CHOUETTE RALLYE 2023


27 – 28 – 29 – 30 october 2023

Cambrai (59)

PRESENTATION

I have the honor and pleasure to present to you the CHOUETTE RALLYE, which will take place on the weekend of  27th to 30th october 2023, under the direction of  Dominique De Taverny. The CHOUETTE RALLYE is a surprise car rally at night in order to put a little “spice” and “bite” in the competition. You have the games, puzzles or questionnaires that will put your mind and your logic to work. However, nothing too complicated or too arduous in order to best preserve the good atmosphere that you will bring to this unique event! You will have a detailed road book so you don’t get lost. The main purpose of this outing is above all fun and relaxation. The rest of the weekend will be devoted to driving and exploring the region. It is important to note that this rally is preferably reserved for classic cars (more than 25 years old) or exceptions (rare vehicles produced in few copies). For this year 2023, this is less in the night, more in the day.

I am counting on you to support this new event and hope to welcome you all on the 27th october 2023

ACCOMMODATION

For the 3 nights, you will sleep at the Hotel Beatus*** in Cambrai (59). Located 600 meters from the center of Cambrai, this hotel has a colorful garden, a restaurant where you can enjoy traditional cuisine and a bar for a drink at the end of the day. The rooms are decorated in a traditional style and offer a view of the garden. In addition, each is equipped with a flat-screen TV with international channels and free Wi-Fi access. Free private parking is available on site.

Hotel Beatus

718 avenue de Paris

59400 Cambrai

Tél : + 33(0)3 27 81 45 70

Hotel.beatus@wanadoo.fr

PROGRAM

The meeting will begin on Friday October 27, 2023 at the end of the afternoon directly at the Beatus*** hotel in Cambrai (59). Everyone will take their room, can relax for a while in it or have a drink at the bar, then dinner will be waiting for you. For the end of the evening, the bar will be open.

On Saturday28th  October, departure from the hotel towards the Abbey of  Vaucelles. In early August 1132, Saint Bernard and a dozen companions founded a new abbey on the banks of the Scheldt. For more than two hundred years, the abbey of Vaucelles enjoyed remarkable prosperity. At the end of the 13th century, it had 140 monks, 300 lay brothers, possessed 3,000 hectares of land, woods, vines, within a radius of 200 km. From the 1330s, when the Hundred Years War began, it entered a long period of trouble and difficulty, the Cambrésis, border zone, being constantly surveyed by warlords and brigands. Several times, it is attacked, looted, devastated, ruined, rebuilt. During the Revolution, the abbey was declared national property; monastic orders are suppressed. In April 1790, the last monks left the place. The abbey is vandalized, abandoned. For a century, the site was to serve as a warehouse, a stone quarry, a farmyard: the church, the cloisters, the infirmary, the kitchens, the refectory were destroyed. A spinning workshop was installed in the monks’ wing. In 1917, the abbey was on the Hindenburg line, a defense zone fortified by the Germans. In their retreat, they set fire to the neighboring farm. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1920, the abbey is almost left to its fate, gradually submerged by vegetation. When Alain and Marie-Maxellende Lagoutte bought it in 1971, you could barely make out the stones emerging from waves of trees and brush. For fifty years, they devoted themselves to its rescue, its embellishment, its enhancement. The Department of the North acquired it in December 2017.

Afterwards, head to a restaurant for a good meal together.

In the afternoon, head to the village of Saint Aubin. On the program, visit the Pont des Loups farm: The Pont des Loups farm is an artisanal farm cheese dairy located in Saint-Aubin, in the heart of the Avesnois Regional Natural Park. It has been producing farmhouse Maroilles and other cheeses with the colors of the North for 2 generations. The unique visit corridor in the region allows you to visit the cheese dairy. The production of farmhouse Maroilles will have no more secrets for you: both a farmer and a cheese maker, this farm is one of the rare producers of Maroilles. Of course, you will be entitled to a tasting of the different cheeses made on site.

At the end of the afternoon, return to the Hotel Beatus in Cambrai. You can relax in your room or at the bar before the evening meal.

