[SamT]

Breezed it with the kids a few times when they were younger.

Used the ferry normally as I like to stretch out my back/legs and the kids like to run around a bit.  Tend to stop over in a cheap Premier in on the Friday night near dover, ferry first thing and you can be in Font for lunch time.  Though could easily be done in a oner.

We've always gone A16 and stopped at any old Aire just north of Paris.  Then coughed up some dough for the Duplex A86 tunnel round the West side of Paris, AKA - the crazy tunnel of craziness.  Its like something out of  Wipeout 2097.

Its a breeze though and yet another point of interest for the kids along the way to help pass the time.

[Bradders]

Reminds me of the recent The Grand Tour episode Carnage A Trois. Highly recommended, there's a particular section in the middle about how the French treat their cars which rang many bells from various experiences of driving over there 

[tommytwotone]

One year on the Peripherique we had a guy come up alongside us with a totally smashed windscreen, which he dealt with by just sticking his head out of the open driver's side window!

[Evil]

The N104 is the road you need to get on to get around Paris without suffering the Peripherique, but it's not like the M25 in that it seems to be comprised of sections of other roads so you do a lot of leaving and re-joining, but are apparently still on the 'same' road. Google maps is ok at it (although sometimes goes crazy and thinks there is a shorter route you should be on going down the Champs Elise or something and starts trying to send you a different way...so you need to pay close attention).

I've done it a lot of times with my son who is now almost 7. I think he's used to long drives though as we started taking him to Spain on 2.5 day long drives to see family from when he was 6 months old, so Font doesn't seem too bad comparatively. I don't like making stops as I feel like it just drags it out and makes it more tiring, so we just go and stop when it's nighttime (on the longer journeys). Download some episodes of stuff they like on a tablet (I think Netflix and Prime etc allow downloads) so they don't want to stream using your phone as a hotspot and rinse your data (especially since we are back to data roaming days).

[Will Hunt]

The trip is nearly upon us. It looks like it's going to be hot!

Our eldest is nearly 5, hasn't done masses of outdoor climbing, and isn't very brave. She's really good at looking at her feet and heading up a slab but hasn't really done much that involves using her arms to pull. I need recommendations for kid's circuits suitable for her (lowball, easy), and her little brother will no doubt follow wherever she goes. If these circuits can be near to good, shaded climbing between 6C and 7B for me then even better.

From looking through past threads I have the following:

Rocher du Telegraphe (pink heart circuit aimed at 3 year olds with a slightly harder white option if she smashes that)
Canche aux Merciers (is this one suitable?)
Beavais Nainville (the pics of the white circuit on Bleau.info look nice and steady)

[dunnyg]

Can always take 15m or rope and a harness and body belay up stuff

[sidewinder]

Walked here
https://bleau.info/telegraphe2
With sleeping child in pushchair from canche aux Mercier a couple of weeks ago and thought the kids circuit looked great

[SA Chris]

Canche is basically a kids playpark. Loads for them to play on in and under, a lot not marked as being on a circuit, doubt either of them will be after ticking the whole thing. Can get busy with a lot of famile avec les enfants though.

[Will Hunt]

Can always take 15m or rope and a harness and body belay up stuff

From experience, I don't think that would help. She doesn't like the idea of slipping and doesn't really have trust in the rope. You're better off having an adult at the bottom/following her up who can put a supportive hand on her and prevent her falling in the case of a slip, or help her effect a retreat if she's not up to it.

[dunnyg]

Fair does.

[SA Chris]

Can always take 15m or rope and a harness and body belay up stuff

From experience, I don't think that would help. She doesn't like the idea of slipping and doesn't really have trust in the rope. You're better off having an adult at the bottom/following her up who can put a supportive hand on her and prevent her falling in the case of a slip, or help her effect a retreat if she's not up to it.

Found the same. Daughter was always happier to boulder up far higher than she will climbing with a rope.

[Will Hunt]

I forgot that Roche aux Sabots has a kid's circuit though can't remember whether it looked suitable for proper younglings. And unless I want to go cranking on little pockets I think I've done everything I want to do at Sabots and the surrounding crags get lots and lots of sun don't they?

[roddersm]

Apremont Bizons has a kids circuit, Roche Aux Sabots should be fine for a 5 year old....

[bolehillbilly]

Beauvais Nainville has a couple of kids circuits leading up from either end of the car park. From memory the one on the right/north has some slightly bigger lines up some slabs. There's plenty of shade in the main area at the top of the hill.

[Ballsofcottonwool]

Rocher du Telegraphe (pink heart circuit aimed at 3 year olds with a slightly harder white option if she smashes that)
Canche aux Merciers (is this one suitable?)

