Château de Dourdan walks

A lovely woodland walk with a cultural touch.

Discover Dourdan and its national forest.

A long walk through forests, ponds and the banks of the Orge river, passing through the beautiful villages of Sainte-Mesme and Saint-Martin de Bréthancourt. Includes a visit to Dourdan, which you cross via parks and walking trails along the Orge river or the old fortifications, avoiding the suburbs and their buildings.

A hilly route from station to station, mainly through farmland for the first two-thirds, then through more wooded areas. Beautiful churches and rural heritage can be found in the villages along the way. In Dourdan, the walk along the Orge river, the 12th-13th century church and the fortified castle provide a superb finishing touch.

This marked route follows as closely as possible the path taken by Charles Péguy in 1912 and then 1913 from his home in Lozère (Palaiseau) to Chartres, via Dourdan. The walking route is 94 kilometres long and is marked with blue and white signposts. The trail was created by the Amitié Charles Péguy association. It received support from the Eure-et-Loir General Council. Visorando was responsible for its first publication on the Internet.

This route is the second of four sections of the Charles Péguy Trail: Lozère (Palaiseau) - Chartres via Dourdan. It follows in the footsteps of the poet Charles Péguy, who celebrated his two pilgrimages (made in 1912 and 1913, each lasting four days there and back) in a poem that remains famous to this day. This is the transition stage: from the valleys and rolling hills of Hurepoix to the Beauce plateau.

The Orge river runs through the Essonne department, first from west to east and then diagonally from south-west to north-east. This route follows the valley as closely as possible, where it is accessible by train. The route alternates between paths along the river, including a promenade on the last two stages, passages through woodland, residential areas and urban routes.