tour of the French countryside to get to our reserved restaurant for an evening meal! We were sitting behind Bill and Paula and they had no idea where we were going and as the coach driver spoke no English we could only hope that she did! Eventually we did arrive and the drive was well worth the excellent meal, very efficiently presented and served by the French staff. Once replenished and fortified by food and wine it was back onto the coaches to retrace our steps to the Puy du Fou and the anticipation of La Cinescenie. Sylvia had warned us that there would be a lot of coaches and she was not exaggerating! And lots of coaches means lots and lots of people! We, along with most of our party, were expecting from the name a type of outdoor cinema! Imagine our surprise when on taking our seats we were confronted with a huge open air theatre and according to the information leaflet the biggest stage in the world, with a backdrop of the beautiful Puy du Fou Chateau, lake and grass area all floodlit. It was an overwhelming scene. Over 1000 actors mainly families from 50 villages in the Vendee area perform on certain days from June to September. Seats have to be booked months in advance and we were extremely fortunate to have had the booking made for us to see the spectacle and a special thanks must go to our Hosts for organizing this for us. The history of the Vendee people came alive before our eyes including some of the scenes that we had seen during the day. Ever-changing lights/lasers and holograms against the backdrop of the Château added to the atmosphere along with the French commentary (we did have headsets that gave some details in English) that although we cannot understand somehow conveys the meaning of the scenes as they pass through periods of time in French history. Alongside people are ducks, pigs, sheep, cattle, donkeys and horses all playing their part. The show culminates in a magnificent firework and laser show and tumultuous applause from a most appreciative audience. It took quite a time to wend our way back through the thousands of people and to find our coaches. Everyone boarding the coach had the same to say, wonderful, fantastic, spectacular, unbelievable. It was 2.30am by the time we got back to St. Philbert and a lot of very weary but very happy campers made their way back to their vans after a very full but very wonderful day. This was the end of the official Pilote Factory Rally hosted by Hayes Leisure and the Pilote Factory at La Limouziniere. On behalf of all of us who attended, may I offer our most sincere thanks to Paula and Bill who accompanied us throughout, to Steve Hayes and Aline for putting the programme together, to Monsieur Philippe Padiou, to everyone at the Pilote Factory, to all the girls who helped with the organisation, answered all our questions, accompanied us on our coach trips and visits and generally looked after us so well, and of course last but not least to Sylvia, John, Eric and Lynne who put in so much effort to ensure that we all had a great time.
Jenny Vowden. 2004

Few photos:  Campsite St Philbert, who remembers Bruno? Pilote Factory Visit, Evening Dinner/Boat Cruise and Puy du Fou. Click in image to enlarge