Loop east of Provins via Sourdun and the Château de l'Ormurion

Starting point and access: Provins station.
- Transilien - Terminus of one of the sections of line P, departing from Paris-Est.
Take the only exit, platform 1, on the left in the direction of travel.

Yellow + blue + green markings

(S/E) When you leave the station, go around the bus station on the right and cross Avenue Jean Jaurès at the pedestrian crossing. Follow the avenue to the right and, at the stop sign, turn left to cross the Fausse Rivière (that's its name). At the end of the bridge, turn right, go through a metal barrier and follow a shaded, paved path. Go through a second metal barrier, cross Rue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrane and continue on the path opposite. Join a street and follow it straight ahead.

Yellow + blue signposts

(1) At the traffic lights, turn right onto Avenue de la Libération, cross the Fausse Rivière again and continue straight ahead. At the next traffic lights, cross the road, take the D236 and enter Saint-Brice. Stay on the left-hand pavement and, after about 200 m, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left on the right-hand pavement.

(2) At the next intersection, turn right towards Les Éparmailles and follow the Clinique de Saint-Brice on your left. Follow a small road with little traffic, ignore a path on the right and climb gently.

Yellow signposting

(3) At the end of a slight left turn and before a right turn, leave the road and take a path on the right. Descend gently, join a railway line and follow it briefly on your right.

(4) At a three-way junction, turn right and cross the railway line (the line appears to be disused, but it is still advisable to look both ways before crossing). Then cross a river.

(5) Cross the D74 and continue straight ahead on a grassy path. Follow a fenced-in meadow on your right and pass under an electricity pylon. Climb steadily with the meadow on your right and a wood and then a field on your left.

(6) Turn left onto the path (the path shown on the IGN map that leads to the D619 seems to have disappeared). Walk east between the fields, ignore a path on the right and stay parallel to a power line.

(7) At a crossroads (signpost), turn right, heading south, with the bell tower of Sourdun church in front of you. At the next crossroads (elevation 145), continue straight ahead on a track.

(8) You will come out onto the D78 and follow it to the right to enter Sourdun. Continue straight ahead until you reach a traffic light. Cross the D619 and continue on the D78 towards the church. Pass the car park at Place de l'Église and go past the entrance to the church.

Yellow + blue signs

(9) At the corner, turn left onto Rue de l'Église, then take^{the first} right onto Ruelle Absolue (that's its name). At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue Creuse (signposted further on). Cross Rue du Puits Renard on the right, then a lane on the left. You will soon come to a three-way junction.

Yellow signposting

(10) Then turn left. Cross Rue de Paris (D619) at the traffic lights and continue straight ahead into Rue des Dames.

Yellow + blue signposting

(11) At the stop sign, turn right onto Rue de l'Ormurion. Cross Rue de Mauperthuis on the left and follow the wall of the Château de l'Ormurion park on your left. At the corner (first turret), follow a gravel track to the left. Note the view of the castle on your left and pass under a second turret.

No signposts

(12) At the next corner of the wall, continue straight ahead on the track (ignore the arrows pointing to a grassy path on the left). At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead on the gravel track. After an old football pitch (which appears to have been unused for some time), the track gives way to a grassy path. Descend gently towards the Sourdun National Forest.

(13) At the edge of the forest (fences designed to prevent wild boars from entering the fields), take a sharp left turn. Walk west between the fields and ignore a path on the left (elevation 139). This will bring you to a crossroads with two paved roads.

Yellow + blue markings

(14) Follow the road downhill to the right. When it turns right, turn left onto a paved path between two metal fences and continue downhill. You will come to a road; follow it to the left for about 100 metres.

(15) Then turn right at a sharp angle onto Chemin du Moulin Rouge. Follow this small road slightly downhill.

(16) Cross the Voulzie, turn left and go up a paved road. Cross the railway line again (same recommendation as above) and continue on a stony path. Go up along a fence on the right-hand side. At the end of the fence, go straight ahead and continue climbing between the fields.

(17) At the crossroads at the top of the hill, turn left.

Blue signpost

(18) At the next crossroads (hangar on the right), turn left and descend gently. At a fork not shown on the map, keep right and enter a wood.

(19) At a three-way junction not shown on the map, turn right. Head west or west-northwest, alternating between paths in the woods and paths along the edge of the woods.

(20) Turn sharply right onto the main road (ignore a vague path that continues straight ahead). Ignore a path on the left and follow a fenced building on your right. Continue along a small road, pass under a power line and note the Collégiale Saint-Quiriace and the Tour César de Provins in the distance on your left. Turn left with the road (elevation 136) and descend.

Yellow + blue signposts

(3) Continue downhill on the road you took on the way there and join the Clinique de Saint-Brice.

(2) Follow the D236 as it continues and cross it shortly afterwards to follow it on the right-hand pavement. At the traffic lights, go straight ahead towards the centre of Provins.

Yellow + Blue + Green signposts

(1) At the next traffic lights, turn left onto Boulevard du Général Plessier, taking a path on the left-hand side. Continue straight ahead on the path when the boulevard turns right. Cross Rue du Colonel Arnaud Beltrane again and continue on the path opposite. At the end of the road, first turn left then right to cross the Fausse Rivière one last time and you will find Provins station on your left (S/E).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists, there are two parking options:
- Provins station car park (S/E).
- Sourdun church car park: start the hike at (9) and, when you reach (3), take the path on the left at the sharp angle to reach Sourdun. This option is recommended as the route between (S/E) and (3) is of little interest. Allow around 14 km for this shortened version.

Hiking boots are recommended.

Bars, restaurants and shops in the centre of Provins but not near the station... Bakery in Sourdun (9).

For the most part, the route follows sections of two^PR® trails designed and marked by the Seine-et-Marne departmental committee of the French Hiking Federation (FFR). Signposting is rare in the areas between the fields due to a lack of support. A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 15 August 2023.

- Extensive panoramic views from the cultivated plateau.
- Views of Provins, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Quiriace and the César Tower, between (6) and (7) (turning around), between (13) and (14) and between (20) and (3).
- Sourdun Church (12th-13th centuries) (9).
- Château de l'Ormurion (17th century) between (11) and (12).

The town of Provins, whose medieval walls are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well worth a visit, for example by following the Medieval Walk in Provins.