UKBouldering.com
places to visit => abroad => Topic started by: Wellsy on January 22, 2022, 10:32:57 pm
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BID and I are planning a font trip for roughly 22nd April to the 3rd of May (yes around Easter we know but it's the tes we can do).
We'll be driving and we don't mind camping or staying in a hostel, but we've never been and we were wondering if anyone has any advice for good places to stay? Ideally would be nice to stay in climber-y places where we can meet people and chat etc.
Any font advice and tips also welcome :) thanks all!
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Any font advice and tips also welcome :) thanks all!
Don’t wear all your skin off on the first day.
Balance days where you throw yourself at named, aspirationally-graded problems with days where you do easier circuits, ie. circuits with a grade range where each one will theoretically take you 1-3 tries so you can complete the lot. Obviously you want to come back having done something a bit famous/ impressive but really circuits are the best bit. It’s like crazy golf.
Don’t feel bad if you get shut down on 4+ slabs.
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Any font advice and tips also welcome :) thanks all!
If I could lend you my tips, I would
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Don’t feel bad if you get shut down on 4+ slabs.
This is v important. You will get shut down on 4+ slabs - it's an integral part of the font experience ;D
Check out the town itself if you can, pretty nice place with a good range of cafes and restaurants. The chateau grounds are cool too. Makes for a good rest day.
La musardiere (sp?) campsite is popular with climbers, and others, and is very well located for Trois Pignons area - i've stayed twice without a car and there is loaaaads within an hours walk. If you've got a car, this is obviously a bit less important. Facilities are decent, including a pool, a bar serving pizza some nights, and a patisserie visits some mornings with pastries and bread. I've only been in summer but pretty sure it's all the same at easter. Not stayed anywhere else so can't really compare.
It's also relatively easy to camp for free if you don't have a car to get in the gate and are tight on money. Shhhh who said that
If you've got a van, don't try to camp in the car parks of the crags, you'll be found out and moved on pretty quick by some no nonsense rangers, hearing stories of it makes it sound extremely not worth it.
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What happened to maisonbleau & Neil? This was always a good, straightforward solution for a place to stay in font. Is there a similar alternative, there are gites everywhere but his was always well priced?
The van parking thing is the same as the peak. Don't park In obvious place (like under the fucking tor), just go for a little five minute drive away from the bouldering sector's and you'll find loads of hassle free
Sleeping spots.
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Make sure you visit the patisserie every morning and try all of the different pastries
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What happened to maisonbleau & Neil?
This. (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,26979.0.html)
Don’t feel bad if you get shut down on 4+ slabs.
This is v important. You will get shut down on 4+ slabs - it's an integral part of the font experience ;D
Yeah I was going to put “will” instead of “if” but didn’t want to sound mean. 100% agree that it’s part of the experience.
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Oh yeah, forgot about that.
Hope he's doing alright these days. He's a good bloke. 👍
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He's now behind Alien Holds.
https://www.alienholds.com/
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I am pretty used to getting shut down on 4+ slabs!
La musardiere sounds like it's worth looking into at the very least
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I have always thought musardiere was very expensive for what it is, i think a Gite is preferable and not much more expensive if you arent in a van.
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For camping I've liked this place in Font.
https://www.aquadis-loisirs.com/en/nature-campsite/camping-les-pres-fontainebleau
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Second Les Pres, lovely spot, weekly (?) pizza van and a bakery you can walk to.
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I’ve stayed at Les Pres and also Les Courtilles du Lido (https://www.les-courtilles-du-lido.fr/en/booking/). Both cheaper than La Musardière. They are family orientated places but have always had a scattering of climbers too. You’ll need a car to get to the climbing from both. Les Courtilles has a small pool and the town, Moret-sur-Loing, has supermarkets and is on the train line into Paris if you fancy a day in the city. The immediate area around Les Pres is more attractive.
I’d look at gîtes too, although these tend become competitive when you are a larger group.
Not much to say about the climbing, it’s both wonderful and humbling.
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Second Les Pres, lovely spot, weekly (?) pizza van and a bakery you can walk to.
