From Coulommiers to Mouroux via the village of Aulnoy

Starting point and access: Coulommiers station.
- Transilien - Line P, terminus of a section from Paris-Est.
Take the only exit, Place du 8 mai 1945.

Red and white + yellow signposts

(S) When you leave the station, cross the car park and take Rue de la Gare opposite. At the end, go around the roundabout on the right, cross Rue Marcel Clavier and follow it to the right on the left-hand pavement. At No. 18, take a footbridge on the left over a branch of the Grand Morin and enter the Parc des Capucins. Immediately after the gate, turn right onto a path. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead. At the foot of an old church (Musée des Capucins), turn left and follow a lake on your right. Ignore a bridge on your right, continue straight ahead and, at the end of the lane, leave the park on your right.

(1) Follow a gravel path lined with trees. At the end, cross a paved road, continue straight ahead, pass a playground on your right and take the bridge over the Grand Morin. On the other side, cross a street at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left. Turn right immediately and walk up to the church.

(2) At the T-junction, turn right onto Avenue de Rebais (school). After about 40 metres, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue in the same direction. At number 6, climb the steps on the left. At the top, continue along a path that turns right. At the end of the path, ignore a street on the left and continue straight ahead on a footpath. Turn left with the footpath and go uphill. Then turn right and continue on the flat, shaded footpath with garden fences on the right.

(3) Come out onto Rue Verte and follow it to the left, climbing slightly. At the end, turn right twice to take Rue des Ouches.

Yellow markings

(4) At the next crossroads, turn left (let the^GR®11continue straight ahead). Climb steadily and continue straight ahead, taking Rue de la Thibaude, Rue Édouard Branly and Avenue Joffre in succession. Pass at the foot of the monumental water tower and arrive at a roundabout.

No signposts

Go around the roundabout on the left and take Avenue Foch opposite. This will take you to the former Templar Commandery of Coulommiers.

(5) Continue straight ahead and follow the sports fields on your left. Just after a no stopping sign on the right, turn right onto a wide grassy path and follow the fence of a nursing home on your left. Continue between a field on your left and a fence on your right, then between two fields.

Yellow markings

(6) Cross a road at the exit of La Bauderie and follow a dead-end road closed to traffic (except for residents) which further on becomes closed to all vehicles except agricultural machinery. Go downhill, cross a stream and go back uphill. Leave the old Charnoy farmhouse on your left and continue on the small road with the bell tower of the church of Aulnoy clearly visible. Take the^first left, Rue de l'Église, and enter Aulnoy. Look for the discreet entrance to the cemetery on your right.

(7) If you wish, enter the cemetery to enjoy a lovely view of the church, which has only a choir and a bell tower. Retrace your steps.

(7) Continue through the village, ignoring a street that descends to the left, pass a bus stop and continue straight ahead on the road. At the "give way" sign, take the^first path on the left, pass a small parking area on the right and descend. Cross a small river on a footbridge and reach the edge of the communal pond of Aulnoy.

(8) Turn left, follow the pond on your right and go about halfway around it. Then take a passage through a hedge (paper basket, sign) and follow a short stony track on the right. Cross the D402 (be very careful, busy road) and continue opposite on a small road to enter Chafoulé. After a beautiful house on the left, enjoy a shaded passage.

(9) Just at the end of the shaded area, take a grassy path on the right and walk between two fields. At the corner of the field on the left, turn left (no arrow or sign here) and walk along a row of poplar trees some distance away on your right. At the end of the row, ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead towards a farm shed. At the corner of the shed, turn left and walk along the beautiful Grange Justin farmhouse on your right.

(10) At the corner of the wall, take a farm track on the right. Pass the buildings and continue straight ahead (south-southwest) along the track between the fields. Shortly after a hunting tower, you will reach a T-junction (elevation 143). Turn left (southeast) onto a grassy path. At the end (elevation 145), follow a track to the right and walk along the wall of a property on your left.

No signposts

(11) At the corner of the wall, continue straight ahead on flat ground (leave the marked^{PR® trail} down to your left). Follow the farm buildings on your left and ignore all the paths on your left. At an intersection (elevation 146), go straight ahead, where the track has given way to a grassy path.

(12) At the next crossroads, turn left and follow a hedge on your right. In a left-hand bend, take the^second path on the right and descend gently. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, slightly to the right, onto Rue Michelet. Soon the tarmac gives way to a track. Descend between houses and gardens.

(13) At the bottom, cross the D934 at the pedestrian crossing on the left. On the other side, turn right and immediately left onto Rue du Champ Joli. Ignore a road on the right and enter the hamlet of Coubertin. Cross the Grand Morin in two stages.

(14) At the end of the bridge, turn right twice to take a gravel track, Chemin de la Radine. Follow this track for a long time between fields, meadows and garden fences. You will come out onto a road (metal bridge on the right).

Red and yellow markings

(15) Follow the road to the left, preferably on the right-hand side. When the road turns left, take a path on the right. Immediately ignore a path on the left and go up into the woods.

Red and white markings

At the top (railway bridge opposite), turn left, go through a forest gate and keep parallel to the railway line below on the right. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead on a gravel track between houses and gardens. At the stop sign, turn right and immediately head for Mouroux station (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line P, towards Paris-Est or Coulommiers (single track, single platform).

Train timetables: check the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Both stations are on the same section of the same line: park at one of the two stations and take the train to the other station. The car park at Mouroux station is recommended as it is easier to access.

Hiking boots are recommended. In summer, bring sunscreen suitable for your skin type.

Drinking water is available in the Aulnoy cemetery (7), immediately on the right after the entrance. Shops in Coulommiers. The Aulnoy communal lake (8) is a good place to stop for a break.

In the Parc des Capucins, between (S) and (1), as well as between (10) and (11) (private property), dogs must be kept on a leash.

Access conditions and opening hours:
Parc des Capucins
Free admission every day.
- Opening hours: 8:00 a.m.
- Closing times: November to February, 6pm; March-April and September-October, 7pm; May to August, 9pm.
Commanderie des Templiers de Coulommiers (5)
April to October only. Admission fee (€3 or €4 per person depending on the rate).
- Wednesdays and Fridays: 2pm-5pm.
- Saturdays and Sundays: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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

Hike completed by the author on 9 July 2022.

- Church of Coulommiers (early 20th century) (2).
- Former Commandery of the Knights Templar in Coulommiers (12th-15th centuries).
- Aulnoy Church (13th-16th century) (7).
- Beautiful farmhouses: Le Charnoy (shortly before (7)) and La Grange Justin (10).
- Some beautiful residences.