Then, the rally will begin at night in the countryside around Cambrai. You will have to provide answers to questions of all styles. No specific subject, but general questions on very different subjects. Also, questions relating to monuments or places crossed on your way. Finally, surprise games on your way. At the end of your journey, you will be back at the Beatus Hotel where you can take a good night’s well-deserved rest. Do not panic ! You are not going to spend the night on the roads. This nocturnal game is not compulsory. New: for 2023, you will drive less during the evening.

On Sunday October 29, head for the village of Esnes and its castle. It is there that a fort was erected in 1007 by Alard d’Esnes which will become the Château d’Esnes and which will go through more than 10 centuries of history while remaining in the same family. Attached to France by the Treaty of Nijmegen signed by Louis XIV in 1678, the castle was remodeled in the 17th century by the Beaufremez family. Occupied by the Austrians in 1793, the buildings remained unoccupied until 1808, when they were used as agricultural buildings. The castle was then transformed into a prison by the Germans during the First World War, where Russian prisoners died there and were buried in the moat. In 1990, it was rehabilitated by Madame Marie-Germaine Paternostre de la Mairieu who put her heart into bringing the old stones of the Château back to life by making it a family home. Then, in 2020, it was taken over by her granddaughter and her husband, Mathilde and Maxence Pillet-Will who wish to continue and develop this beautiful project.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, head to Riqueval and its towing museum. Discover this very original museum housed in an electric “toueur” (a “toueur” is a towing boat that tows barges in a tunnel) dating from 1910. Restored according to the rules of the art, this old winch boat is a real meeting place and testimonials from sailors and “people of the waterway”. Accessible to all, it tells you the history of the Saint-Quentin canal and its works of art, the evolution of the different traction techniques from yesterday to today, life around the canal. Continue your visit along various landscaped paths and descend to the edge of the Saint-Quentin canal where one of the most important works of art in French navigability is located, the Grand Souterrain de Riqueval, 5670 meters long. Unfortunately, the “toueur” does not operate on Sundays, but you can see it docked in front of the tunnel entrance.

On the way back, you can stop at the Bellicourt American Memorial.

At the end of the afternoon, return to the Hotel Beatus in Cambrai. You can relax in your room or at the bar but also prepare your costumes for the evening. For dinner, all in your best outfits for the costume party! Have fun dressing up or disguising yourself for the meal and the evening. If you are a fan of Spiderman or princess, this moment will be the opportunity to wear your favorite outfit. At the end of the meal, announcement of the answers and results, then awarding of prizes to the crews.

Monday 30th October, get up at the time you want! The breakfast room remains open until 10:00. Then everyone is free to return to their home. For those in a hurry, they can leave early in the morning. For the others, it will be possible to extend the stay in the region and discover other curiosities individually.

PRICES

The price of €380 per person in a double room and €480 per person in a single room includes:

TARIFFS

  • 3 dinners at Beatus hotel in Cambrai.
  • 3 nights at Beatus hotel in Cambrai ***.
  • 3 buffet breakfasts.
  • 2 measl in a local restaurant saturday and sunday lunchtime
  • Visit of Abbey of Vaucelles.
  • Visit of pont du loup farm cheese product.
  • Visit of  the castle of Esnes.
  • Visit of the towing museum.
  • Coffee or thea stop during the Saturday night.
  • All documents for the weekend (road-book and other…).

Please note : Those travelling alone, please reserve a single room, not a double, unless you have found a roommate yourself. The organisation cannot select or find participants for you to share a room.

Important: all meals are complete for the 4 days with wine, water & coffee during meals. The Saturday evening meal will be alcohol-free as you will be on the road after dinner. Not included in this price: personal drinks taken at the restaurant and hotel bars, bottles taken at an additional cost during meals in the various restaurants.

Your registration is final only upon receipt of the total amount of the registration and payment must be made by 31th august 2023 for the Chouette Rallye 2023.

In case of cancellation, a fee will be retained on your registration:
Up to 60 days before the Chouette Rallye: Your registration can be canceled free of charge
Between 59 and 30 days before the Chouette Rallye:     80% of the total registration is refunded
Between 29 and 15 days before the Chouette Rallye: 50% of the total registration is refunded
Between 14 and 8 days before the Chouette Rallye: 20% of the total registration is refunded
Last 7 days before the Chouette Rallye: No refund of registration

Attention: this document has no contractual value and can be subjected to changes deemed necessary.