From Maisse to La Ferté-Alais via Ile Ambart

Starting point and access: Maisse station.
- RER - Line D, on the section between Paris and Malesherbes.
Take the Rue de Milly exit at the end of the platform, at the front of the train when arriving from Paris to Malesherbes, at the rear of the train when arriving in the opposite direction.

Blue markings

(S) At the end of the pedestrian crossing, turn right (cross the railway line at the level crossing if you have arrived on track 1). Follow Avenue du Général de Gaulle, preferably on the left-hand pavement. Ignore the^first street on the left towards the agricultural cooperative.

(1) After about 100 metres, turn left onto a wide gravel path. Pass a concrete silo on your left and, just before a metal silo, turn right onto a wide grassy path lined with trees. Walk along a reed bed on your left. At the end of the path, turn right onto a track that soon becomes a narrow lane.

Blue + Red and Yellow markings

(2) At the "give way" sign, turn left and rejoin Avenue du Général de Gaulle. Cross two branches of the Essonne river in succession. At a fork, follow the D837 (Grand' Rue) to the left towards Étampes (preferably stay on the left-hand pavement).

Blue markings

At the next intersection, continue straight ahead until you reach the church (let the^{GRP® trail} go left onto Rue de la République). Then move onto the right-hand pavement (pedestrian crossing), cross Route de La Ferté-Alais and continue towards Étampes. Go up and walk along the cemetery wall on your right.

(3) Just after the cemetery, leave the road and turn right onto a path that is closed to motorcycles, which is initially gravel and then grassy. At the fork less than a hundred metres further on, follow the path on the right that climbs the most.

N.B. For the end of this paragraph, the route on the map is approximate as there are so many paths.
Enter a wood and ignore a vague path on the right. At the first fork, turn right and, at the second fork very close by, turn left. Wind your way through the wood dotted with small rocks and follow the markings carefully. At the next crossroads, turn left and leave an old small sandstone quarry on your right.

(4) At the next crossroads (rock with a marker in the centre), continue straight ahead (west) on a wide track that soon curves to the right and leads to the edge of the fields. Leave the track as it turns left (west) and continue north on a path that quickly becomes grassy. At a fork located shortly after three bollards on the right-hand side, take the left-hand path: the two paths rejoin further on, but the left-hand one is clearer.

(5) After the junction of the two previous paths, turn left (look for a blue arrow on a post on the right-hand side). Follow a grassy path to the west at the edge of the woods (on your right). At the end, the path enters the woods and curves to the right as it descends. At the crossroads at the bottom, continue straight ahead along a grassy path and follow a hedge on your right. A few hundred metres further on, the path becomes framed by two hedges and leads to a crossroads of farm tracks.

(6) Turn right (signpost on the left-hand side of the previous path) and follow the track north for about 500 metres.

(7) At the next junction, turn right (east). Be careful, there are no signposts here. Descend gently towards the Essonne valley, which is clearly visible, with a wood on your right beyond a cultivated field. Descend more steeply, walk alongside a wood on your left and then finish on a slight downhill slope.

(8) Cross the D449 road and continue opposite on Rue du Château Vert. At the stop sign, turn left onto Rue de la Chartrie and, at the next junction, turn right onto Rue du Moulin Neuf. At the corner of the last house on the left (green gate), take the path on the left. When this gravel path turns left, continue straight ahead on a grassy path that starts along a hedge on your left. Head north along the edge of the fields and rejoin the tarmac road.

(9) At the next junction, turn right into Rue du Montceau and cross the hamlet. At the end (EDF power station), turn left. At the T-junction, turn right into Rue du Clos Saint-Gervais and you will reach the town hall of Courdimanche-sur-Essonne (car park, hiking map).

(10) Pass the town hall and, at the three-way junction immediately after (rural community centre with trompe-l'oeil), turn right onto Rue de la Verderie. At the next three-way junction (beautiful lime tree in the centre), turn right onto Rue de l'Éclose (dead end). At the end of the tarmac road (EDF power station on the right), turn right onto a gravel path. Just after an information sign, take a footbridge on the left and step onto the small Île Ambart.

(11) Take a second footbridge to cross to the right bank of the Essonne and immediately turn left, then right into the woods. Ignore a grassy path on the left, exit the woods and continue to the railway line. At the T-junction, turn left onto a path and follow the railway line on your right (a wide embankment separates the two). About 300 metres after passing under a road bridge, the path turns left and moves away from the railway line. Immediately on the left, look for a sign for "Marais Communal de Jarcy".

No markings

(12) Take the path that starts in the undergrowth to the left of the sign. This path, stabilised by wood chips, leads with a few bends to a marsh observation platform (information panel). Retrace your steps.

Blue markings

(12) Continue left (north-northwest) on the wide path, with the woods on your left and hedges or gardens on your right. At the T-junction, leave the blue markings for a moment and go a few metres to the left until you reach the footbridge over the Essonne (wash house on the left). Return to the junction and continue straight ahead (east-northeast) towards the level crossing. Immediately after crossing the railway tracks, turn left onto Rue du Moulin (old well on the left). At the next roundabout, turn right onto the same street.

