It took a bit of organisation to meet up within striking distance of the Channel Tunnel and reduce car numbers… but we did that.
Some took coffee while others arranged Green Cards for driving insurance… just in case of a Hard Brexit… delayed again so no worries. However, Dan identified lots of potential wisdom and laughter by watching those who turned up late, argue their point that it was the Chunnel fault… the old “I’m late because of you “ ploy… Staff noticeably pretended to be French to avoid the hassle… Good to know.
A busy drive to the campsite… Musardiere near Milly-la-Foret, 4 hours from Calais with traffic on the Paris ring road and then a sociable evening at a restaurant in Milly… Where we agreed to set a target of 500 routes logged on the trip.
Day 1 and an early start after a chilly (sub-zero) night… and first venue was Justice De Chambregeon. 5 minutes to drive in and a slightly longer walk to locate the crag. A good introduction and a good start to the trip… no polish or people so felt ‘out there’ in a yellow/easy way… A short drive to Apremont and an even shorter walk in to Butte aux Dammes for the afternoon routes… just to get the numbers up. All good. A really successful start and everyone got at least 50 routes in for the day. Pizza was popular.
Day 2 and a trip to Roches des Potets. Dan took an early rest as he was carrying a few injuries from the previous day. Jim became even more popular as he was carrying all the painkillers. Dan washed some down with a beer at 10:00am… We stayed here most of the day and then finished up at Roche aux Sabots, on the way back to the car just so Jim could get his tally up to 100. More pizza and merchandising.
Day 3 and Chatillon gave us another short walk… Keith took an early fall and became photographer. Some crimpy slabs were popular then Andrew ploughed on through a series of highball climbs whilst the rest of us just looked on (or looked away). Some prehistoric caves and Andrew again failed to explain clearly what Geocaching is… The afternoon took us back to Apremont (Envers) to finish on another very accessible, near the car, circuit.
Three really good days and the sunny weather helped, though the nights were cold. The guidebooks (and map) were invaluable for identifying venues to match our wants and for getting us started but the routes are generally easy to follow once there. We all enjoyed staying as one group and this made it easy to climb or stand back and rest when required. Venues offered a range of grades so visiting an area as one group wasn’t a problem. A few falls but the mats work and lots of spotters are useful. Future trips may consider carrying more painkillers… Over 600 routes completed and we really only scratched the surface so expect return trips here. Plenty to go at for all grade climbers and nice hill walks in the woods for those who prefer to stretch their legs. Hope you enjoy the photos!
