UKC

Hi,

Is there anywhere around font you can park up for the night with a campervan? Are the carparks in the forest patrolled at night?

Any advice appreciated!

Tom

Anybody?!!

In reply to tnj: Hey Tom, I stayed in my van for a whole week before and spoke to many people doing the same. No-one seemed to mind as long as you stay pretty self contained and are able to drivew away without altering the vehicle/moving ramps etc.I'm off there tomorrow in the van again and don't plan to go to a campsite. Isatis carpark usually has others camping in and I stayed in the carparks at 95.2 (La croix St Jerome?)and the one by Diplodocus and had no troubles.

You may already know but if you get a forest map, the small blue circles denote drinking water taps located around the forest.

Hope this helps.

I'm in a red T4 if you're about this next few weeks.

Phil.

In reply to LP:

What Phil said, you can park anywhere, and the carpark at Trois Pignons has taps, and its far enough from the road not to be bothered by other traffic.

In reply to tnj: Highly recommend the carpark in Babizon centre opposite the toilets. Walk to the bakery in the morning, super safe and two minutes drive to Apremont, five minutes drive to Bas Cuvier etc. I just spent a week there trouble free. Beautiful village too.

Thanks for your advice guys!

We spent the last two nights in the carpark at Isatis. On the Sunday we found a flyer telling us camping in the forest is forbidden and recommending three legal bivouac sites. We were going to check one of them out tonight, but if the one at Barbizon is just across the road fronm the bakery that might be too much temptation!

Apparently there are legal sites next to the forestry maisons at Solle, Bourron marlotte and Bois-le-Roi.

I will keep a look out for your van Phil. It is raining at the moment!

Après nous le déluge!

My advice is don’t do it! Give the councils of Barbizon and Milly no more arguments to exclude areas.
The discussion is only increasing by the so-called wild camping (in the urban/public area) in the parking lots by would-be air bags, sorry, dirt bags. The huge mess they leave will ruin it in that way for others.

Happy climbing /r

In reply to RR: Sorry, but I think that's bollocks. The vast majority of climbers leave no trace when they camp up for the night in vans. Personally I gave Isatis, Cuvier etc a wide berth, simply because they are frequently visited by dodgy characters from Font itself, who seem happy to leave crap (literally sometimes), johnnies and litter everywhere. Maybe more a case of the locals crapping on their own doorstep?

I think I stayed at the Bourron Marlotte one, numerous years ago.

Rather nice spot, with enough flat place to set up tents, some tables and water tap. Only thing missing was a loo.

In reply to mark catcher:


Don’t take it personal. Indeed some of those van/camper people are amazing in leaving no trace on the parking areas. But I am referring to the minority (of all nationalities by the way). For me it is more or less disturbing to see a guy poring off his potatoes in the morning en plein publique or fertilizing the soil. I am not too much urological or endocrine interested in the morning or even during the day.

But beside that robbery is a problem that is becoming much more serious.
Mes alors: des alpinistes sont habitués à prendre des risques, n’est pas?
The flics are now also checking the parking areas at night.

Take and be safe. Have fun out there.
/r

In reply to tnj:

Hi All,

I have stayed overnight at apremont a few times back in May without any problems. But I did park in Barbizon and got a notice about no motor home parking over night (I was there with family for a drink only about 1 1/2 hr).

Something I found later, after staying wild, was that Milley has an Aire (campingcar / motorhome / selfcontained van what ever you want to call yours) that is set up specifcally for this type of use. (they have them all over france and range from from free to a few € a night. They do provide some amenities such as water, disposal points and some have electric (extra charge) toilets and the likes.

The ones I have stayed on have been very good but you do need a porta potty to make the best of them.

Milley is a great little village with a nice boulongere, market on sunday and all the different shops you could need, dont know if you can get chalk there.

If the councils are trying to crack down do the decent thing and stay in the cheap alternatives provided. (p.s you pay per vehicle not person so is way cheaper than a campsite.

Cheers

Tony

In reply to tnj:
Hi, you will find a lot of informations here.
http://latribunelibredebleau.blogspot.fr/p/hebergement-autour-de-fontainebl...
Sorry it's in french...
Please, respect this place, don't do fire and takes your garbages with you.
thanks,
Have a nice trip in Font !