Road Trip: France in the 964 Targa

Hotel de France

Just under a week away, a familiar destination, and a car that never missed a beat, sometimes the best trips don’t need to be epic in scale to feel special. We wanted a break that mixed a bit of exploring with a place we already knew and loved, so we packed the 964 Targa, booked the ferry, and set off for Saumur.

Crossing the Channel

We took the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, a great crossing both ways, though sleep was out of the question thanks to the constant racket of car alarms below deck and what sounded like the captain throwing a box of spanners into the funnel every half hour. Still, we arrived in one piece and ready to explore.

Pegasus Bridge Cafe

Normandy Coast and Pegasus Bridge

Our first stop was Pegasus Bridge, where we had an omlette breakfast at the famous café right beside the bridge itself.

The owner, who was a small girl when the gliders landed in 1944, was very welcoming and made the history feel very real - looking back, it was a surreal moment meeting her, given the history of the place, and that she was witness to the opening minutes of the allied invasion of Normandy.

From there we followed the Normandy seafront, stopping at Ouistreham, Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, and Courseulles-sur-Mer before visiting the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, a moving and beautifully kept site.

Hotel de France

From there we headed south to La Chartre-sur-le-Loir for a night at the Hotel de France, a place steeped in motorsport history. We managed to get the 964 parked up outside for a photo before heading in for an excellent dinner. We ended up chatting with three friends from the UK doing a road trip through the Alps in a pair of Astons and a Jag - we were slightly jealous as we reminisced about our own Alps trip last year. The town itself is full of antique shops, which suited us perfectly.

Stunning HY van hiding at the back of the Hotel de France

Back to Saumur

The next morning we enjoyed an early start and a lovely drive down to Saumur via Angers. We’d been before and always said we’d return, it’s one of those towns that just sticks with you, and this time we stayed in Hotel Saint Pierre. Saumur is full of beautiful architecture, riverside drives, good food, and a laid-back atmosphere.

It made a great base again; the Saturday market was as lively as ever, and on Sunday we followed the river to Montsoreau for a beer, then on to Fontevraud-l’Abbaye, which was stunning, and finally to Château de Brézé for a bit of wine tasting (and a few bottles to bring home).

We couldn’t resist a stop at the tank museum just outside Saumur, which was far more interesting than expected, though it was hard not to eye up the Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen as potential souvenirs. The Vespa-mounted rocket launcher was a particular highlight.

On the drive back we spotted a fleet of air-cooled T2s belonging to Ernest Le Combi, a company that runs escape games in Bay Window buses... there’s definitely a reliability joke in there somewhere!

The Journey Home

Monday came around far too quickly. We started with the Mushroom Museum just outside Saumur (a surprise hit), then headed north passing through Chinon, just a brief stop, but it looked so lovely that we promised ourselves we’d go back for a proper visit next time.

Obligatory Le Mans pic!

Next we headed to Le Mans and took a few photos of the car in carefully chosen locations (it's the law!) - Le Mans was offering much in terms of a food stop off but luckily, we’d picked up some takeaway savoury tarts that morning from a roadside café in Candes-Saint-Martin, perfect for a riverside stop at Saint-Jean-d’Assé before the final leg to the ferry.

The return crossing was even smoother than the outbound… and somehow even noisier. Neither of us slept a wink, but it didn’t matter, we’d had an amazing time, the car didn’t miss a beat, and the weather was kind enough for plenty of roof-off miles.