Yeah great campsite, my favorite
It is a bit further away from many of the popular crags in the troi pignons area but damejoanne and l'elephant are close if i remember right
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We've just booked for the same dates, see you dans la foret.
Another recommendation for Camping Les Prés - Aquadis Loisirs if you're camping. I stayed there about 12 years ago and it was very friendly with other groups of climbers. Recently we've been staying in AirBnbs which has been worth the price for not transporting stoves and floor sleeping.
Get used to bellyflop swimming topouts, prep your triceps.
Pace yourself, go easy on your tips.
Get in the habit of cleaning boots before pulling on (if not already) bc sand.
Be outclimbed by entire youth groups half your age.
Train to Paris on your day off.
Watch every possible video of font and get yourself so excited you cant sleep until you go
Hmu if you want to meet some more brits at one of the venues
Enjoy the pilgrimage!
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Get in the habit of cleaning boots before pulling on (if not already) bc sand.
This one cannot be emphasised enough - chunk of carpet/door mat is really useful.
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Les Pres does look pretty good! I think there's a bunch of solid options but I'll explore that first
@crimpy yeah would be cool to see you there! Techy bullshit and swimming tops, I know someone will be in love with the sound of that, it might not be me though :D
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Ahhh I sensed my name being called.
I'm of the opinion that I'm going to have a fine time and not get shut down. Pointless technical slabs is my church.
I will report back humbly in about 3 months time having been slapped about.
Thanks everyone!
Rob
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Plenty of press-up training before you go, to limit the debilitating 'Font elbow'
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Pointless technical slabs is my church.
I will report back humbly in about 3 months time having been slapped about.
Stalingrad would be a good place to start (in Cuvier, not Russia) https://bleau.info/cuvier/2005.html
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Pointless technical slabs is my church.
I will report back humbly in about 3 months time having been slapped about.
Stalingrad would be a good place to start (in Cuvier, not Russia) https://bleau.info/cuvier/2005.html
Amazing. Wells will hate it. Thanks boss man.
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If you want your skin to last a week then walk away from anything sharp. Beware les gratons.
I've had a lot of fun with this list:
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,26843.msg546205.html#msg546205
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Select your destination depending on the conditions not a list of problems.
Look at the weather, wind direction then choose accordingly. If it's cold then somewhere that catches the sun if it's hot the somewhere with lots of trees exposed to a breeze.
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Great advice from everyone so far. Font is an amazing place and you'll struggle not to have an amazing time!
I'd add that it can be great fun to just go exploring in the forest with a pad, shoes and chalk. Leave the guide at home (maybe take a pic of the map so you can get back to the car!) and just get on stuff that catches your eye.
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Select your destination depending on the conditions not a list of problems.
Look at the weather, wind direction then choose accordingly. If it's cold then somewhere that catches the sun if it's hot the somewhere with lots of trees exposed to a breeze.
Tattoo this onto your body somewhere. Do not disobey.
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Take a pair of broken in shoes for most stuff, and a nearly new pair with crisp edges for tiny gratton footholds.
The Dame Joan (at said crag)restaurant is good for group meals in a climber friendly setting, if you can catch it open.
Definitely make a pilgrimage to the big Carrefour, no trip is complete without one.
Chocolate and almond croissants are the ultimate pastry, hands down.
Try out some lesser known crags/areas, almost all have amazing climbs, many in beautifully unspoiled woodland.
Consider doing a new problem. It's not hard to find unclimbed lines if you like exploring the darker mossier side of the hill.
Consider bring a short rope (20m) and harness for cleaning higher lines, if you're not too high minded about doing everything ground up. It can really open up what you're willing to try and save skin falling off high up stuff. There are many many classic highballs which rarely see ascents and benefit from a brush and a quick look.
Don't let your satnav drag you into Paris on the way down.
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Pointless technical slabs is my church.
I can recommend Calamity Jane (https://bleau.info/avon/361.html) and L'Artificier (direct) (https://bleau.info/germainest/1182.html).
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Skin's been mentioned a few times here, which surprised me.
My skin is usually terrible - it's so soft that I can barely get through a day of bouldering on grit, in any conditions, without the tips becoming super thin, and it takes a lot of attention to not ruin it for future days. Recovery is also nothing special, so I can't afford to wear it down much if I hope to climb the next day.