(13) At the stop sign, turn left and follow the main street (Rue de Milly) to the fork where you will find the Boutigny-sur-Essonne war memorial. Take the street on the left and follow the red and white^GR®1markings (in addition to the blue markings) to the roundabout at the station.

(14) At the roundabout (station and car park on the left), continue straight ahead into Rue des Cordeliers, passing the post office on your left and the church on your right. At the T-junction, turn left. Just after crossing the railway tracks at the level crossing, turn right onto the tarmac "pedestrians only" path (let the^GR®1continue straight ahead). Walk along the railway track on your right and ignore a small tunnel on your right.

(15) At the end of the tarmac road (water treatment plant on your left), continue along a wide path, pass under a portico, enter the undergrowth, move away from the railway line and rejoin the right bank of the Essonne (on your left). Stay on the main path and ignore any vague paths branching off to the sides. Return to the railway line on your right and continue north-northeast. After a second archway, turn right, cross the level crossing and follow Rue de l'Abreuvoir.

(16) Cross the D105 road (signposted Boutigny-Sur-Essonne exit) and take Chemin du Fond Pollon opposite. Ignore the first private road on the right and, when the gravel road turns right into private property, continue straight ahead on a grassy path and walk on a slight incline towards a wood. Then climb gently along the edge of the woods on your right. After about 600 metres, enter the woods and, at the T-junction, turn right. At the next junction with a path (not marked on the IGN map, "Chasse gardée" sign on the right-hand side), continue straight ahead to reach the top of the hill at the edge of the fields.

Blue + yellow markings

(17) Turn left at an acute angle. Walk along the edge of the woods, first on the left, then on the right and then on the left again. Ignore a private path on the right and, at the next fork, take the right-hand path, still along the edge of the woods. Then enter the woods and reach a fork (marker post on the right-hand side).

Yellow markings

(18) At the fork, take the path on the right (north-west; leave the blue markings, which you have been following faithfully until now, on your left). Descend steeply along a stony path. At the edge of the woods, the path becomes grassy. Leave the fenced-off reservoirs on your left and continue between the fields with the bell tower of La Ferté-Alais church clearly visible.

(19) At the end of the path (cross), follow the small road to the left towards the Chapelle de Guigneville, whose bell tower is visible. At No. 6 (left side of the road; signpost on the right), turn right onto a field path leading towards some buildings. At the end of the path, cross the road and follow it downhill to the left. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, enter La Ferté-Alais and walk on the left-hand pavement (Gendarmerie). At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead on the D831 "Toutes directions" (all directions). Walk along the left-hand side of the railway line below.

Yellow + red and white markings

(20) At the crossroads (traffic lights), take the tarmac road opposite, with the railway line still below on your left. After about 200m, take the footbridge on the left which leads to the platforms of La Ferté-Alais station (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line D, towards Malesherbes (track 1) or Juvisy and Paris (track 2).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists: the Maisse and La Ferté-Alais stations (as well as the Boutigny station) have large car parks. The Maisse car park is located on the platform side in the Paris-Malherbes direction (follow the route as indicated from (S). The La Ferté-Alais car park is located on the platform side in the Malesherbes-Paris direction.

Hiking boots are required. The route follows several paved sections and the paths are generally in good condition. The access path to the Marais de Jarcy (12) may be wet.

Resources along the route:
- In Maisse: hotel-restaurant near the station, shops on the Grand'Rue.
- In Boutigny-sur-Essonne: shops and bar-restaurant around the station roundabout.
- In La Ferté-Alais: bars, restaurants and shops in the town centre (the station is located on the north-eastern outskirts of the town).
- No water sources identified.

Variations:
As this hike passes through Boutigny station, it is possible to do only about half of it:
- From Maisse station to Boutigny station: 10.4 km (approx. 3 hours).
- From Boutigny station to La Ferté-Alais station: 8.7 km (approx. 2 hours 45 mins).

Warning:
Between points (16) and (18), you may hear heavy shooting from the Cerisaille clay pigeon shooting range (marked on the IGN map). Do not be alarmed, even outside hunting season (the shots are not aimed at the paths). Where possible, for the peace and quiet of all, avoid the days and times when the clay pigeon shooting range is in operation:
- monday: 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
- wednesday: 2pm-7pm
- saturday and public holidays: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
- sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m
I visited on a Saturday morning: the noise pollution was more noticeable than any other nuisance. At the very least, during the above times, this area is not conducive to a long stop.

Blue markings are clearly visible at important locations. However, due to a lack of support, they are rare or absent on the cultivated plateau between (6) and (8). A 1:25,000 map is still necessary (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 2 July 2016.

In Maisse:
- Wash house (2).
- Saint-Médard Church (12th-15th century).
- Sandstone rocks in the Bois de Saint-Médard, between (3) and (4).

In Courdimanche-sur-Essonne:
- Saint-Gervais Church (12th-18th centuries).
- Pretty houses.
- Ile Ambart (11) on the Essonne.

In Boutigny-sur-Essonne:
- Jarcy Marshes (sensitive natural area) (12).
- Washing place between (12) and (13).
- Saint-Barthélémy Church in Boutigny-sur-Essone (14).

In La Ferté-Alais (off the route):
- Notre-Dame Church (11th-13th century).

To see the diversity of the landscapes and learn some fascinating historical information, watch the video made by hiker daubram05 (thank you!).