'Our car parked with the tent at the camp site'
This was my 5th ICCCR. Breda in the seventies, Lorelei, Flevohof, Clermont Ferrant and Chevetogne. We planned to get there after a wonderful family reunion in France the week before.
We arrived late Thursday afternoon with two cars: The Six and our VW workhorse towing the trailer with camping gear. We were stopped 5 times in succession by Belgium committee members, each wanting to check our subscription forms and asking identical questions. I thought "this is going to be a nightmare when the real numbers start arriving on Friday, Saturday and Sunday !" (And apparently it was !)
The campsite was a field on a slope. The VW could'nt manage the ascent and spun her wheels. The TA was alright, but I thought with a bit of rain this will turn into a slippery slope. So we found a better spot near the exit, flat and near tarmac. Later that weekend a Six would slide down during the night, out of it's own accord, into someone's tent!
Cars waiting to be admitted to the 'Concours d'elegance'
On Saturday we entered the concours d'elegance. The cars entering blocked the road with the courtesy coaches. Some people were trapped for some time. Not as bad as the busdriver who lost his way and ended up outside the park. The police would not let the driver back in !! Anyway the presenter did his best in three languages, but no enclosure was prepared so that the people milling around the cars completely blocked the view of what was happening. Who spotted Tintin and Bobby for instance ? Shame ! As if the organisers had never attended a concours d'elegance themselves before. A waste of effort. The next day the secretariat couln't even tell me who won!
An event like this can't really go wrong because of the beautiful cars and the cameraderie, but many people agreed the rally had no heart to it. It was all a bit dispersed. The gala dinner was better organised than the French. The spares tent was enormous and many a bargain was to be found. I bought a towbar from Hans Brouwer, which is now fitted. (Just in case there is another ICCCR, where they won't let your tent, wife and kids in, just because they are not in a Citroen!)
I also like the museum with an emphasis on Citroen in Belgium and use of Citroens in cartoons.
On Sunday night we had a real downpoor, but somehow we managed to pack the tent in a dry hour the next morning and safely set of and arrive back in England.
