La Forêt-le-Roi circular

Departure from Square Pierre Aubergé (car park with around 20 spaces), on the edge of Rue du Château, near the church in La Forêt-le-Roi. Access via the D836, which connects Dourdan and Étampes.

Red and white + red and yellow markings

(S/E) Leave the car park towards the church and turn right into Rue du Château. Turn left at Place de l'Église and walk along the church on your right.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Pont de l'Aridaine. After a few metres, turn right onto Ruelle du Four à Bau (the map is approximate here). The alley quickly becomes a path between gardens. At the end, go through a gate and follow the street to the right.

(2) At the next crossroads, turn sharply left onto Rue des Gassons. At the end of the street, ignore a lane on the right, continue straight ahead along a path and pass under a high-voltage power line. Descend steeply into a wood and you will come to a crossroads.

Red and yellow markings (signposts at main intersections)

(3) Continue straight ahead and follow the^GRP® du Hurepoix on a path through fields (ignore the^GR®111Con the left). Turn left onto Sente des Parfonds and enter the woods. Climb gently on this good path through the undergrowth. At the edge of the field on your left, leave the path momentarily and follow a track on the right (sign) to see some old marl quarries. Retrace your steps and rejoin the path with the field on your left. Enter the woods again. At the edge of the woods, turn right and stay on the edge of the woods on your right.

No markings (signposts at main intersections)

(4) At a T-junction, turn left (south-west) onto Chemin de la Sablonnière (let the^GRP® continue to the right). At the next junction (elevation 154, no signposting), turn left towards the tip of a wood. Go around the wood on the right, following Chemin des Maisons Rouges. At a fence, turn right, still following the edge of the wood.

(5) Shortly before the end of the field on the right, turn left onto Chemin de Bréthencourt and re-enter the woods. Ignore a vague path on the left and descend slightly into the undergrowth. At the bottom, turn left onto Vieux Chemin de Paris and stay on the edge of the woods on your left. At the corner of the woods, continue straight ahead (east-southeast) between the fields.

Red and white markings

(6) At the crossroads, take the first path on the right at an acute angle and follow the^GR®111Cagain, which leaves between the fields towards Richarville. Walk briefly along the Bois de Bistère on your right and climb uphill. Almost at the top of the hill, turn right onto the path. Further on, walk alongside a copse then turn left between the fields. Walk along the right-hand side of a protruding point of the woods and continue between the fields towards an isolated tree on the right.

(7) At the crossroads immediately after the isolated tree (marker post), continue straight ahead. After about 100 metres, the path turns right and descends gently towards the Bois de Bistère. At the corner of the woods (marker post), turn left and stay between the fields for about 100 metres. Then walk for about 600 metres along the edge of the Bois de Montbardon on your right, ignoring the paths on your left.

(8) At the corner of the woods, turn left between the fields (ignore the arrow that seems to invite you to turn right, which is intended for hikers coming in the opposite direction). At the end of the path, follow a small road on the left. At the crossroads after the sheds on the left, turn right into the street. At the corner of No. 10, turn left into an alleyway that quickly becomes a path between gardens. At the end, cross the street and take Rue des Écoles, slightly to the left. Pass a forest gate and continue along a wide path until you reach a road at the corner of the town hall.

Red and white + yellow markings

(9) Turn right onto the road (D113). At the crossroads at the foot of the water tower, turn left towards Richarville church and the pond opposite. Retrace your steps along the D113 towards Plessis-Saint-Benoist.

Yellow markings (rare)

(9) Continue along the road, leaving the town hall on your left. At the fork, follow the D113 to the right and leave Richarville. In a right-hand bend, take a smaller road on the left. Follow this road for about 1 km and look for two isolated trees in the middle of the fields on the left.

(10) About 100 metres before a wood on the left-hand side (no arrow or marker here), leave the road and turn left onto a field path that heads north towards the two isolated trees (which, seen from here, appear to be one). Just before the trees (elevation 152), turn right, heading east. At the next fork, ignore the path that branches off to the right towards the woods (not shown on the map) and turn left.

(11) At the signpost, ignore the path not shown on the map that branches off to the right (southeast) and continue east-northeast towards La Forêt-le-Roi. At the T-junction, turn right. At the junction less than 100 metres further on (elevation 146, signpost), take a sharp left onto a path that climbs up to the edge of the woods on your right. Continue along the edge of the woods on your left. At the top of the hill, continue north-east between the fields towards the village of La Forêt-le-Roi and its prominent church tower.

(12) You will come to a small road. Follow it to the right and pass under a high-voltage power line. Ignore a path coming from the left (metal cross) and enter the village. At the next crossroads, continue straight on along Rue du Parc. Walk along the wall on your left, then the castle fence, and note the remarkable oak tree. At the crossroads after the football stadium (calvary), turn left, still following the fence. At the next fork, turn left and walk alongside a pond on your right. At the end, let the road turn left, go through a barrier and continue, leaving a playground on your left, to return to the car park (S/E).

Hiking boots are recommended. This hike is best undertaken in dry conditions (avoid the day after rain) as the grassy paths become very wet in wet conditions.

Part of this hike takes place in cultivated plains: in summer, avoid the hottest days and times of day and bring appropriate sun protection. During the season, from September to February, the area is shared with hunters (I have not found any information on hunting days, so you may want to check with the town hall).

There are no water sources or shops along the route. There is a shelter at Richarville Town Hall (9). You can stop at the pond opposite Richarville Church, shortly after the first crossing (9), or at the pond in La Forêt-le-Roi, just before returning to the starting point.

Hike completed by the author on 8 May 2017.

The hike includes unmarked sections and, on the marked sections, the markings may be missing due to a lack of support. Therefore, a 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass may be useful...

Variations:
- Alternative starting point - It is possible to start at Richarville church, but parking options are more limited (either in the small car park opposite the church entrance or in the adjacent street). Head towards the water tower, leaving the church on your left. At the stop sign, turn right onto the D113 towards Plessis-Saint-Benoist and continue to the town hall. Then follow the route from the second passage at the point (9).
- Shortened version - At the crossroads (3), you can follow the^GR®111C(red and white markings) on the left and go directly to the crossroads (6). This is about 2km shorter.

- Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Blaise Church (12th-16th century), in La Forêt-le-Roi shortly after (S/E).
- Old marl quarries between (3) and (4).
- Saint-Lubin Church, in Richarville shortly after the first pass at the point (9).