Maisse walks

In the south of the Essonne department, this station-to-station hike alternates between forest paths, quiet country lanes and paths through the fields. Along the way, there is a wealth of heritage to discover: a mill, churches, a castle and a Neolithic grinding stone.

A hike from station to station in the Essonne Valley. After climbing up through the Bois de Saint-Médard and crossing a cultivated plateau, you pass through the charming hamlets of Courdimanche. You walk alongside the river several times, cross a small island, and the Marais de Jarcy may be of interest to nature lovers. Several churches and a few wash houses are also along the way.

A hike from Gironville-sur-Essonne station to Boigneville station via Malesherbes, following the Essonne river on a route with very little elevation gain. Malesherbes is located on the border of Seine-et-Marne and is crossed by the Essonne river. On the agenda: castle, wash house, river, narrow streets, ponds and mills, passing through the pretty villages of Buno-Bonnevaux and Rouville, following the GR®1.

A hike from station to station with a significant forest component. In addition to a viewpoint, Rocher Bizet offers views of its plateau landscapes, with heathland, ponds and outcropping rocks.

This is an easy walk, meandering along the Essonne and the watercress beds, then the Pasloup marshes.

Through the valleys and hillsides of the Gatinais and across several beautiful villages, this hike takes you to two beautiful Romanesque churches and one of the best-preserved fortified castles in the Île-de-France region.

A short walk along forest tracks.

A hike starting from Boigneville station, on the border between Loiret and Île-de-France. A route that crosses the Gatinais Regional Nature Park, passing through Malesherbes, in the heart of the Upper Essonne Valley, with pretty footbridges. A short stop at the13th-century Church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption with its crypt.

A hike that alternates between villages rich in heritage (old market hall, churches, wash houses, castle) and a trail through the Forêt des Trois Pignons dotted with sandstone rocks.

The route is mainly through forest, with a few small sandstone rocks in places, starting from the centre of Milly-la-Forêt with its rich heritage (church, wash houses, castle).

This is the twenty-eighth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, connecting Milly-la-Forêt to the Ballancourt-sur-Essonne train station after crossing the French Gâtinais region. It is designed to follow on fromthe previous stage coming from Fontainebleau, after a night's stay there.This stage begins in the École valley, which boasts a rich heritage: Milly-la-Forêt, Moigny-sur-École, Courances and its château, and Dannemois, dear to Claude François. It continues through the fields of the Gâtinais, then the ridges and sandstone plateaus of the Grands Avaux forest, ending at Ballancourt-sur-Essonne in the valley of the same name.The stage is very beautiful but very long, and undoubtedly the most physically demanding of all those on the GR®11, especially in its second part. However, it is possible to split it in two by staying overnight and/or shorten it in several places by simplifying it.

A short hike that alternates between forest and fields, with a pleasant route on a plateau. You can see a Neolithic polishing stone and an old sandstone quarry.

An original way to get to the Château de Courances: on foot! This short hike goes around the outside of the park, with the first half rich in heritage (churches, mill, wash house, etc.) and the second half more bucolic, ending on an educational trail dedicated to fruit trees.

Follow paths and small roads from D'Huison-Longeville to La Ferté-Alais, meandering along the water’s edge, through villages and across the hillsides of La Ferté-Alais, passing the educational farm. You pass through D'Huison, Cerny, La Ferté-Alais and Guigneville.

This route, in the heart of Gatinais Park, will allow you to discover the village with its restored wash house, 12th-century church and forest paths.

This is a short 6.5km route combining two of the four routes suggested on the Huison-Longueville municipal website.

This hike, which is not particularly difficult, takes place mainly in the woods, which is very pleasant in summer.

This route goes around the Coquibus Massif, in a little-known and little-used area that is generally shaded. There are some beautiful views of the Courance Plain to the north and the forest to the south. The Vanne Aqueduct and the Cent Marches are the main points of interest.

A short hike between Puiselet-le-Marais and Bouville through woods and fields. Superb views of the South Essonne countryside.

This mountain bike ride takes you through part of the Gâtinais region, with oak and pine forests to the north and rolling farmland typical of the Beauce region to the south. You will pass through several villages typical of the region and follow the Essonne valley, which is fairly unobtrusive but whose hillsides will give your calves a good workout.

In addition to fields and woods, this hike passes through three villages: Dannemois, where Claude François had his second home (Le Moulin), Courances and its château, and Moigny-sur-École.

Thirtieth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, linking La Ferté-Alais, in the Essonne valley, to Étréchy, in the Juine valley, through the western part of the Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park. It consists of continuing the crossing of the Essonne, between agricultural landscapes, small forest ranges and more imposing valleys. A relatively short stage without any major difficulties, before the next two, which will be a little longer.

A varied walk, from station to station. After the footpaths and the church at Cerny, the route becomes predominantly woodland. It winds through the Bois Charron and climbs up the hill of La Roche Cornue, dotted with boulders. After a pleasant walk through the Bois de Miséry, you return to the Essonne valley and its villages.

This hike is certainly the most "aquatic" of those that can be undertaken along the Essonne. Indeed, numerous ponds punctuate the route: ponds for fishing or other forms of leisure; ponds and marshes that make up a protected natural area, a source of biodiversity and a place to observe wildlife.

From the Essonne Valley to the Juine Valley through woods and fields, passing by the Pierre Levée in Janville-sur-Juine and the Chamarande viewpoint. A route almost entirely on paths with beautiful views in the Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park.

This route between fields and woods will take you through the village of Villeneuve-sur-Auvers and lead you to a beautiful plateau in the commune of Boissy-le-Cuté.

Around Malesherbes, a 29 km route along paths and lanes. Numerous small ponds dot the route.

A circular loop through the fields and woodlands between Champcueil, Soisy-sur-École and Nainville-les-Roches, following part of the GR®11 trail. It nevertheless includes some beautiful terrain, such as the Grand Tertre and the Crête des Rochers du Duc in the Grands Avaux forest, offering stunning views of the surrounding area and even as far as Paris on a clear day.

A loop that starts with a steep climb between the rocks, then alternates between forest and plateau sections and shorter sections between fields. After a stretch along the edge of the woods, the hike ends on the wide grassy bank of the underground aqueduct of La Vanne and Le Loing.

A mainly forest hike during which, in an atmosphere reminiscent of the nearby Fontainebleau Forest, you pass two small peaks (the mounds) and wander through the chaos of sandstone blocks of the Rocher du Duc.