Château-Landon, the Loing Canal and the Étangs de Dordives

Park at the Parking du Mail, 8 Rue Hetzel. Right at the entrance to the old town when approaching via the Route de Souppes.

(S/E) From the car park, take the stairs and leave them halfway up to reach the small ‘market hall’-style square. There you will find the yellow markings (or blue ones, according to the latest local council documents). Walk past the Tour Madeleine and the ramparts, then past the Tourist Office, to reach the Place du Marché.

(1) Turn left onto Rue de la Ville Forte and then left again onto Rue Moïse. Continue along Rue Moïse until it turns 90° to the right.

(2) Walk to the end of Rue Moïse. Turn left onto Rue de la Ville Forte, which curves slightly to the left after about 150 metres.

(3) At the right-hand bend, turn left onto Chemin de la Croix du Bourdon. Continue left along the street of the same name for 150 m. At the edge of the woodland, turn right onto the Chemin des Carrières, marked in yellow (or blue), which leads into the woodland. Follow the markings to cross the woodland. On the way out, the path runs alongside the woodland heading north.

(4) Once you’ve left the woodland, turn right. Then follow the road on the left leading to Mocpoix. At the entrance to Mocpoix, about 50 m past the water tower, take the path slightly to the right which runs alongside the gardens of the village houses. At the end of the village, do not go straight on, but stay on the Chemin du Chanoy, which curves slightly to the left and joins the end of a street leading out of the village.

(5) Then turn right onto the path that enters the woodland and heads down towards the canal through the woods (do not take the path that runs alongside the woods). At the bottom of the descent, turn right and follow the canal, which should be on your left.

(6) At the Lorroy Lock, cross the canal bridge over the Fusain. Continue along the canal, pass under the A77 motorway and carry on to the Dordives Bridge.

(7) Go up onto the bridge (D43/D62) and cross over the canal. Then cross the Loing via the road. About a hundred metres further on, turn right towards the former leisure centre. Pass the houseboat on the lawn on your left and walk alongside the lake. At the junction south of the^first lake, follow the path on the right heading south. The end of the path joins the road used by lorries serving the sandpit. Carry on straight ahead until you reach the Stop sign.

(8) At the Stop sign, turn right.

(9) Cross the River Loing (Moulin de Nancay on your left) and then the canal again. Then turn right and walk alongside the canal for about 500 m.

(10) Turn left and follow the GR®13. At the entrance to Toury, leave the GR®13, which turns left, and turn right, then immediately left into the next street. Cross through Toury via Rue du Vieux Toury. On leaving the village, continue straight ahead on the D32 until you cross over the motorway.

(11) Just after the motorway, turn right onto the old Roman road. 150 m further on, turn left onto the^first track, towards Heurtebise. Enter the hamlet, where you’ll rejoin the GR®13, which comes in from the right via a footpath. Continue straight on along the small road that crosses the village and then the forest. Then leave the GR®13, which heads off to the left, and carry on along the road until you reach the junction with the D43. Turn left onto the D43 and, after about 100 m, turn right onto the first track which bends right in front of a house and runs alongside a copse on the left. Pass a branch of the Fusain river and then the Pontfrault bridge.

(12) At the end of the bridge, turn left onto Rue de Pont Franc (GR®13). Continue and, 250 m further on, leave the^GR®13 and turn left onto Chemin des Martins, which runs alongside the Fusain. Yellow or blue signposts.
At the right-hand bend, about 200 m before the street joins Rue de Saint-Séverin, take the path on the left and cross the^first branch of the Fusain. Turn right and follow the river. When you reach the departmental road, turn right to cross the^first branch of the Fusain, then leave the road after 30 m by turning left before crossing the^second branch of the Fusain.

(13) At the Lavoir and Moulin de Beaupoivre, follow the Fusain along the Sentier des Amoureux.

(14) At the large municipal washhouse, continue along the path beside the Fusain and enter the Parc de la Tabarderie. Make a U-turn to the left to see the Tabarderie and return to the Pont de César.

(15) Do not cross the bridge; instead, turn left (south) onto the path that runs alongside the river. Cross the small bridges over the tributaries of the Fusain and reach the end of the park. Take the bridge on the right and head up through the meadows towards the foot of the town. Join the Chemin de la Haie de Banse and turn right onto it above the meadows. Head up the^{first street} on the left, the Rue du Bas de St André.

At the junction, turn right onto Rue Charles de Gaulle and continue to No. 37, where you’ll see the Tour Saint-André on your right, on private property. Continue along Rue Charles de Gaulle for about 15 metres, then turn left onto Rue Saint-André. At the end, turn right. Cross the next junction and continue via Place Saint-André. At the end, turn left onto Boulevard Carnot, then right onto Rue Grande and continue to the end of the street.

(17) At the Porche de la Monnaie, turn left onto Rue du Porche, then take the^first right onto Rue de France. Just before the end of the street, turn right onto Rue Thiers and then left onto Rue Jean Galand. Continue to number 29.

(18) Walk back a few steps and turn right onto Rue de Nemours, then walk round the Church of Notre-Dame (side entrance). Continue round the church via the passageway leading to Place du Général Leclerc, then turn right towards Rue Jean Galand; take this street on the left until you reach Place du Marché.

(19) Turn left onto Ruelle de Nemours. At the end, turn right and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

(1) From the square, there is a beautiful view over the valley and part of the old town.
(2) On the left, look out for the Northern Poterne, which leads down to the valley to the north of the town; then, as soon as you’ve turned left into Rue de la Ville Forte, you’ll find the Southern Poterne on your right, leading down into the Fusain valley. You can descend a few steps to enjoy the view over the valley.
From there, you can see the Saint-Thugal Tower on private property. It is the remains of a basilica dedicated to Saint Tugdual, founder of the monastery of Tréguier in the Côtes d’Armor.
(3) On your right is Saint-Severin Abbey, built in honour of Clovis’s healer. You are permitted to enter via the ‘visitors’ entrance’ to view the abbey and the view over the valley. However, please avoid walking around the rest of the grounds.
(6) After the lock, take a look at the Néronville Canal Bridge, which allows the Loing Canal to pass over the River Fusain. (Once on the bridge, you can no longer see its interesting architecture).
(11) Chemin de César. This path is the ancient Roman road from Orléans to Sens. Now a footpath once more, much of it still exists, though it is sometimes covered by a road or the motorway. It was used by the troops of the great Julius Caesar.
(12) Pontfrault Bridge and the ruins of Pontfrault Abbey.
A beautiful view of the town, Saint-Severin Abbey and the Saint-Tugdal Tower – Beaupoivre washhouse and mill.
(14) Large municipal washhouse. On the left, behind the other branch of the Fusain, the Tabarderie. Formerly a textile factory.
(15) Caesar’s Bridge.
(16) St André Tower at 37 Rue Général de Gaulle. It can be accessed discreetly via a private property.
(17) The Porche de la Monnaie (former currency exchange office).
(18) At 29 Rue Jean Galland: the Maison de la Pierre (this museum provides access to the Hôtel Dieu, one of the last hospices for pilgrims in France, though it is rarely open). Notre-Dame Church with a side entrance, Rue de Nemours.