UKC

So my friends and I are going to font this weekend the eurotunnel is all booked up and ready but the weather has changed! If the weather stays the same where could we go instead of font but about the same amount of driving?

In reply to samparsons:

Clecy?
Ardenne?

St Mihiel? - http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=614355&v=1#x8034063

See DerwentDiluted's posts at 17.16 Fri and 07.31 Sat. If you decide to go there I'd be really interested if you posted your impressions on your return. Thanks

In reply to samparsons:

Gah! We're booked to go this weekend as well!

In reply to highaltitudebarista:

Us too.

Currently looking at daytrips to Paris, and wondering how many tarps it'd take to put a roof over a few boulders...

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I'm sure the weekend forecast was scorchio up until yesterday? Maybe it'll change back?

Alternatively we could combine efforts and tarp over a reasonable section of Elephant?

In reply to samparsons:

Hope the weather changes for you. We are just booking our crossing for the bank hol at the end of May.

It's only Tuesday, keep an eye on it!

In reply to samparsons:

The rock at Eléphant is softer than in most areas due to the sandy nature of the environment, so please don't assume you can climb there as soon as it stops raining, it has to be COMPLETELY dry or else you'll break holds. I suggest you try Canche aux merciers instead, it's not as sandy but is one of the fastest-drying areas.

In reply to Adrien:

always a hassle if the weather is rubbish - I keep meaning to try out Laurenzoboulderfels, which is about 2 hours further, although the weather is likely to be similar.

In reply to BoulderBus:

I know it's a bit cheeky of me to say that since I live in Font but honestly I don't really see the point of coming to Font for just a few days, given how weather-dependent climbing is and how fickle the weather is here (and climate change won't make things any better). I wouldn't bother going to, say, the Peak District for less than a week, for fear I might end up sitting around waiting for the rain to stop.

Alternatively you could hike, Font is a lovely place for that, especially now as nature is awakening after a long winter. The blue (Dénécourt) paths are great.

In reply to Adrien:


British climbers who aren't happy to take a chance on the weather don't generally end up getting much done.


Definitely an option, thanks! Bike and kayak hire look like options as well. Or just hoofing it into Paris and pretending we're having a normal holiday...

In reply to Adrien:


if you live in the UK and took that approach you'd never get out climbing!

In reply to Adrien:

Plus 1 for the wet weather hiking option - it's a great area for hiking with several interesting waymaked circuits. If you go "off piste"navigation is surprisingly challenging. The forest is a good place for practicing your precision navigation and for getting lost!

In reply to Trangia:

Can you get good quality maps locally? Possibly up to orienteering quality for detailed micro-nav practice.

In reply to Paul Baxter:

I use the IGN 1:25,000 Sheet 2417 OT. I bought it from Stanfords in London, which is ok for hiking. I suggest you contact them to see what other maps they do

http://www.stanfords.co.uk/?gclid=CIfxlLOcm8UCFUyWtAodjgMA8A

I did live in the UK (and Ireland as well) - and ended up not doing much indeed

Trangia: Agreed, navigation can be extremely tricky! I had a hard time not getting lost on my way to Mare aux Corneilles for instance, only to find out that the place is not worth the hassle.

Ramblin Dave: Here's a map and a list (I don't know if it's thorough) of the Dénécourt paths: http://fabricesueur.free.fr/fontainebleau.html . I suggest the one in Franchard and Etroitures-Long Rocher... because they're the only two I've done so far. But they're great, and you can check out new areas (Franchard Raymond and Meyer and Restant du long rocher) for when you come back.

Paul Baxter: you can get this map (http://king-detection.fr/263-pdt_480/carte-foret-fontainebleau.jpg) in pretty much any sports shop, in a bookstore or maybe even in a bar-tabac if they have a section with magazines. It's not extremely detailed though, I mean all the main paths are on it but the smaller ones probably won't be (the map would end up being too confusing I suppose). Try to stick to the paths though, there's a special type of heather in the forest that's very sensitive to any form of contact or trampling.

Saturday morning looks OK, I suggest you head early to Canche aux merciers, 95.2 or 91.1.

In reply to Trangia:

You can also pick up the map easily in Fontainebleau town, and they are a bit cheaper. They also do a nifty mini version printed both sides - very pocket sized.

The 25 bosses walk is also interesting...

In reply to samparsons:

So who went anyway, and how much did you get done?

We did a lot more climbing than expected - Saturday morning into early afternoon at 95.2 and Rocher des Potets, a surprisingly good session on Sunday evening climbing at 91.1 until we ran out of sunlight, and a pretty good day at Bas Cuvier (first time for most of us) before heading back on the Monday. Given the monumentally awful forecast, I'm pretty pleased with that. We also went and looked at Le Cyclop, which was an hour well spent.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Yer we got a lot more than we thought we would, well worth the risk, it always is!