However, last time I was in font, I climbed for 9/10 days straight, sometimes morning and evenings, and that was in August/September, so very sweaty. By the end of it, my skin was a bit worse for wear, but it only started to change in the last day or so. I don't climb any big grades, but I'm pretty over-ambitious so spend a lot of time falling off stuff, which is where lots of wear comes from. This led me to believe that the rock in font is extremely forgiving on the tips - i'm pretty sure there's an Ondra quote about coming back from font with better skin than when he arrived!?
Does this hold any truth for other people? Does the skin advice refer specifically to avoiding spending too long on sharp ratty crimps - because if it refers to slopers/most holds, I'm struggling to understand it myself :-\
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Pointless technical slabs is my church.
I can recommend Calamity Jane (https://bleau.info/avon/361.html) and L'Artificier (direct) (https://bleau.info/germainest/1182.html).
JB, I knew, before I looked them up that they were going to be mid to high 7s nightmares :D
They can go on the long term ticklist. With a tail wind and 5 sessions my max is about 7B.
Saying that, walk on by is on the list so I have to step it up sooner or later.
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Skin's been mentioned a few times here, which surprised me.
Yeah I'm with you tbh, Font is basically as kind to the skin as rock climbing gets! Perhaps the main issue is you often just climb more days in a row there (because you can).
Pointless technical slabs is my church.
This is a wonderfully confident statement, let us know how you get on! :lol:
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If you want your skin to last a week then walk away from anything sharp. Beware les gratons.
Even my skin can go a week in Font without splitting (it got so thin last time that it went a weird white colour - like bone!) if I stay on the slopes. First day of my first trip to Font I split on the gratons of La Super Prestat. Lesson learned.
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Skin's been mentioned a few times here, which surprised me.
Yeah I'm with you tbh, Font is basically as kind to the skin as rock climbing gets! Perhaps the main issue is you often just climb more days in a row there (because you can).
Same with “Font elbow” innit? A consequence of doing a lot of bouldering in a short space of time rather than anything particular to the rock or style of climbing.
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I'm with you on the skin, not the font elbows.
I think it's to do with a lot of sloper and compression. Maybe for those who've spent a fair time on grit or other sandstones it's not so bad, but if volcanic is your bread and butter Font is an elbow killer.
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Skin strategy is critical. I'd have a couple of good days in a row about a week before the trip and wear it right down, then give it about 5 days to recover.
People have mentioned grattons - these are the big quartzy "pancakes" you see stuck on the rock. These are often brutally sharp, and there is so much else to do that you are best just walking on by.
I'd also say beware of projecting something that is skin intensive, failing on the same move again and again will strip it away in no time. Know when to walk away, there is so much to do there.
Another note on weather - if it's at all warm, consider early (first light) starts to get the cool of the day, then have a long siesta (I recommend a string hammock you can roll in a ball and stick in your pack) then have a late evening session.
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I'm with you on the skin, not the font elbows.
I think it's to do with a lot of sloper and compression. Maybe for those who've spent a fair time on grit or other sandstones it's not so bad, but if volcanic is your bread and butter Font is an elbow killer.
I agree with this, I’ve had plenty of trips not to font where I’ve climbed a similar volume without any elbow issues. The nature of the climbing in font often means you’re doing a lot of compressing with your elbows in weird positions. Would assume ‘Font elbow’ is as likely to be a referred shoulder issue as directly an elbow tendon problem.
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I'd also say beware of projecting something that is skin intensive, failing on the same move again and again will strip it away in no time. Know when to walk away, there is so much to do there.
This. I blew a whole trip's skin on day 1 a few years ago falling off the hard move on L'Ange at 95.2. Never did it, skin was shit for the remaining days :spank:
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An alternative view. On your first visit.... all this advice will go out the window when you walk into your first area and observe the sea of boulders around you enticing you to climb them. You'll try to resist but you won't be able to. Be the child in a sweet shop, soak it all in and try everything. Patience and self preservation strategies can wait for future visits (you will go back). Get stuck in you will learn so much!
