From Malesherbes to Maisse via the Menhir de la Pierre Droite

Starting point and access: Malesherbes station.
- RER - Line D, terminus of the section between Paris and Malesherbes.
Take the only exit, on the left in the direction of the train coming from Paris.

No markings
The purple line on the IGN map no longer corresponds to a marked trail, but there are traces of some old markers that have since been whitewashed.

(S/E) With your back to the station, turn left and, at the roundabout, turn right onto Avenue du Général Leclerc, towards the town centre (sign). Follow this avenue to the end and, before it joins the D2152 road, turn left into Rue de Boigneville. Take the first right, Rue des Collèges. Just after Collège Gutenberg (on the left), turn right onto Rue de la Pilonne, a path that goes downhill (chicane, wall on the right). Ignore the streets on the right and, at the stop sign, continue straight ahead. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Place Martroy, then turn slightly right onto Rue de Soisy (pharmacy).

Red and white markings
There are also a few yellow markings, but they are very irregular: stick to the red and white markings of^{the GR®®655}.

(1) At the fork, take the Rue de la Martillière on the left uphill. At the next fork, take the Chemin de Rouville (dead end) on the right. Pass a chicane and descend along a property wall on the right. At the bottom of the descent, turn left and pass at the foot of some boulders. After a few dozen metres, cross a wide path (bench on the left) and continue straight ahead on the^GR®® uphill, in the undergrowth with a wall on the right-hand side.

(2) After two metal posts, ignore a path on the left (not shown on the map), turn right and continue along the wall on your right. At the edge of the woods, continue straight ahead with a field on your left and the wall still on your right. At the end of the field, go downhill to reach the Château de Rouville (cross on the left, chapel on the right).

(3) Continue downhill on Chemin de Rouville (signposted). At the bottom of the descent, ignore the path that branches off to the right and cross the hamlet of Rouville. Just before No. 33 (white gate), turn right onto Chemin de Rouville à Nanteau (chicane). Follow a grassy path with fields and meadows on your right. At the edge of the meadow, leave the^GR®® for a moment and follow a faint grassy path on the right that leads to a footbridge over the Essonne (clearly visible; this small detour is suggested solely for the tranquillity of the area).

Red and white + yellow markings

(4) Retrace your steps, follow the^GR®® again on the right (north) and enter the undergrowth (in April 2016, there was a tree across the path, which could easily be bypassed on the right). Walk for about 1.5 km in the undergrowth, heading generally north-west. Stay on the main path, ignoring all the side paths. Note several "Private Property" or "No Entry" signs: these warnings only apply to the interior of the woods; passage along the path is duly authorised.

(5) Just after two wooden posts framing the path, you will come to a wide path. Follow it to the right. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead. You will rejoin the tarmac road and cross the hamlet of Touvaux (old well on the right-hand side).

(6) Join a road coming from the left and follow it to the right (marker post). Descend slightly and continue on the road with boulders on the left and a poplar grove on the right. Return to the banks of the Essonne at the entrance to Argeville.

(7) Opposite the entrance to the château (square dovecote, red gate), turn right and follow the street between two property walls. After leaving the village, turn onto the first small road on the right, at the corner of a large pine forest. Walk along a pond on the left at a distance, then cross the first branch of the Essonne. Cross a second branch at the old Moulin Paillard mill.

Red and white markings

(8) At the T-junction, leave the^PR®® on your right and follow the road to the left. Walk at the foot of a wooded slope with numerous small rocks (on your right), then head north between two marshy woods of poplars and birches.

(9) Before a right-hand bend in the road, leave it and take a sandy path on the left that is closed to motorised vehicles (sign) towards Buno-Bonnevaux (signpost). At the three-way junction that follows (not shown on the map, private ponds opposite), turn right. Ignore a grassy path on the left and stay on the pleasant sandy path through the woods. At the next junction, continue straight ahead and walk along a fenced pond on your right. At the junction at the end of the pond, continue straight ahead, walking along the grounds of a castle on your right and then pastureland with horses.

(10) At the crossroads (house opposite), follow the wide path on the left. At the fork immediately ahead, turn right and cross a path just after no. 11. Come out onto a road and follow it to the left. At the next crossroads, leave the road and turn right onto a path, leaving the municipal notice board on your left. Go through a forest gate and continue along a path. Pass a small house on your right, then an EDF transformer on your left.

