Circuit of the old railway line in Verneuil-l'Étang

Starting point and access: Verneuil-l’Étang station .
- Transilien – Line P, on the section between Paris-Est and Provins.
Take the only exit, platform 1, for trains travelling from Paris to Provins (if arriving in the opposite direction, use platform 2 and take the footbridge).

Red and white + blue markings

(S/E) On leaving the station, turn right into Rue de la Gare. Cross Rue Pasteur on the left-hand side, then Rue de La Fontaine on the right-hand side.

Red and white markings

(1) At the Stop sign, turn right onto the D99 towards Mormant and Champeaux. Cross the bridge over the railway line. At the next junction, turn left onto the D47 towards Mormant and Champeaux. Pass the recycling centre on your right.

No signposting

(2) When the road bends to the right, turn left onto the track that starts to the right of a ‘No Littering’ sign. Shortly afterwards (with a metal gate opposite), turn right. Follow a grassy path between the embankment of an old railway line on your left and a field on your right. Further on, join the current railway line and walk alongside it on your left-hand side (there is no physical barrier but there is more than enough space). Go round an electricity substation on the right and join the D211.

(3) Turn left, cross the railway line at the level crossing and walk along the road with caution (heavy traffic). After about a hundred metres, turn left onto a path between the fields. At the junction situated on a small “hill” (elevation 103), turn right onto a stony, shaded path and rejoin the embankment of the old railway line you followed earlier.

(4) At the next junction, there are two options:
- if you wish to continue along the old railway embankment and are not put off by paths overgrown with vegetation, go straight on and follow the alternative route described in the practical information.
- otherwise, as shown on the map, turn left onto a grassy path between the fields. Cross a stream and continue straight on, heading due north. Cross the D99 with care and continue along the path opposite.

Blue signposts

(5) At the junction (opposite, a metal post bearing several markers), turn right and stay along the edge of the woodland on your left and the field on your right. Cross a bridge over the old railway embankment and continue between the fields.

(6) Cross a road (the D32), pass a zigzag of small rocks and follow a path towards a woodland. After a stretch along the edge of the woodland, turn right onto the path and walk alongside a field on your left.

(7) You’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the left. At the sign marking the entrance to Argentières, turn left onto Rue des Carrosses (a cul-de-sac) and head gently downhill. At the end of the tarmac, continue along a gravel path and head downhill. At the junction, go straight on, leave the woods and walk alongside fenced meadows on your left.

No signposting

(8) You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the left and cross the Yerres. Walk uphill along the shaded road. At the top of the hill (elevation 103), ignore a gravel path on the right (no. 35) and, immediately afterwards, take a path between two hedges. Pass a metal gate on the right and continue along a shaded path. At the next fork in the road, turn left and enter a woodland. At a fork in the road, take the narrowest path on the left.

Yellow markings (sparse and faded)

(9) You’ll come out onto a path; follow it to the left. Walk alongside a wall on your left, then past fences marking private property. When you reach the first houses, continue along a gravel path. At the roundabout (wooden cross), go straight on along Rue du Pignon Vert. Walk gently downhill, preferably keeping to the right-hand verge, which offers much better visibility further on.

No signposting

(10) Just before a bridge, leave the road and turn right onto a gravel track. Shortly afterwards, turn left and head uphill to reach the platform of the old railway line.

Red and white + green signposting (rare)

Then follow the wide, shaded path to the left.

(11) Cross the Yerres (on the right, a lovely view of Chaumes-en-Brie). Go through a gate, cross the D32 with care, pass through a metal barrier and take a stony path at the edge of the woods. Further on, follow a fence on your right.

Red and White + Green + Blue markings

(5) At the junction you passed on the way out, turn right. Walk alongside a fenced woodland on your right, continue between the fields, then walk alongside a woodland on your left. At the junction at the corner of the woodland (elevation 109), turn left. Go straight on, walking alongside the woodland on your left.

No markings

(12) Return to the tarmac road and take the^second left, passing an EDF substation on your left. Walk past the town hall (on your left) and, at the roundabout immediately ahead, go straight on until you reach the church.

(13) Turn sharply right and cross a small car park. Then turn left onto the Mail du Souvenir. Pass through a bandstand, or go round it on the left or right, and carry on straight ahead.

Red and white + blue markings

At the end, turn left. Cross Rue Jean Jaurès on the left-hand side, then turn right onto Rue de la Gare.

(1) At the junction you passed on the way out, carry on straight ahead towards the clearly visible silos. Ignore the side paths and you will return to Verneuil-l’Étang station (S/E).

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

For motorists: parking is available at the station car park.

The woodland crossed between points (11) and (5) is private property: do not stray from the path. Most of the route is shaded. Some sections may be muddy in wet weather: wear suitable footwear.

In Verneuil-l’Étang:
- Pizzeria opposite the station (S/E).
- Restaurant on Rue de la Gare, about a hundred metres from the station (S/E).
- Bar and tobacconist’s (closed on Sundays) at the junction of Rue de la Gare and Rue Jules Guesde (1).
- Bakery on Rue Arthur Chaussy, at the junction with Rue Jean Jaurès (after (13)).

A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Alternative route:
At point (4), if you wish to continue along the old railway embankment, go straight on. Cross the D99 with care and continue opposite along a wide gravel path. Shortly afterwards, continue along a narrow path surrounded by vegetation. As you approach a bridge, turn left and climb a steep slope. You will come out onto a path; follow it to the right, cross the bridge and rejoin the main route between (5) and (6).

Walk completed by the author on 1 September 2022.

- Sweeping views over the cultivated fields.
- La Grange Saint-Père, a beautiful farmhouse between (5) and (12).
- A lovely view over the River Yerres and Chaumes-en-Brie (11).
- Verneuil-l’Étang Church (13th–18th centuries) (13).