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An alternative view. On your first visit.... all this advice will go out the window when you walk into your first area and observe the sea of boulders around you enticing you to climb them. You'll try to resist but you won't be able to. Be the child in a sweet shop, soak it all in and try everything. Patience and self preservation strategies can wait for future visits (you will go back). Get stuck in you will learn so much!
Yes, this!
Makes me quite nostalgic for those early trips where I didn't have the first clue and just ran around like a child in a sweet shop.
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Loving all this. Thanks guys.
I hope you're enjoying your nostalgia trip!
I've been climbing for 15 years and never bother to go.
I assume I've been very foolish!
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I remember being vaguely aware there was a lot there, but in 1996, coming from South Africa I knew very little. I picking up a friend in Paris on route to the south of France and they suggested stopping there for a day to check it out on the way, with the only info being that in the (frankly poor) David Jones "The Rock Climbing Guide to Europe". We parked up at the free campsite near Bas Cuvier and walked to BC along the forest road, and being blown away as we came over the hill by how much there was, and that that was just one area. We had no idea of circuits etc, we just climbed until our skin went and it got dark. I think we stuck with it for a week (in midsummer) before begrudgingly heading south to Ceuse to meet someone else..
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These stories are really getting me excited, my first trip is in March. Please keep them coming!
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An alternative view. On your first visit.... all this advice will go out the window when you walk into your first area and observe the sea of boulders around you enticing you to climb them. You'll try to resist but you won't be able to. Be the child in a sweet shop, soak it all in and try everything. Patience and self preservation strategies can wait for future visits (you will go back). Get stuck in you will learn so much!
Another vote for this approach. Just get stuck in and learn all of the above the hard way. Apart from the doing loads of press ups before you go. Do that.
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Do day one as an easy circuit ( I'd recommend the yellows at merciers ) it's a good way of getting your eye in.
Fuck camping, get on air BnB early and you'll find loads of cheap options, look to stay around milly / Arbonne or noisy sur ecole sort of area. Staying in a house you'll be climbing better and a lot less miserable if you get rained on.
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Anyone ever taken MTB for rainy and or rest days? Worth it?
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look up VTT Fontainebleau on youtube and decide....
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Paris is great for rest days and clearly the food is really good… but it’s not easy if you’re vegetarian or even pescatarian. If you or any of your party is then I can totally recommend a restaurant called Maceo, I’ve been twice and it was brilliant both times. Food delicious, service very good and at both the booking and in the meal they were happy to speak English. Central Paris so can fit it in with the main touristy things, it’s just behind the Louvre.
https://www.maceorestaurant.com/
Tho this sort of thing might be a second and subsequent trip activity!
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On the subject of food, if you go into any of the boulangeries (which you should) and your eye is caught by the chocolate-almond croissant pastry things, say hello to sugar-induced comas.
That being said, the coma is worth it.
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Pub le Glasgow (https://www.facebook.com/Glasgowfontainebleau/) is a pretty fun place for few beers if you fancy an evening out. Nothing like a typical Glaswegian pub, for better or worse. :-) A bottle of Belgian Chouffe is always recommended.
We always camp at the Camping Le Lido and think its great. Big plots, a bar for some food and beer in the evening, pool, supermarket nearby. But we tend to go in summer, rubbish for conditions but the wife wants to be warm, so comporises must be made. Maybe a gite would suite better at Easter.
As everyone else says enjoy yourself and don't fret about where to go too much. Brilliant problems and rock everywhere. In fact if you are going at Easter I would probably recommend avoiding the honeypots. They'll be busy.
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Went for the first time in August 2000.. Didn't have a clue about conditions, projecting hard problems, lettice training plans, keto diets, tactics etc. etc. It was hot, like really hot, the whole time and I have 'ginger skin'. Naturally, we gravitated towards shady areas and problems. Climbed all day, every day. Purchased 'budgie smugglers' to allow access to the swimming pool, took us a while to work out why the board shorts weren't deemed acceptable. Met some great people, ate good food, drank good wine and had a brilliant time getting better at bouldering everyday. Went back that autumn, the following spring and so on for years until life/ responsibilities got in the way. Long overdue a return to the forest. :'(
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Long overdue a visit too, combined with Paris / Eurodisney for the kids.