(11) Return to a road and follow it to the right. Enter Buno-Bonnevaux and continue to the church. Leave the marked trail for a moment and climb the stairs on the right to go around the church on the left to its chevet, where there is a Neolithic polisher.

(12) Turn left into Rue de la Brosse. At the crossroads, turn right towards Milly-la-Forêt (sign). At the next fork, turn right into Rue de la Fontaine. At the stop sign, turn right onto Rue des Sablons. At the crossroads, turn left and go up Rue de Milly. Pass a 50km/h speed limit sign (first seen from behind).

(13) A few metres further on, leave the road and turn left onto a path that is closed to 4x4s and motorbikes (sign). Go up under the pine forest. At the top of the hill, pass a gate on your right and follow a fence on your right. At the end, continue straight ahead on a grassy path and continue eastwards on the road. Pass a "risk of black ice" sign on your right, then its twin on your left (first seen from behind).

(14) Shortly after the second sign, leave the road and turn left onto a path between the fields. Cross the D1 road (take care) and climb up opposite between the fields. After passing a long stretch of woodland, the path becomes grassy. At the top of the hill, note the water tower clearly visible in the distance and, closer by, further to the right and smaller, the La Pierre Droite menhir in the middle of the field. Continue north and arrive at the menhir (see the section "During the hike").

(15) Continue north, ignoring a path on the left, a crossroads and another path on the left. Reach the corner of a wood (marker post) and stay on the edge of the wood on your left. When the woods extend to the right, enter the woods and follow the path that winds through them. At a three-way junction (marker post), turn left. At the next crossroads, take the path furthest to the right (the one furthest to the left is blocked by wire). Descend into a sunken path in the undergrowth.

Red and white + orange markings

(16) Cross a wide path (^GRP®® du Hurepoix), continue straight ahead and descend steeply.

Red and white + orange + yellow markings

At a three-way junction (not shown on the IGN map), turn left. You will come out onto the D837 road. Cross it at the pedestrian crossing slightly to the left (traffic lights).

Yellow markings

Leave the^GR®® and continue along Rue de Malabry, then turn left to follow the D837 on the right-hand pavement. After about 400m, turn right to reach Maisse station (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line D, towards Malesherbes (direct access) or Corbeil and Paris (take the underground passage).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.
N.B. Although the town is located in the Loiret department, the Pass Navigo Ile-de-France is valid as far as Malesherbes station.

For motorists:
The two stations are located on the same section of the same line: leave a vehicle in the car park of one of the two stations and make a return trip by train. It is also possible to organise two vehicles, one at each station.

Hiking boots are required. In wet weather, several sandy paths are likely to be in good condition, but others in the undergrowth or between fields may be muddy.

No water sources have been identified along the route.
Near Malhesherbes station: bar, bakery (closed on Sundays).
Near Maisse station: bar-restaurant.

Although the route is marked almost from start to finish, a 1:25,000 map is useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Alternative route:
It is possible to shorten the hike at Buno-Bonnevaux by going to Buno-Gironville station (RER line D). After the church in Buno-Bonnevaux (12), follow the route as described and, at the fork, do not follow Rue de la Fontaine but turn left towards the station (sign). Ignore Rue des Sablons coming from the right and, at the next fork, continue along Rue Jean-Claude Brege (left-hand lane). Ignore two streets on the right, cross the D1 road and you will find the station on the left. This shortened version is approximately 11.5 km long.

Hike completed by the author on 14 April 2016.

- Château de Rouville (15th-19th century) (3), in Malesherbes. Open from 1 April to 30 September, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00.
- Château d'Argeville (16th century) (8) with its square dovecote.
- Saint-Léger Church (12th-13th century) in Buno-Bonnevaux (12).
- Neolithic polisher at the foot of the bell tower of the church in Buno-Bonnevaux (12).
- Menhir known as La Pierre Droite (15). The menhir is in the middle of a field, less than a hundred metres from the path, with a track leading to it (not shown on the map or the background map). However, this path is very narrow and not suitable for large groups. At certain times of the year, the vegetation may even make it impossible to access. In any case, please respect the crops and do not damage them in order to get a closer look at the menhir.

Watch a beautiful video of the hike with some very interesting historical information. This video was made by daubram05: thank you to him!