From Étréchy to Dourdan through the fields and woods of Hurepoix

Starting point and access: Étréchy station.
- RER - Line C, on the section between Paris and Saint-Martin-d'Étampes.
Take the Place de la Gare exit, on the side of track 2 (direction Saint-Martin-d'Étampes to Paris). If arriving in the opposite direction, track 1, take the underground passage.

Blue markings

(S) With your back to the station, go opposite into Rue du Chemin de Fer, leaving the conservatory on your left (note the sculptures in the courtyard). Take the first left, Grande Rue, then the first right, Rue de l'Amandier.

No markings

(1) Turn left, cross Place Charles de Gaulle (bandstand) alongside the town hall and then the church of Étréchy. At the end of the square, first turn right then left onto Place de la Ramée (old water pump) and follow Rue Fontaine. At the end, turn left. After a few metres, turn right, passing a wash house on your left, then cross Rue Claude Debussy on your right.

(2) At the next intersection, turn right onto Allée des Digitales, which quickly becomes a narrow path between two fences. Ignore two perpendicular paths, one on the left and one on the right, and cross a small lawn diagonally to the left. Ignore the perpendicular paths again. At a fork, go left, passing a playground on your right, then a small building. Walk past a clothes drying rack on your right and continue a few metres along a narrow path. At the foot of an electricity pole, take a path on the left. Continue along a gravel lane (Allée des Jonquilles).
N.B. If you wish to avoid this maze of paths in a residential area, simply continue along Rue du Moulin à Vent, which curves to the right and joins the next point.

(3) Return to Rue du Moulin à Vent and follow it to the right (it then becomes Rue Salvador Allende). At the end, cross Rue du Roussay, pass through a forest gate and follow a grassy path along a fence on your left. At the corner of the fence, continue straight ahead, slightly uphill, between woods, hedges and meadows. Ignore a wide path leading off to the left and come out onto a small road.

Yellow markings

(4) Follow the road to the left as it continues and keep climbing (be careful, narrow shoulder). Enter Vaucelas, passing a large farmhouse on your right. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead towards the Ferme du Touchet (ignore a yellow arrow indicating a left turn; two^{PR® trails} intersect here). Note the wash house on your left and continue a few metres along the road.

(5) At the corner of No. 8, leave the road and turn right onto a grassy path that runs between the fields. Pass under a medium-voltage power line and then walk along an "ordinary" power line. When the power line becomes underground, continue straight ahead. When a path comes in from the left (elevation 153), turn right. You will come to a road; follow it to the right.

(6) At the fork, turn left onto the D207 towards Villeconin. Go downhill (caution: narrow shoulder) and ignore the first path on the left. About a hundred metres further on, when the road turns sharply to the right, leave it and continue along the path on the left. Continue downhill with the woods on your left.

Yellow + red and white markings

(7) At the end of the path, follow a small road on the right with the^GR®11. Then take the first left, the Route de Villeneuve (dead end), which climbs steeply.

Yellow markings

(8) At the top (beautiful gate on the left), continue straight ahead (leaving the^GR® trail on your right). At the next crossroads (pond on the left), take the grassy path between the fields opposite (west). Further on, ignore a path on the left. Then turn left onto the path.

(9) After about 200m (no arrow or marker here), turn right and descend towards the edge of a wood. Walk along the Bois du Buis on your right (marker post) then enter the wood. Descend, stay on the main path which winds, and ignore a few paths branching off to the sides. On leaving the wood, continue in the same direction and downhill.

(10) Continue along a tarmac lane, walk alongside a small pétanque court and you will briefly see red and white markings again. At the end of the lane, first turn left then right to follow Rue des Cadottes (do not follow the^GR®). Turn left with the street and walk alongside a small water treatment plant on your right.

Yellow + red and white markings

(11) At the T-junction, turn right onto a road and then immediately left onto a path. Follow the^GR®111Cbetween the fields, passing a copse on your right and then another on your left. After passing the Bois des Sablons on your right, cross a small road and continue along the path opposite. At the junction immediately ahead, continue straight ahead along the edge of the woods on your left.

Red and white markings

(12) At the corner of the woods, continue straight ahead with the^GR® (ignore the yellow markings to the left). Climb a short steep slope and descend on the other side of the hill. Walk south-west between fields bordered by woods. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead. The path curves to the right and leads to a small road (beautiful oak tree).

(13) Follow the road to the left. Climb steadily until you reach La Forêt-le-Roi (be careful, the roadside is narrow as you approach the village). At the crossroads, turn right onto the D836 towards Dourdan. After a few metres, at a fork, turn left. When you reach Place de l'Église, turn right and walk alongside the church on your right.

Red and white + yellow markings

(14) At the corner of the church, turn left onto Rue du Pont de l'Aridaine. After a few metres, turn right onto Ruelle du Four à Bau, a gravel path that winds its way between the gardens (the purple line on the 1:25,000 map is approximate here). At the end, go through a gate and follow the street to the right. At the next crossroads, turn left onto Rue des Gascons. Ignore a lane on the right, continue straight ahead along a path and pass under a high-voltage power line. Descend into a wood and you will come to an intersection.