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took us a while to work out why the board shorts weren't deemed acceptable.
Out of interest, why aren't they?
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Parce que
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took us a while to work out why the board shorts weren't deemed acceptable.
Out of interest, why aren't they?
Hygiene. Board shorts are likely to be worn for purposes other than swimming, Speedos aren't likely to have been used for anything other than swimming. This is pretty standard in French swimming pools, if you want to swim take your proper swimming togs.
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Paris is great for rest days and clearly the food is really good… but it’s not easy if you’re vegetarian or even pescatarian. If you or any of your party is then I can totally recommend a restaurant called Maceo, I’ve been twice and it was brilliant both times. Food delicious, service very good and at both the booking and in the meal they were happy to speak English. Central Paris so can fit it in with the main touristy things, it’s just behind the Louvre.
https://www.maceorestaurant.com/
Tho this sort of thing might be a second and subsequent trip activity!
It's fine so long as you go along with "pppff, lardons n'est pas viande!"
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Paris is great for rest days
We went into Paris as a group on my first trip but ended up doing so much walking to visit all the sites it definitely didn't count as a rest day!
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Paris is great for rest days
We went into Paris as a group on my first trip but ended up doing so much walking to visit all the sites it definitely didn't count as a rest day!
You’ve got to sit in a café looking moody for a few hours. I take along a black polo neck. It seems to help.
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if you want to swim take your proper swimming togs.
If you really don't like budgie smugglers, cycling short type swimmers are also acceptable.
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Half thinking of a trip around Easter time too. On a scale of "tolerable" to "I'd rather go to Scotland peak midge season" just how busy can it get over Easter weekend itself?
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Choose venues well, avoid honeypots and I've found it fine. Anything that involves a walk of 20 mins or more will be quiet.
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Agreed. We were there over Easter. The actual weekend itself was busy in the obvious places, but it felt easy to find somewhere quiet. Just avoid obvious places like sabots, 95.2, cuvier. The weeks either side were fine.
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Sabots is probably one of the worst, the central area is like the sandpit at a creche.
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Thanks :)
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Everywhere seems to have got much busier over the last year or so. New bouldering walls seem to be popping up all over Paris.
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Headed to Font over the Easter period (as everyone is seemingly). Does anyone have experience with border control going into France recently? Particularly over taking food, I plan to take some dried goods to make cooking easier in the evenings, that shouldn't be a problem according to https://www.douane.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2021-03/10/travellers-what-kinds-of-food-and-plants-can-you-bring-with-you.pdf, but would appreciate any information from the hivemind.
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Always taken food over, never had a problem
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Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.
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Take something to wipe your feet, expect sand to get in every orifice.
Take lots of good soft brushes as Font is the spiritual home of the tickmark.
Skin maintenance is key. If it's warm, climb in the morning, siesta at lunchtime, recce and re-warm-up in the afternoon and climb again at dusk.
Most importantly, train solely by working towards one arm hanging the BM2K middle edge, then go to Font and spend the entire time climbing Blue slabs on credit card grattons and glassy smears that wouldn't even be visible on grit :2thumbsup:
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Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.
We've taken the tunnel in twice in the past ~6 months, they didn't check the car or ask us about whether we had food that we shouldn't have had on either occasion.. obviously this may just be luck...
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Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.
We've taken the tunnel in twice in the past ~6 months, they didn't check the car or ask us about whether we had food that we shouldn't have had on either occasion.. obviously this may just be luck...
Likewise, we used to get searched quite a lot, but since Brexit they have not been bothering. I suppose it could be to do with the already extra delays that are there either due to Brexit or covid rule changes etc etc so they don't want to add even more by searching all the vans. It used to be pretty much every crossing that we would either have to show them the back, or get out the van and have it put through the x-ray machine, but the last few times nothing.
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Loads of rail and ferry crossings for decades pre- and post-Brexit. Never been stopped, even when transparently on a booze cruise (remember them?). Melanin deficiency, wrinkles, family car, speaks reasonable French...