If your youngest can walk or even crawl they will enjoy the pink heart circuit (its rate age 3+) at La Feuillardière  (Telegraphe) The white circuit is excellent fun with some "through" routes my kids loved
Links to Topos https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KUHs_knZ524gD2BQU8cjLjm8gCDNfNG9/view
link to photos https://www.cosiroc.fr/index.php/actualites/134-news-des-circuits/406-la-feuillardiere


Make sure you are on the right white kids circuit at Canche, one is rated E1 (age 7-9)   most problem are slabby  with sloping holds and some of the problems at the start of the circuit were very polished when I was last there in Spring 2019 Further around the  circuit  the rock is better and less polished. The other white cicuit is graded E3 (age 9-14) and is much higher and harder.

Further south near Nemours this  kids circuit looked good but it started raining, so we had a nice walk over the ridge instead
https://www.cosiroc.fr/index.php/fiches-circuits/249-nouvelles-du-site-2

Apremont Bizons is rated E3(age 9-12) probably too high and hard for a 5 yr old, but in a lovely open spot.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hqEFtcnTexJHw3RI4yi4pBTqNQh5oPvC/view

[fatneck]

Fresh back from a very relaxed trip with two of mine who barely climb but who climbed every day bar one (cue very impressed and proud father) I can highly recommend;

Rocher Du General - lovely quiet setting, excellent yellow circuit, recently re-painted and with a good accompanying blue and red circuit for moderately harder climbing for parents.

La Segognole - not as quiet as I'd hoped but decent yellow and orange circuits.

Apremont - kids circuit was excellent and I must have walked passed it numerous times before without even seeing it. Also went to Bizons but was a bit complex for the fam and yellow circuit wasn't very good. Newish blue circuit was excellent for me though.

Rocher de Duc - parts of this were rather worn but the kids white and turquoise circuits were excellent and the yellow circuit the other side of the hill (left from the car park) was lovely.

Not recommended - Rocher de Cathedral seemed ok on paper but was a bit spread out and overgrown and we ended up at Potala which was busy and a bit tired looking. Also disappointing in the flesh was Diplodocus. On paper a great venue with loads of yellow circuit problems, in reality everything was so polished we didn't bother donning shoes.

Allez!

[Will Hunt]

For my 4, nearly 5, year old.

Beavais Nainville (I think this is also known as Rocher du Duc). Good white circuit. She did the first 15 with some close spotting and dad-dabs before we stopped for lunch and thereafter got distracted. For younger kids the circuit starts from the left hand (looking in from the road) end of the parking.

Rocher du Telegraphe (note, this is a different crag to Beavais Telegraphe if you're searching bleau.info). As expected this was a big win. She completed the Pink Heart circuit with very little help and could probably have done much of the white circuit with some help. There's not so much there for the grown ups but just uphill from the kid's bit there's a very cool looking 7C called Telex and a better-looking-than-it-looks-in-photos 6C with a 6C+ sit (masquerading as a 7A/7A+ in the book) called Coup de Tonerre. Wanted to do Le Cadeaux but didn't have time as it is further from the kids bit.

Roche aux Oiseaux didn't have a circuit but there were lots of unmarked boulders that she enjoyed padding up.

Canche aux Merciers. Kids' circuit was a bit much for her (she's not great at pulling on holds and the footholds are very polished) but she found plenty to scamper up. Problems for the adults somewhat limited but by this point in the trip skin was on its knees.

[SA Chris]

Your skin has knees, my knees have skin. Funny old world.

[fatneck]

Nice one Will. Amazed we didn't bump into each other!

In fact we were walking out of Apremont and saw a tall lad with family in tow including a kid in a pad and thought for a second it might have been you guys but it wasn't...

[Will Hunt]

Considering just how many Brits were out there at the time it's amazing I didn't really bump into anyone I knew or recognised but for one day.

[Tom de Gay]

Thanks all for the recommendations on here. +1 for Telegraphe. Some of the whites looked really good and I wished I was 3 foot tall again. The easy circuits there are a nice distraction for frazzled parents. The orange was well-marked and good fun to wander through with no guidebook.

[Will Hunt]

Roche aux Oiseaux didn't have a circuit but there were lots of unmarked boulders that she enjoyed padding up.

Forgot to mention that we went to Roche aux Sabots after this (quick approach from the same car park) and the kid's circut there was good for her.

[Ged]

Any suggestions for biking with kids in the forest? As in good paths and tracks that aren't sandy hell? Or is that unavoidable and you're best off staying on the roads? She's 5,and has got the taste for longer rides, but is way too wild to go on busy roads

[lagerstarfish]

Any suggestions for biking with kids in the forest? As in good paths and tracks that aren't sandy hell? Or is that unavoidable and you're best off staying on the roads? She's 5,and has got the taste for longer rides, but is way too wild to go on busy roads

The path that goes around the circumference of the trois pignons is firmer and very cycle friendly.
There's also the tarmac road from barbizon past Appremont that is now closed to motor traffic - I can't remember how long this is.
I'll probably remember more after a sleep or two

[Ged]

Perfect thanks. We're staying at la mussardiere so the trois pignons will be ideal