UKC

Hi all,

Stopping off in Font next week (first visit) en route to south of France.

We're traveling in a new'ish campervan with a lot of windows.

Whilst reading up on Font, it sounds like there are quite a few warnings about parking and getting broken into. We'll obviously make sure nothing is visible.

Is it really that bad?

Can anyone offer any good advice for good / safer parking spots?

thanks!

In reply to robbiebrookie:

Unfortunately it's a matter of pot luck.

Probably best to park at a location where there is a lot of coming and going all day eg JA Martin.

The car break ins seem to go in cycles, possibly when the culprits come out of prison and before they go back in? Then you can go for months, even years, with no break ins. Who knows?

The gangs are very quick and can break into numerous cars in a car park, smashing windows, sweeping gear into plastic sacks, then into a van and be gone in a couple of minutes. By the time you have heard the alarms g off and run back to the cars, they've gone.

The other thing I have known folk do is to leave a non climbing partner with a book sitting near the cars.

In reply to Trangia:

Thanks for responding. Maybe we should use a campsite for Font and leave the van there, Camping Les Prez, and walking to the boulders from there?

In reply to robbiebrookie:

Camping Le Prez is great, very friendly people who run it and they speak English. Grez-sur-Loing is a pretty little village with a small supermarket and a boulongerie.

But it's a bit of a walk to the nearest rocks.

Do you have bicycles? That would be the best way to get around and brings a fair choice of rocks within reach. EG Elephant, Dame Jouanne, even Trois Pignon if you are fit.

Good luck

In reply to robbiebrookie:

If by parking you actually mean parking and not "staying at a carpark for the night", I think you'll be fine, especially if you're parked at one of the major carparks like Croix Saint Jérôme, Éléphant, Isatis, etc. I've been living here for a year and a half and never got my car broken into (admittedly a car is not a van).

In reply to robbiebrookie:

It does depend on where you go.

I've been 12 times in the last 10 years and seen evidence in car parks, but only once seen a car that had been broken into whilst we were there and it was just one out of 10 or so cars in the Canche Aux Merciers car park in August - I would say the height of summer (yes I've bouldered in font in august!) was much worse for seeing glass on the floor. (and it was just one out of 10 or so cars in the Canche Aux Merciers car park in June)

Parking at Barbizon is busy at weekends, and well populated during the week and seems quite safe (cafe) and there's enough at aprement to keep you busy for a month, but you will be 15-30min walk from the car. If you are really worried this would be the safest place, and you could park in the village in exchange for a longer walk in.

Trois pignions probably next best if you can get there early especially if you go on a Sat when the shoe man is there if you get a spot near him

Bas Cuvier is busy, but also the easiest smash and grab for a gang due to being on the N6 and lots of non climbers about and the climbs here are polished and dirty in places

at Elephant you can climb insight of the car park if you wish, and seems to have a lot of climbers milling about most of the time and feels pretty safe.

The smaller and more remote parking spots like Canche, 91.2, diplodocus etc. have always seemed fine, but they are of course very secluded and don't see as much traffic. At the really small parking spots I doubt theives really know they're there

The trick of course will be to make it look like you have nothing of value in the van (and/or take the valuable stuff with you)

In reply to Adrien:

Thanks all - helpful

In reply to robbiebrookie:

I stealth camped there for a while in the trois pignion car park and didn't have a problem. Also spent a few nights in a car park up the road towards the nearest town, (i can't remember the name) which had running water from a tap. It was lovely.