[Dirty Passion Monkey]

Planning a trip to font this winter, whats the deal with pitching a tent in the forest itself?  I've seen people camping right next to holy moley at cuvier and also at aprement but is it legit or is it a 'be discrete and dont get clocked' kinda thing?  Dont wanna get in the shizzle with the locals or screw up access to anywhere.

If it is allowed are there any notably decent spots, or anywhere we should avoid!?  It is only 2 of us as well.

Cheers.
Ben

[Monolith]

Stayed for a month in a tent in March this year with a wet sleeping bag up at Gros Sablons, and for some of the time on the actual campsite.
You learn a lot about yourself and the fellow human you are camping with I can tell you. There's plenty of reasons why you should stay wild and plenty why not.
It brings you close to nature and all the other associated slogans I could mention. It doesn't however, put you close to a food supply and a refuse site. Nor is sanitation the best. We used a remote alley of trees as a latrine. Each day you had to walk further past previous turds until the point whereby you had to walk near enough a mile to escape them. To summarise, the solitude is sublime, the practicalities not so.

There's a couple of 'secret' caves near Bas Cuvier I've been told, but I imagine you'll have a tough time finding out about them.

We also have a hideous story involving a certain MSR product and the fact that feu est interdit!

[a dense loner]

you can pitch tents in campsites only

[BenF]

Yup, stay away from camping in the forest.  I've seen British people camping in Bas Cuvier night after night and quite frankly it sucks.  The place looked a state and no wonder we get a bad rep. 

Whilst I'm sure the odd night discreetly camping and making sure you made no mess would do no harm, it's the principle really.  It was the same in Chamonix this month, I saw people camping "wild" by the side of the road just outside of town for a full three weeks.  Obviously when I was a skint teenager I never ever slept rough in dubious places...

[soapy]

hmm,

if you're gonna embrace the "living at one with nature/mears schizzle", then at least act responsibly

a case in point being the disposal of human shite; if you're there for a while, then dig a proper latrine pit, instead of leaving little mounds dotted around...tsk 

[Jim]

don't do it. F1 is fairly cheap and brings piece of mind about your stuff not getting nicked, hot shower, comfy bed and warmth
Your gonna climb better for a good nights kip as well IMO

[Bonjoy]

don't do it. F1 is fairly cheap and brings piece of mind about your stuff not getting nicked, hot shower, comfy bed and warmth

And as much as you can eat coffee and toasted brioche for breakfast

[SA Chris]

eat coffee

The french certainly do make it strong.

[Sloper]

There's two great areas for this, one around elephant and the other near to roche aux sabots (off to the east, you'll know when you've found it).  While have the space, seclusion and running water (at the car park so you only have to carry in wine etc) the RAS area wins hands down as you can blag free showers at the campsite.

The trick is to be *very* discrete and remember NEVER light a fire iunder an overhang (it can collapse on top of you)

[Dirty Passion Monkey]

cheers all. 
some different opinions but helpful.  I forgot about the F1 - gonna check that out.  Actually looks like there could be up to 4 now so some accomodation is probably a better idea.

[Houdini]

F1 better than camping/dossing:  showers/breakfast/parking & rooms sleep 4 comfortably erring to snuggly, and cheaply.  Dossing is OK (but not in Font) @ certain times in your life but sooner rather than later everyone realises it's crap/wet/cold/grubby/damp/shit for eating/accidents while finding/pooing in holes etc..

[Monolith]

When I consider that my sleeping bag was wet for a month for no feasible explanation, I wouldn't recommend it. Also from what I'm hearing, it is not legal in Fontainebleau. My story was that I was sat in work one day, drearily churning out some CAM CNC emboss dies in a room with no windows within an industrial unit in Birkenhead, and suddenly thought to myself "fuck this I'm not being treated like shit anymore" and quit there and then. I took the money I had for the month and basically 'ran off' to Font. Getting a bike, bouldering mat and three bags on your body around the Paris subway is shit. I couldn't afford to stay in Font for a month in any form of gite or motel, so camping it was.

I don't regret the spontaneity of my actions (it was one of the most satisfying things I have done), and the temporary camp was treated with the utmost respect. As for mounds of turd, they were covered heavily with rotting forest vegetation under large unclimbable boulders (totally covered in Lichen with no circuits on). A stench can still leek out though, but you have to remember, in those conditions, it will be gone within a very short space of time.

Do the F1 thing, it sounds warm and wise.

[RASTATA]

I'm heading to font with two mates for a three weeks in November. What do you think is better option staying in gite or F1?

[fatboySlimfast]

You have to be very good friends with someone to spend 3 weeks in a f1, I did it when working in liverpool for 3 weeks but went home at weekends . You are living right on top of each other literally and it gets a bit intense! Also its 28eur a night, so round £140 a week....cheap gites are a little more but what you spend on that you will save on rest days and when its raining!You get booted out of the f1

[tubbs]

Mr Bed, next-door to the F1 in Nemours, is ever-so-slightly more up market, has en-suite facilities and much better breakfast, with croissants.  It's only a couple of euros a night extra, and has rooms with a double and 2 single beds.