Le Mans and Winterburg bike park trip

[Flux]

Quick write up on my recent trip as Weeksey was interested in the Winterburg part....
Sailed from Harwich overnight to hook of Holland (were in a motorhome) which was so much more relaxed than the Calais crossing (but more expensive too). Stayed 2 nights in Rouen and another 2 in Honfleur (both very cool in different ways), before heading to Le Mans. It was my first time there and I loved it, shame it was only 2 days on track. I guessed at running Donington gearing and it was about spot on (using all 6 as opposed to 5 at Donno), it's a fairly technical track with a mixture of high and low speed and blind entry turns. I'd definitely go back again. It was very hot, 35 degrees first day and 29 on the second, but i cope well in the heat so wasn't too bothered. My best lap was on the last session on the 2nd day 1m55s, which wasn't particularly steller but respectable for a first effort and I was fairly reserved as there was plenty more holiday to come....there was an unusual amount of crashers for a foreign td, I wondered if this might be because folk have driven rather than flown so it felt more like a normal td?
After le mans we headed north through Paris (a predictable nightmare) and stopped overnight in an Aire 50k North of Paris, before driving the 600km to Winterburg. Stayed on the campsite next to the bike park which was spot on and you rode 200m to the trail and then straight up the lift. Winterburg is very cool and brilliantly built but you have to bear in mind it's a big hill not a mountain (Whistler it ain't) so the runs a shortish, especially the blacks as they tend to head south fairly directly. So you need to enjoy berms as its full of them, some in excellent condition some pretty blown out, but that's what you'd expect for a busy bike park in August. The biggest disappointment for me was the jump line was closed, it looked mega, I was told on my first day in the park it would be open in 2 days time but sadly not the case. I did walk part of the jump line where there's a decent road gap and you could see the work they'd been doing, the berms and take off/landing looked Sublime and you could tell it was well built and all that's required for the gap is too not brake after the berm before the take off.
I would say it's not a bikepark I would go to for a full 2 weeks, but definitely worth a couple of days there and there are other bike parks in the area (Willingen is one).
I may well go back if only to do the jumpline but if it's closed there will be tears!