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Looking for advice for driving Calais>Font (Milly)
We’ve always just blindly followed the satnav, which invariably takes us right through Paris. That was fine last year until the very last bit when there was an accident a few hundred metres in front and we lost loads of time…
Looking to avoid Paris (if practical) this time, particularly with the current situation. Does anyone have a preferred route from the tunnel at Calais down to Font? We’re staying just south of Milly and travelling on Saturday.
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https://maps.app.goo.gl/qzZqSCuMWhVtVX5K8
This is the way I always go. Slightly longer in time but so much easier and less stressful. The only town that you end up going through is Melun at the end, it generally isn't too bad though. Also easy to pull into a town/village for coffee and pastries going this way rather than using service stations...
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I always go on the A1 to just after you've passed under Charles de Gaulle airport, then A104, N104, A6, and you're there.
There's one slightly tricky section where you need to make sure you're in the correct lane, and it's not completely obvious, but otherwise always found it very quick, keeps to major roads without having to go into Paris or the ring road.
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Also got an upcoming Font trip on the cards, anyone got any good Font video recommendations for some extra hype/inspiration? Not sure how many more times I can watch The Real Thing or that Shawn and Giuliano video
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Also got an upcoming Font trip on the cards, anyone got any good Font video recommendations for some extra hype/inspiration? Not sure how many more times I can watch The Real Thing or that Shawn and Giuliano video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_uCI9ktgjns
Nalle on a circuit :weakbench:
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Also got an upcoming Font trip on the cards, anyone got any good Font video recommendations for some extra hype/inspiration? Not sure how many more times I can watch The Real Thing or that Shawn and Giuliano video
Bleau
It's still good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIreNKro7QU
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That's my evening sorted, cheers lads!
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https://youtu.be/IaxHcntnnIo
Another one for you
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Thanks sxrxg and Bradders - exactly what I was after :hug:
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To anyone heading out soon, i saw an Instagram post today about the huge numbers of processionary caterpillars in Font at the moment.
They shed hairs which can give off rashes (i was covered in spots lt april from putting my top on the ground a presumably getting hairs on it).
They are super poisonous for dogs too, and not great for kids. So take extra care if you’ve got little ones!
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To anyone heading out soon, i saw an Instagram post today about the huge numbers of processionary caterpillars in Font at the moment.
They shed hairs which can give off rashes (i was covered in spots lt april from putting my top on the ground a presumably getting hairs on it).
They are super poisonous for dogs too, and not great for kids. So take extra care if you’ve got little ones!
Can confirm we saw a ton of these knocking around. Thankfully our dog doesn't even pay attention to actual food most of the time.
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To anyone heading out soon, i saw an Instagram post today about the huge numbers of processionary caterpillars in Font at the moment.
They shed hairs which can give off rashes (i was covered in spots lt april from putting my top on the ground a presumably getting hairs on it).
They are super poisonous for dogs too, and not great for kids. So take extra care if you’ve got little ones!
Can confirm we saw a ton of these knocking around. Thankfully our dog doesn't even pay attention to actual food most of the time.
It’s making me wonder whether to go elsewhere over the May bank holidays. Our dog is similar but some stories of friends racing to find emergency vets (after standing on them and licking their paw) make me quite averse to being around them…
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Here is some nightmare material. Working in Turkey, digging trenches, one person would be swinging a pick, and the other would be flicking the furry caterpillars off. Couldn't sit down all day for fear of them.
Couple of days later, climbing down some craggy limestone in the woods, I slipped and landed in a seething ball of them about 6 inches across. I've never moved so fast in my life.
Hate the little bastards, but they are all also pretty rad (when they aren't touching me!)
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To anyone heading out soon, i saw an Instagram post today about the huge numbers of processionary caterpillars in Font at the moment.
They shed hairs which can give off rashes (i was covered in spots lt april from putting my top on the ground a presumably getting hairs on it).
They are super poisonous for dogs too, and not great for kids. So take extra care if you’ve got little ones!
Can confirm we saw a ton of these knocking around. Thankfully our dog doesn't even pay attention to actual food most of the time.