Red and yellow markings

(15) Continue straight ahead on a field path and follow the^GRP® du Hurepoix towards Les Granges-le-Roi (leaving the^GR® on your left). Then turn left onto the Sente des Parfonds and enter a wood. Climb gently up this good path through the undergrowth. When you reach the edge of the field on your left, note the old marl quarries on your right (sign). Continue climbing. When you leave the wood, turn right and stay on the edge of the wood on your right.

(16) At the T-junction, follow Chemin de la Sablonnière to the right. After about 200 metres, at another T-junction, turn left. Head north-north-west with the bell tower of the church of Granges-le-Roi in your sights. When a path comes in from the right (elevation 157), turn left (north-west). The path gives way to tarmac. Walk alongside a rugby stadium on your right and, at the next junction, take Rue Sauvage opposite. At the end, turn right. Then take the first left and walk past the foot of Saint-Léonard Church.

(17) Continue straight on Rue de l'Air towards Dourdan. At the T-junction, turn right and note the old lime and tile kiln on the left. At the T-junction, follow Rue des Grands Fossés to the left. At the end, at a fork (not shown on the map), turn right onto Chemin des Granges-le-Roi in Dourdan. Enter the Bois de la Butte aux Moines and begin a steep descent.

(18) At the bottom, at a crossroads, make a right-left zigzag to follow the Ancien Chemin d'Orléans in Dourdan. Turn left at the edge of a field and, at the corner of the field, continue straight ahead. Walk through the woods, winding your way along and alternating between short ascents and descents. At an intersection (after hill 123), ignore an orange arrow for horse riders pointing to the left and continue straight ahead.

(19) At the T-junction, turn left. At the fork about 50 metres further on, turn right and cross a stream (wet crossing). Continue along a good sandy path under pine trees. At an intersection at the edge of a field, turn right. Ignore any side paths and continue uphill. Pass two houses on your right and continue along a track. Cross a small road and continue along the path opposite with a fence on your left. You will come to a road; follow it to the right.

(20) At the stop sign, cross the D116 at the pedestrian crossing and continue opposite on Rue de l'Ouÿe. At the end, cross Rue Balzac and take a pedestrian lane alongside a bar-tobacconist on your left. Go down a ramp and continue on Allée Troungoumbe. At the crossroads (wooden cross), continue straight ahead and cross Place Bad Wiessee. Go down a few steps, pass under a porch and cross the Orge river on a footbridge.

No signposts

(21) Turn left immediately, leave a car park on your right, take a paved path, Promenade R. Veneau, and walk along the river on your left (note the old wash houses on the opposite bank). Cross the Orge, come out onto a street, follow it to the right and cross the river again. Cross Rue du Moulin du Roy on the left and, at the next crossroads, take the second left, Rue de la Geôle. When this turns left, climb the steps opposite. At the top, turn right onto Rue des Fossés du Château, a cobbled lane running alongside the castle moat. At the end, turn left, walk past the foot of the church and you will arrive at the castle entrance (large hall on the right).

(22) Continue straight ahead, then turn left onto Rue de Chartres and walk along the castle on your left. At the corner of the castle, continue straight ahead, pass the war memorial and ignore the side roads. At the crossroads, go straight ahead onto Rue du Faubourg de Chartres. At the stop sign, take the second right towards the station and you will soon reach it (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Dourdan-la-Forêt (direct access) or Juvisy and Paris (take the underground passage).
- TER - Line towards Tours (direct access) or Paris-Austerlitz (use the underground passage).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
The two stations are located on different sections of line C. There are two options:
- With at least two vehicles: leave one vehicle in the car park at each station.
- With only one vehicle: take the train one way or both ways, changing at Brétigny.

Hiking boots are required.

No water sources identified along the route. Bars, restaurants and shops between the station (S) and the church (1) in Étréchy, as well as in Dourdan between (21) and (E). Market on Saturday mornings in Dourdan around the château (22) and the Halle.

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

Hike completed by the author on 24 March 2018.

From Étréchy (S) to Venant (11):
- Sant-Étienne Church (12th-13th century), in Étréchy (1).

From Venant to the D116 road (20):
- Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Blaise Church (12th-16th century), in La Forêt-le-Roi (14).
- Former marl quarries between (15) and (16).
- Saint-Léonard Church (12th-17th centuries) in Les Granges-le-Roi (17), whose massive, towering bell tower is visible from afar.
- Old lime and tile kiln, shortly after (17).

In Dourdan, from (20) to (E):
- Promenade R. Veneau along the Orge (21).
- Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois Church (12th-13th century), in Dourdan, near the castle (22). Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Dourdan Castle (12th-13th century) (22). Open Wednesday to Sunday and every public holiday, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00.