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Font without a car

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 Turbo tommy 01 Dec 2014
I'm looking for any and all tips for font without a car. As far as I can see my best bet is:

Fly to gare de Lyon
Train to font station
Somehow get to milly la floret. Bus maybe?
Stay in chalet/hotel/campsite in milly la floret.
Walk to boulders in trois pignon


Any advice? Anything I'm missing. Ideas for getting to milly la floret From font?
 RichardP 01 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

Years ago I did exactly that, but I was arriving very late.
I planned to walk to Milly la floret (and the campsite)
I was turning my torch on as cars passed me
one stopped and gave me a lift
somewhere to crash and dropped me to the campsite for 8am the following morning

I was meeting people who had a minibus so I was ok for transport from the campsite
 EspenK 02 Dec 2014
In reply to RichardP:

I've done similar things a bunch of times, normally I've flown to Paris, either taken a train or hitchhiked to Font and camped out in the forest. Never had any major problems getting lifts. Check Hitchwiki.org for tips on how to get lifts in France, hitching is commonplace enough that people will actually stop and pick you up.
 Bruce Hooker 02 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

It's Milly la Foret btw, because it's in a forest. Apart from that going to Milly is going to a place which is pretty far from Fontainebleau, there are loads of places nearer by which you could walk to. If you get the IGN 1/25000 map you can see them all and how to reach them. If you really must go to the Trois Pignons there is a bus but you have to change several times and the total time given here is 3H07!!!

http://www.itransports.fr/fr

It's quicker to go from Paris to Maisse and then to Milly - total time about 2 hours - when you arrive.

You can see why most people go by car! Public transport is not brilliant in the countryside of France.
 Bruce Hooker 02 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:
PS. Looking at a map it's about 15 kms from the station at Fontainebeau to the Trois Pignons so you could walk it taking in several of the best known outcrops on the way, it's what people use to do.

PPS. I'm pretty sure the campsite near Milly is closed in winter so you'd have to bivvy in the forest out of site of the forest wardens.
Post edited at 13:30
 Doug 02 Dec 2014
In reply to Bruce Hooker:

As Bruce says, if you want to go to Milly catch the train to Maise & walk from there (about 2 hours, mostly off road). But there are other campsites (at least in spring/summer) which are closer to railway stations













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OP Turbo tommy 03 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

Thanks a lot guys. Some really useful info here.

The trip will be in summer. I've done a bit more research, and it basically seems like there *just* enough public transport to make it work, along with some reasonable distance walking.
Ste Brom 03 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

Get to Font station, then get a taxi? I rang ahead.
 marsbar 03 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

The campsite at Grez sur loing is nearish to a train station, you might be able to get a lift from other climbers.
 Bruce Hooker 03 Dec 2014
In reply to marsbar:

It's a nice campsite, near a river and all, but there's not much climbing nearby without a car. Bicycles could have been an option but nowadays I don't know how long they would last without getting pinched, unless you took them from block to block. In the post war period when it was really booming in the forest people went by bike, after taking the train to Fontainebleau or Bois le Roi but that was then, times have changed. Apart from thieving I'm not sure about bikes on trains even?
JMGLondon 03 Dec 2014
In reply to marsbar:

Grez is a faff without a car. I do like the bakery though...

To the OP - you've got enough time to find and join a group with transport.

We now fly down to Orly and hire a car from the airport for next to nothing. Last summer it worked out at £26 each for the week (3 of us).
 Doug 04 Dec 2014
In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Bikes still allowed on RER & local trains, although in theory not during rush hour. I've taken a bike (VTT) a couple of times to get to les Trois Pignons from a nearby station, its quite fun cycling in the forest, although maybe a little awkward with a bouldering pad.
Chris Ellyatt 04 Dec 2014
In reply to Turbo tommy:

I've done this a couple of times now! It is MORE than possible. If you want to ask me any questions, give me a PM and we can have a chat

Chris

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