It’s making me wonder whether to go elsewhere over the May bank holidays. Our dog is similar but some stories of friends racing to find emergency vets (after standing on them and licking their paw) make me quite averse to being around them…
I think it'll be fine. I only saw them once in the main areas.
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Also got an upcoming Font trip on the cards, anyone got any good Font video recommendations for some extra hype/inspiration? Not sure how many more times I can watch The Real Thing or that Shawn and Giuliano video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEr8wftj0pA
A classic
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Currently two days into my first font trip. Only done chill circuits cos my god this is incredible. Just endless beautiful slabs, mantles, hops, slaps, crimps... amazing. Psyche for days and days.
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Currently two days into my first font trip. Only done chill circuits cos my god this is incredible. Just endless beautiful slabs, mantles, hops, slaps, crimps... amazing. Psyche for days and days.
Nice, have fun, watch those elbows!
Just got back from two weeks in Font heaven. Highlights: blues at sabots & bois rond (couple of weird-hard 6A slabs in there), sky blue at rocher canon (at one point, a flock of 8 golden retrievers turned up, pure joy), caterpillar teams training over the rocks; saw Honnold at Isatis and later in the day met an old French couple who came over to chat with us, turned out to be Charles Albert's parents! (nice people)
Checked out the cavern of the brigands on a rest day hike around Apremont. Pretty cool, love checking out the quirky stuff in Font. If anyone's got any other quirky recs, Im all ears! Also did about a third of the mountain circuit at Cuisiniere. So much fun. Longer than I realized, I now know it's a 6km loop. Quite insane. Will def be back to finish this off. Need to get some cardio fitness.
Might not be new news (haven't been for a while) but saw that the tree behind La Mare got cut down! Massive improvement IMO.. one of my favorite 7Bs (and actually doable for the grade, feels easier than the nearby 7A Chassuer de Prises).
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Nice, have fun, watch those elbows!
And manage that skin!
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… sky blue at rocher canon …
Really nice circuit that isn’t it? Some brilliant arêtes in there especially the last one!
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… sky blue at rocher canon …
Really nice circuit that isn’t it? Some brilliant arêtes in there especially the last one!
For sure, good mix of styles and quite a few steep lines in there. I also have a soft spot for Canon in general. Good texture, really feels like proper sandstone, and nowhere near as polished as Cuvier.
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Canon is one of my favourites too. Also not many grattons.
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Font elbow avoided, skin rather thin, Rasta 7A done(!). Made some good moves on Master of Puppets, definitely keen to get on it again
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Does anyone know if the normal routes from calais to font are captured by the paris emissions zone or if this is something we need to worry about?
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The A/N104, that is worth using anyway, to avoid Parisian driving craziness, is not within the emissions zone.
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The A86 ring road is excluded from the zone.
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Thanks! Crossing the channel now and realised I’d read something about it recently - good to know, thanks.
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Wasn’t sure whether to resurrect or start a new thread but as Autumn Font trip season is pretty much upon us I thought it might be time to update the top tips…
I’m heading there for a few days, not been for several years.
Driving, do I need a crit d’aire to drive in France or is it only relevant if going in to cities/Paris? Does the Font approach go within Paris restricted area? I previously went the peripherique route, is “the other way” (N104??) the route of choice now?
Anything else significant likely to have changed in the last 5/6 years??
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I haven't been for a while but the N104 round the eastern side of Paris is infinitely superior to the peripherique.
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Hi Nik,
We didn’t get a crit’air stick when we went in the summer as I’m pretty sure the outer route N104(?) I tend to use is outside the zone. But double check as I think they’re expanding the zones to both cover larger areas and include new towns.
Download the free Boolder App. It’s awesome! Check your roaming data allowance etc too. Easy to rinse through the ‘free’ data.
Buy lots of tasty croissants!
Jamie
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Crit air probably isn't needed for passing Paris, it is cheap though and easy to do online.
For passing Paris i now always go via the N330 from Senlis to Meaux and then the N36 to Melun. Probably adds 15 minutes to the total drive however i find it much more relaxing, also not being on a motorway makes it easy to stop for drinks/pastries.
