UKC

I am stopping over in Font for a day next week (with my family). Which area is the easiest and most appropriate. I do not want to spend my one day wandering around looking for easy stuff. Please also recommend me a campsite.

Thanks

In reply to wobblydave:

Musadriere is the most central campsite, but is quite pricey. The one in grez sur loing is cheaper, and has a range of other activities nesrby like kayaks etc, but is further out from the main areas (bit closer to elephant)

for kiddy friendly climing, theres loads of white kids circuits around the place, in particular at gorges d'apremont, near barbizon... head into the main street of barbizon, and keep going to the end where youll find a forest cafe and parking. Looking at the cafe, to the right a track leads through to some of the main climbing areas. A few hundred meters down this track on the right is a good area of low level kiddy boulder routes.

Another good area is the main trois pignons carpark. Follow the main track from the car park, and on he right a few 100m down are kiddy white boulders, as well as yellow, orange and red circuits offering a bit of progression.

Avoid bas cuvier as it covered in nasty rubbish and theres not that much at an easy level. Elephant wont be child friendly either.

Whenever I go there are buses of school children around, which tend to gravitate towards the kids circuits so if all else fails follow them!

Hth enjoy!

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Sorry campsite should read la musardiere

In reply to wobblydave:

How old are the kids? The white circuits vary a lot, particularly in height - some are on boulders under 3ft high, others go up high and have big jumps in, though lots of holds.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Actually, Elephant has a pretty good kiddy white circuit and lots of safe areas for small kids to play, and the yellow's pretty low and straightforward too (particularly if you skip a few as it heads up onto the plateau. The orange, on the other hand, is rather hair raising!

In reply to wobblydave:

Canche aux Merciers (finally remembered the name!) would be another good option, and close to La Musardiere campsite (it's just west of the autoroute if you're trying to find it on a map - you can walk through the forest from the campsite, or drive round and take the road south from Arbonne that runs east of autoroute - then there's a turn off, road goes under autoroute to the car park).

It has a couple of mid range white circuits, yellow, orange, blue and more, and all very easy to move around, and nothing too high and scary.

In reply to Carolyn:

Never spotted those at elephant .... I guess because I spend most of my time looking for reds and blacks

In reply to balmybaldwin:

They start round the front, near the bottom of where the boardwalk goes up - yellow heads straight up onto the plateau and does loads up there, whilst the white heads round the side, past the elephant, and continues round on the flat bit at the bottom. But yes, I can understand how you'd miss them!

I couldn't tell you where anything harder than blue is

Thank you very much guys, that is perfect. My kids are actually grown up (17 and 19 plus a boyfriend coming along for the ride) but my wife and youngest will struggle on most things so I wanted to go somewhere super easy. If they find it too hard I will not be allowed to stop there again on the way back from Chamonix.

Thanks again, Dave

In reply to wobblydave:
Just come back. we stayed in Les Courtilles du Lido Veneux-les-Sablons to SE of Font. Had a pool and fantastic facilities. Went to Hautes Plaines less than 10 mins from car park and routes are do-able Yellows/Oranges and not high for my 10/11year olds. If you've not been before take a pinch of salt with the grades as they are 'Font' grades not your climbing wall grades. 2c is hard. Cheers

In reply to wobblydave:

There is a nice easyish site North of Milly La Foret we went to on way back from last trip Beauvais-Nainville. Circuits start about 1 min walk from car park, nice yelloworangeblue circuits with all problems very close together and not busy. Great for a stop-off. http://bleau.info/beauvais/