[JJP]

Hey

We are having to change summer holiday plans and now looking to head to france and hopefully have a few days bouldering somewhere.

Will be there end June/ early July, kids are 10 and 13.  We have been to font before and that is default at the moment but would be keen to hear any potential alternatives. 
Been to font early summer before and was ok temps wise.

Cheers for any advice.

[SA Chris]

How far are you prepared to travel, and will it be just for bouldering, or do you want to do other things as well?

[Hugh]

Watching with interest as we've also been looking for Font alternatives, particularly where there's other stuff to do. Anyone been to Targassonne with kids? Ailefroide?

[Steve R]

I'd have thought targassonne ranks as very child friendly. Personally wouldn't enjoy trying to boulder there in summer though. Whether the large grained granite is better or worse than font sandstone in warm temps is perhaps a matter of opinion (or skin type?)
Anyway, all these similar threads are really assisting me in firming up my antinatalist position, so thanks

[jwi]

I don't know anything about this, but is not Ailefroide a popular place for this?

[JJP]

cheers all
ye i looked at targasonne and sounds really good. supposed to be at 1500m so ok in summer.
however bit too far for us this year as first year with the dog and other half’s shoulder will be in a
sling so i ll be doing all the driving, thats why switch to bouldering as she cannot belay.
having looked at other options, seems to also be some good bouldering in chamonix, eg medonnet.
however , think we are going to go with week in font and then week at the beach in normandie. 

[SA Chris]

If you look on UKC there is an article where  it seems there is some bouldering in Normandie too.

[webbo]

cheers all
ye i looked at targasonne and sounds really good. supposed to be at 1500m so ok in summer.
however bit too far for us this year as first year with the dog and other half’s shoulder will be in a
sling so i ll be doing all the driving, thats why switch to bouldering as she cannot belay.
having looked at other options, seems to also be some good bouldering in chamonix, eg medonnet.
however , think we are going to go with week in font and then week at the beach in normandie.

There is thread on Medonnet somewhere on here.

[T_B]

I’ve been to Targonsonne en famille. Some nice running around there. It’s good for catching crickets. The bouldering is very sharp and even in summer you’re fighting conditions on anything hard. Somehow that really sharp, granular granite is just grim when it’s too hot.

Medonnet is nice for an afternoon. 

We’re back to Font again this summer. Explore. Find the cooler blocs or steeper stuff on better holds. Take liquid chalk. I’m taking a rope this time for highballs.

[JJP]

cheers all

ye TB had noticed repeated mention of how sharp the holds are at targonsonne!

ye similarly will look for shaded areas in font, aim for early mornings and evenings and tbh dont have high expectations grade wise as i dont tend to climb well at font ! prev trips the kids have loved and got a lot from as well so another plus.

we are scottish school holidays so
will likely be out there ahead of
you but hope you have a good one.

will check out normandie bouldering chris as would definitely have opportunity that week as well. did see areas further west near brest called kerlouan which looked good and font like.

[SA Chris]

Are you driving down? Long haul from Ecosse! We've thought about Eurocamp in Brittany or Normandy, take van so we could fit all boards, bikes, etc etc in, but would probably stop with friends n Yorkshire on the way.

[Ballsofcottonwool]

Further east in Brittany there are lovely weather worn granite boulders at Ploumanach, I climbed on them as a kid while camping at Le Ranolien 30 years ago, there are boulders scattered around the campsite.

[JJP]

Are you driving down? Long haul from Ecosse! We've thought about Eurocamp in Brittany or Normandy, take van so we could fit all boards, bikes, etc etc in, but would probably stop with friends n Yorkshire on the way.

Cheers ye we are slightly further south than you, based Glasgow.  Plan is overnight ferry into holland, couple days there for touristy stuff then drive to font for 1 week and then normandie second week then home.  did the full drive several times as a kid and it is pretty long.  hoping to have a van by the time of trip as our last couple of trips up north with climbing kit/ wetsuits/ dog stuff etc have been seriously crammed!

[JJP]

Further east in Brittany there are lovely weather worn granite boulders at Ploumanach, I climbed on them as a kid while camping at Le Ranolien 30 years ago, there are boulders scattered around the campsite.

Cheers will definitely check these out as would love to get a bit of climbing in on the second week as well.

[SA Chris]

Are you driving down? Long haul from Ecosse! We've thought about Eurocamp in Brittany or Normandy, take van so we could fit all boards, bikes, etc etc in, but would probably stop with friends n Yorkshire on the way.

Cheers ye we are slightly further south than you, based Glasgow.  Plan is overnight ferry into holland, couple days there for touristy stuff then drive to font for 1 week and then normandie second week then home.  did the full drive several times as a kid and it is pretty long.  hoping to have a van by the time of trip as our last couple of trips up north with climbing kit/ wetsuits/ dog stuff etc have been seriously crammed!

This is what i would love to do, but opinions in the house are divided..

[Danny]

Might I hijack this and widen out the query to "Not absolutely roasting family friendly bouldering in summertime Europe"?

Vastervik? Switzerland? Sintra? Hoyamoros looks to have an epic walk-in.

