On my previous trips to Fontainbleu I have camped. This can be done for free,or there are good organised campsites. Staying in a Gite (small rented house)is another possibility.
Camping
There are two free bivouacs or camping sites (tents only). The one nearBarbizon / Bas Cuvier, Bas Breau, only has a cold water tap. The one nearBourron-Marlotte also has a toilet (without water). These sites are freelyaccessible throughout the year - also to thieves, so beware!There are two 'proper' campsites in the area. The site near Milly-la-Foretis open from 15 February to 15 December. Near Samoreau is a municipal camping which is open from 1 March till 31 October. I plan to stay at the Milly site. Don't yet know if it's necessary to book, or whether we can just turn up and pay.
Gites and Hotels
In Moret, just east of Fontainebleau, is a Formule 1 Hotel. The hotel is 24hrs a day open if you're able to pay with a creditcard. Otherwise you willhave to check in before 21.00 hrs. The price for a 3 persons room withoutbreakfast is FFÊ139.Gites de France have web sites www.gites-de-france.fr,www.gites-de-france-essonne.com andwww.itea.fr/GDF/77/F. The lastone is Seine-et-Marne area and covers most of the forest and Fontainbleau itself.
Info about other Gites in La Genevraye, Seine-et-Marne can be found here ... 1, 2, 3.
How to Get There
The cheapest travel in 2002 was with
In comparison, Euro Tunnelcosts £237.00 and other ferry companies were in excess of £300.00
Fontainbleu bouldering
A very comprehensive webpage describing bouldering at Fontainbleu can be found at www.bleau.direttissima.com. This contains over 600 pages, including topos, but tends to focus on really hard problems (7a and harder). More realistic routes (or circuits) are described at here.Thanks to Mike Turner for telling me about this link.If you're interested in going to Fontainbleu contact me, preferably by email, or phone 01473 832152.
Simon
