From Étampes to Étréchy through fields, woods and rocks

Starting point and access: Étampes station.
- RER - Line C, on the section between Paris and Étampes.
- TER - Line between Paris-Austerlitz and Orléans.
Take the underground passage and the exit to the car park (north side).

No markings

(S) Just after passing through the gates, climb a flight of steps on the left and continue along an uphill path.

Yellow markings (rare)

You will come to a tarmac path; follow it to the right, slightly uphill. Pass at the foot of the Tour Guinette, ignoring two paths on the left and a staircase on the right.

Red and white markings

(1) At the roundabout, follow Avenue Henri Farman straight ahead. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the side streets, and pass the Vallée Collin bus station. Cross Avenue du 8 Mai 1945 at the traffic lights, turn left towards the Gendarmerie and take Chemin des Sheep Pastures. Walk along a housing estate and cross Rue de la Biche on the left, then Rue de la Sablonnière.

Red and white + yellow markings

(2) At the end of the tarmac road, continue along a path. Pass at the foot of an antenna on the right and descend into a wood. At a fork, keep right and continue downhill. At the bottom, turn right with the path and walk along a road below on the left (the purple line supposed to represent the^GR® on the 1/25000 map is not up to date). Go down the steps on the left, which lead to a roundabout. Go around it on the left and cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. Then turn left and take a tarmac path running parallel to the road.

(3) At the fire hydrant, turn right onto a path that leads into the woods. In a small clearing (elevation 88; metal gate on the right), turn left and follow a path through the woods. At the next junction, go straight ahead. Leave the woods and continue along a grassy path between the fields. Return to the tarmac road and, at the T-junction, turn left.

(4) At the stop sign, turn right onto Rue de la Sente d'Anneau (the purple line on the map is not updated here either). The tarmac quickly gives way to a grassy path. At the end, turn right. At the next junction, first turn left then right to follow Rue Saint-Quentin and walk past the church on your left.

(5) At the war memorial, cross Route de Villeconin and take the slightly uphill Chemin des Poislées. After about 100 metres, leave the road and turn left onto a discreet path that goes around a small pumping station (be careful to spot this turn-off). Wind your way through the undergrowth and pass two old fountains. Return to the road and follow it to the left. You will come to a junction with the D207.

(6) Then take the^first right, a tarmac track that heads east between the fields. At a small metal gate on the right-hand side, continue straight ahead on a dirt track. Ignore a path on the right (elevation 148) and alternate between walking along the edge of the woods and through the woods. Continue along the main path for about 1.7 km, marked with a few signposts, ignoring all paths branching off to the left. At the crossroads at the edge of the woods (elevation 142), go straight ahead (north-east) towards an isolated house.

Yellow + blue markings

(7) At the corner of the white fence of the house and before a farm shed on the right, turn left (let the^GR® continue straight ahead). Follow a farm track north-west and descend slightly. At the edge of a wood, turn right with the track and then left. Walk along the wood on your left and descend more steeply.

No markings
N.B. Between points (8) and (11), the IGN map background seems approximate and the OSM background is more accurate in terms of the layout of the area and my GPS track. The IGN background has been retained for the entire hike, so the route provided here deviates slightly from it.

(8) At the corner of the field on the right-hand side and before the end of the descent, turn right onto a discreet path that crosses a grassy area and enters a wood (be careful to spot this start).

Yellow and green markings + yellow circle

At a three-way junction (forest plots no. 17 and no. 16), turn left and descend. Further down, walk along a field below on the left.

Yellow circle + blue circle markings (rare)

(9) At the crossroads (plot no. 12), continue straight ahead on a path (leaving a small bridge over a stream on your left). Walk along the hillside overlooking a steep-sided valley on your left and mossy sandstone boulders on your right. Ignore a path that descends to the left between plots no. 12 and no. 11, and continue along the pleasant path that winds its way through the boulders.

No markings

(10) Come out onto a sandy path (plot no. 9) and follow it to the right. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path (not shown on the map) that branches off to the left along a fence, keep to the right and follow the widest path uphill. Bend down to pass under a tree across the path (situation in May 2021), climb a short steep slope and come out onto a wide path.

(11) Follow the path to the left and descend. Cross a trail (elevation 102) and continue on the wide path. Shortly before the end of this path, look for an intersection at the foot of a tree marked with a number 7.

Yellow and green markings (rare)

Turn right. You will soon reach a fence and follow it on your left. The path winds through the woods and splits several times: the left-hand path, closest to the fence, is usually the steepest. At the corner of the fence, continue straight ahead. Further on, you will come to another fence on your left and, when it ends, continue straight ahead. At a three-way junction, turn right and you will soon reach the^GR®655.

Red and white + yellow + blue markings

(12) Follow the^GR® to the left. Quickly leave the woods, come out onto a road and follow it to the left. Cross the Allée de l'Hermitage on the left and go straight through a housing estate. At the stop sign, turn right. At the next stop sign, cross Avenue d'Orléans at the pedestrian crossing on the left. Then turn left and take a tarmac path running parallel to the road. At the roundabout, turn slightly right.

No signposts

(13) After about 50 metres, go through a gate on the right and follow a path that runs alongside a stream on the left and allotments on the right. At the entrance to a tunnel under the railway line, take a footbridge to cross the stream. Follow a path and continue on tarmac, passing a school on your left.

Go through a large gate, which leads to a street, and follow it to the right under the railway line (be careful, as the passage is narrow). On the other side, immediately turn left onto Rue Albert Ier. At the end, turn left. Then take the^first right before the tunnel. After about 150 metres, you will find the entrance to Étréchy station on your left (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Étampes (direct access) or Paris (take the underground passage).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Both stations are located on the same section of the same line: park in the car park of one of the two and make a return trip by train. The car park at Étampes station is recommended as it is more spacious (then go to the station entrance gates to start via the small staircase on the right).

Hiking boots are useful in dry weather and essential in wet weather. In summer, bring appropriate sun protection.

There are no water sources along the route.

Gate opening hours (13): 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Detailed map useful (at least the one accompanying this description). To follow the route with the Visorando app, download both the OSM and IGN base maps, given the inaccuracy of the latter between (8) and (11).

Hike completed by the author on 29 May 2021.

- Tour Guinette, between (S) and (1): keep built in the 12th century and the only remaining part of the Château d'Étampes.
- Saint-Quentin Church (5), built between the 11th and 15th centuries.
- Viewpoints stretching between (5) and (8).
- Old fountains, after (5), which were still in use in the mid-20th century.
- Rocky chaos between (9) and (10).