Open to ideas. Doesn't have to be masses of bouldering: the general camping and family situation is more important. 

Might be worth a separate thread.






 

[SA Chris]

i reckon Sintra will be roasting hot. I like the look of Santa Linya in northern Spain, but that could well be just the pitches online that make it look good. Any Scandi options?

[jwi]

i reckon Sintra will be roasting hot. I like the look of Santa Linya in northern Spain, but that could well be just the pitches online that make it look good. Any Scandi options?

Tons of options in Scandinavia. Obviously not as warm as further south, so maybe less family friendly if that is a shorthand for beaches?

[SA Chris]

Not in my mind, i think that means more easy approaches, no death drops, reasonable accommodation and something to do on non climbing days.

[T_B]

The bouldering at Annot is doable in the summer. It’s quite high on a breezy col in the trees. Bit like Albarracin. Camping in both Annot and Entrevaux (v popular site with artificial lake) and rivers nearby and even a bit of limestone sport climbing (Scaffarels, stuff to do in the 7s and 8s but nowt in the 6s).

[lagerstarfish]

Are you driving down? Long haul from Ecosse! We've thought about Eurocamp in Brittany or Normandy, take van so we could fit all boards, bikes, etc etc in, but would probably stop with friends n Yorkshire on the way.

we stayed at the Yelloh Village https://www.yellohvillage-la-plage.com/fr/ in Brittany

good facilities, nice beach, loooong drive to get there

there were some easy boulders near the campsite and other areas to drive to

some more info here
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=15824.0

 

[JJP]

One of the venues we had originally planned was to go to was sustenpass in Switzerland which looks amazing and is at altitude so meant to be good in summer.  At around 2000m, apparently easy access from parking and grades from 5 up.  Had planned to stay in Meiringen and there are places like interlaken close by for non climbing time.   

[JJP]

Are you driving down? Long haul from Ecosse! We've thought about Eurocamp in Brittany or Normandy, take van so we could fit all boards, bikes, etc etc in, but would probably stop with friends n Yorkshire on the way.

we stayed at the Yelloh Village https://www.yellohvillage-la-plage.com/fr/ in Brittany

good facilities, nice beach, loooong drive to get there

there were some easy boulders near the campsite and other areas to drive to

some more info here
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=15824.0

Some of this looks great cheers for the link 

[Andy W]

Place I've been in order of suitability; Cornwall, Font, Ariege, Annot, Kjugekull, Targassonne, Magic Wood.

[Andy W]

Place I've been in order of suitability; Cornwall, Font, Ariege, Annot, Kjugekull, Targassonne, Magic Wood.

Oops didn't see the bit about France!

[Duma]

Sorry for the OT highjack, but does anyone who went over at Easter know the current state of play with passenger locator forms for travel to France? I'm getting the Eurostar tomorrow and the most I can find is I may be asked to do one. Can't get it to work and am meeting gf in the van so no booked accommodation.

[SA Chris]

If the address is the issue, just choose a Formule 1 near font and use that address if you need one. It won't be checked.

[edshakey]

No forms for us at Easter Duma - it was unclear on tunnel and ferry websites but it seems the forms no longer are needed. Struggled to find them online even if I wanted to fill one in!

Just had to upload a vaccination document to the transport company websites for each direction.

[SA Chris]

My manager just flew to Amsterdam this morning from Aberdeen, and said he had to wait forever in the queue as people who were transiting Amsterdam to Paris and hadn't completed PLFs, so the application seems very inconsistent.

In January the easiest approach was uploading all your vaccination certificates to the TousAntiCovid App to show at check in, but no doubt that has changed.

[Danny]

i reckon Sintra will be roasting hot. I like the look of Santa Linya in northern Spain, but that could well be just the pitches online that make it look good. Any Scandi options?

Tons of options in Scandinavia. Obviously not as warm as further south, so maybe less family friendly if that is a shorthand for beaches?

Beaches would be in but, as Chris says, it's more about nice, objective danger free spots with other things to do. Vastervik might be a good one by the looks of it.

[Duma]

Cheers all, got the EU form to work on the work PC's - it confirms you only need a PLF for France if flying, so no need for me

[SA Chris]

Makes sense, but good to know, thanks

[Duma]

Has been very slick, even straight from a night shift... Left Swindon 7am, arrive in font in 15min - less than 7 hours, and could have done it in 6 if I'd been less cautious about time needed for security and passport control at St Pancras. Shame you need to have pads and transport waiting at this end.

[seankenny]

Is there no way you could take pads on the Eurostar? I’ve only used it for non-climbing trips to Paris, always driven if going to Font.

[i.munro]

Is there no way you could take pads on the Eurostar? I’ve only used it for non-climbing trips to Paris, always driven if going to Font.

I used to do it all the time with small (1m x 1m pads) but that was pre-brexit.

[Will Hunt]

Did Brexit affect what you could take on the Eurostar?

[i.munro]

Did Brexit affect what you could take on the Eurostar?

I would guess it has affected passport checks so maybe luggage checks  - but it's certainly affected my knowledge of what's allowed as it stopped me traveling regularly  to France.