RtG The Daily Dispatch - Carrera Riviera - WEB - Flipbook - Page 9
4 to 15 June 2023
Day 4
Cognac to Saint-Émilion (389.2km)
8 June 2023
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Day four of the Carrera
Riviera saw us enjoying
our vintage cars by day
and vintage wine by
night. Between breakfast
and dinner we enjoyed
some of the finest roads
we’ve driven so far.
First up though were the
vineyards of the Charente,
whose fruit was destined for
the brandy still, followed by
those more likely to end up as
a cru; regular Grande or Classé.
And, maybe some of the
vieille vignes, we occasionally
glimpsed, were mere seedlings
when one or two of our mature
voitures rolled off their own Josef and Adelheid Dillier, 1955 Jaguar XK140 Coupe
production lines.
The Segonzac section, a looping test of navigation
clever scheduling, after taking the chequered flag at the
through the hills of the Cognac AOC, got the day underway.
end of their two laps of the kart track, the Time Control at
the Bistro Circuit provided the Rally with a fine restorative
Here it paid to keep a closer eye on the road book than the
buffet lunch. Then they lined up to tackle the second Test
car in front because, at various points, the route looped
around the much bigger Saintonge Circuit. Tyres squealed,
and crossed.
engines howled and navigators, after what had been a
The La Charente Passage Control, set in the midst of a
busy morning for them, found they had little else to do
series of four delightful old bridges spanning various arms
but hang on tightly.
of the River Charente, ensured no-one was left behind. Then
From the intensity of the track session the pace dropped
it was time for coffee at the Time Control in the Château de
a little and more rolling roads brought us gently into the
Plassons where they’ve been distilling Cognac for hundreds
Dordogne with a long Section through the Forêt de La
of years. Another Section followed almost immediately from
Double before we spied another highlight of the day peeping
this welcome break. From the village of Le Plassons the
through the trees. Set well above the village of Saint-Michelcrews once again found themselves with vineyards to the
de-Montaigne, the days final Passage Control in the grounds
right of them, vineyards to the left of them and vineyards to
of the Château de Montaigne, provided us with a memorable
the front of them, leaving them no other choice but to press
alfresco refreshment break. Then it was a run into the
on in true Tennysonian fashion; to another amazing circuit
Department of the Gironde and our night halt in Le Grand
at Haute Saintonge for the first of two Tests.
Barrail Saint-Émilion followed by a rest day tomorrow, which
It had been a full morning of charging around and the
will give us time to explore the region and its viticulture.
Rally had worked up quite an appetite. Thanks to some
www.rallytheglobe.com