As for other changes make sure you have a UK sticker and not a GB one, also allow more time for getting through border control/customs I was surprised how much longer it took compared to pre Covid/Brexit.
Finally it might now be hunting season in Font, i can't find any information for this year however it looks like you might want to consider where you climb on Mondays/Thursdays assuming they stick to the same days as last year https://www.seine-et-marne.gouv.fr/Actualites/Calendrier-des-jours-de-chasse-a-tir-sur-le-massif-de-Fontainebleau#:~:text=%C3%80%20Fontainebleau%2C%20la%20chasse%20%C3%A0,2022%20au%2027%20f%C3%A9vrier%202023.
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Bleau.info is generally good for hunting season info on a particular crag in my experience.
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Also worth checking your passport as I think post brexit you need something like at least 6 months left on it to get into the EU.
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Also worth checking your passport as I think post brexit you need something like at least 6 months left on it to get into the EU.
3 months
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Hi Nik, I tried the other way at Easter. I found the end bit through Melun – negotiating traffic lights, cyclists etc – a bit much at the end of the long drive so just went the standard route on the way back. Will depend on time of day and whereabouts you're staying of course.
Anything else significant likely to have changed in the last 5/6 years??
This might have happened longer than 5 years ago, but the roads and car parks for the Apremont areas around Science Friction are closed. The parking for these areas is by the Real Thing chips café.
You can't climb on the Elephant.
The tree that used to cross L'Araignée at Cuvier fell over last winter, making for a dab-free problem, with somewhere to perch and contemplate.
€1500 fine for camping in the forest.
€8 for a fancy loaf of bread in the Barbizon bakery. The bakery in Larchant is good.
Have fun! Allezallezallez!
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I always go on the A1 to just after you've passed under Charles de Gaulle airport, then A104, N104, A6, and you're there.
There's one slightly tricky section where you need to make sure you're in the correct lane, and it's not completely obvious, but otherwise always found it very quick, keeps to major roads without having to go into Paris or the ring road.
My beta for the drive. Avoids Melun, never had any difficulty with it.
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I always go on the A1 to just after you've passed under Charles de Gaulle airport, then A104, N104, A6, and you're there.
There's one slightly tricky section where you need to make sure you're in the correct lane, and it's not completely obvious, but otherwise always found it very quick, keeps to major roads without having to go into Paris or the ring road.
My beta for the drive. Avoids Melun, never had any difficulty with it.
this? https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Calais,+France/Fontainebleau,+77300,+France/@48.7904659,2.4384935,10.86z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x47dc3f75d7f1e363:0xacbed9e08cd279f4!2m2!1d1.858686!2d50.95129!3m4!1m2!1d2.4777922!2d48.6275212!3s0x47e5e0decbcb3121:0x4500a5cc14f7c167!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e5f38bf6baad81:0x40b82c3688c5a90!2m2!1d2.70162!2d48.404676!3e0?entry=ttu
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Yes if staying in Fontainebleau itself, although I usually stay on the Milly side of the forest. In which case you continue on the N104, instead of going down the A5b, then down the A6.
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Thank you all, very helpful as ever.
Looking forward to re-visiting the foret, it has been far too long…
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Post trip report…
Got a crit d’air cos… why not. Was easy online and not expensive. Took a while to arrive though (almost 3 weeks) so if you need one plan ahead. Whether I actually needed one or not I dunno…
Driving there and back just went on the peripherique, it’s the route I know and hasn’t changed as far as I can tell in the 6-ish years since I last visited. Was relatively painless.
The track to 95.2 parking is in a very poor state!
Unfortunately it rained every day we were there, with a couple of brief dry spells where we managed to hunt out the odd dry problems. Frustrating as it was my youngest first trip to Font where he was actually climbing so a shame he didn’t get to do more, the flip side of this is I didn’t spend as much time being out-climbed by an 11 year old as I otherwise would have…
Brilliant place, loved it. We’ll be back soon… I better get training…
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Also Boolder app is brilliant (if you have roaming data…?). Not as definitive as bleau.info but works so well, didn’t get the hard copy guidebook out once we started using it. I imagine the future may well be beautiful paper guides as “coffee table” references to keep at home, and apps in the field.