Random hop to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife

We just woke up on a fine sunny Sunday morning and decided we could hop to the Nürburgring and have some feel of the place, just to know what this is really all about. We had a good british-style breakfast and departed just before 10AM.

The trip is only 130km long and takes a bit over 2 hours, really not far from my favorite roads around the Eifel and Rurtal area. It's actually when reading the Wikipedia page about the Eifel that I discovered that the famous Nürburgring was so close to us. Living only 35km or so from Spa-Francorchamps somewhat inhibited my interest and curiosity about "the ring" until then.

I just used to consider it as some toll motorway, and "ring" is the word of choice for what the British call "orbital". Now I know it's known as "the Green Hell". Even my teenage son knew it, I just didn't care.

Our intention was really not to drive the Caterham on the track that day, having little idea about what to expect. The circuit was used for some proper racing on that week-end anyway.

Instead, we drove around and within the circuit loop, found a few parking lots with a view on the ongoing race. The area is really superb, although really similar to the usual places we go cruising in the Belgian Ardennes, Eifel in Belgium and Germany... Basically the same landscape as Spa-Francorchamps.

It happens that Caterham Germany is located there. I thought it was in the general area, but it's really in the complex of the circuit. It was not really visible from outside, and closed anyway. But I would have enjoyed just having a picture of the showroom from the parking lot.

The road to go there (and back, obviously) is also a delight for the eyes, and a whole lot of fun to drive.

Back home at 3 PM, very pleased but not having had lunch yet.

We'll get there for a lap or two on a day where the track is open for Touristenfahrten, working as a toll motorway. I think it's literally considered as the only single-way toll autobahn of Germany.

Meanwhile, we follow Misha Charoudin, Auto Addiction, and statesidesupercars on Youtube.

TeenyTinaTravels 5-parts vlog of their trip to the Nürburgring with their yellow Caterham is also worth the watch.