From Thomery to Fontaine-le-Port via the Tour Denecourt and the Rocher de Samois

Starting point and access: Thomery railway station.
- Transilien – Line R, on the section between Paris-Lyon and Montargis.
Take the Rue de la Gare exit on the side of platform 1, which is the platform for trains travelling from Paris to Montargis (if arriving from the opposite direction, on platform 2, take the underpass).

Green and white signposting

(S) Follow the small road opposite the station exit. At the roundabout, turn left, cross the D301 and then take the^first road on the left, the Route de la Petite Haie.

(1) At the crossroads of the same name, take the^third path on the right, the Route de la Butte Montceau, which starts between woodland plots nos. 20 and 19. Carry on straight ahead and cross two perpendicular paths. After crossing the Route du Prince, the path gives way to a track that climbs, gently at first and then more steeply. At the top, at a junction, carry straight on – still on the Route de la Butte Montceau – and head back down. At the bottom, you’ll cross the Route de la Fauvette. Then cross a tarmac road (take care). Cross the Route du Grand Jarrier and you’ll immediately reach another junction.

(2) Then turn right onto the Chemin de Saint-Aubin. At the next junction, go straight on. Cross the D138 (a busy road) and continue along the path slightly to the left. Ignore a turn-off on the left and you’ll reach a T-junction (plot no. 4).

(3) Turn left onto the Route tournante du Bois Gautier. Carry straight on, ignoring the turn-offs on the left, and look out for the Seine below on the right, visible through the branches. Cross the Route du Bél Ébat on the left-hand side and, at the Fork in the road that follows, keep to the right (the left-hand branch is a detour in wet weather). You’ll come to a clear viewpoint over the Seine and the bell tower of Samoreau church on the opposite bank. Between 100 and 200 metres further on, you’ll reach a Fork in the road.

(4) Turn sharply left here and head slightly uphill. Walk alongside a relatively young reforested area on your right. At a T-junction, turn left and, at the next junction, continue straight on (south-west).

No signposting

(5) Before reaching a road, turn right onto a barely marked path (take care to spot this turn-off, which is further on than shown on the IGN map). Pass the base of a three-trunked oak on the left-hand side and head downhill. Ignore a vague path on the right and leave an old tree stump on your right. Ignore another path on the right, head downhill and emerge onto the D138 road.

(6) Follow the road to the right and pass the “Le Prieuré” bus stop. At the end, go round the roundabout on the right, cross the D210, pass by a metal cross and turn right uphill onto a cobbled path. Walk alongside the wall of a property on your right, then go straight on between two metal fences (building on the left-hand side). Continue through the woodland. At a fork in the road, turn left and, at the next junction, go straight on. Cross the D137 at the entrance to Avon and pass under the railway bridge. As you emerge from the tunnel, turn right and you will immediately reach a junction.

Red and white markings

(7) Follow the^GR®®1Estraight ahead. Stay on the main, signposted path and ignore any side tracks. At the Bois de la Madeleine junction, take the^third right onto Route Bezout. At the Katherine Mansfield junction, go straight on, still following Route Bezout, which becomes a path through the ferns and soon climbs up beneath the pine trees.

Red and White + Blue + Yellow Markings

(8) At a flat stretch, veer left. Wind your way beneath the pine trees and through ferns and heather. Further on, head downhill, cross a track (Route Remard on the map) and climb back up opposite towards the Denecourt Tower. You’ll come out onto a tarmac road (with no traffic) and follow it to the right to reach a viewing platform at the foot of the tower (note a flight of steps leading down to the right, to be taken later).

(9) Head left to the steps leading up to the Denecourt Tower and climb them for a sweeping view. Retrace your steps back to the top of the steps you spotted earlier.

(9) Go down the staircase and follow the^GR®®1Eand the blue trail no. 14 (marked as no. 13 on the 1:25,000 map).

Yellow markings

(10) At the bottom of the staircase, at a three-way junction in the path, follow path no. 13 to the right (ignore path no. 14 and the^GR®® which head off to the left). Wind your way between the trees and small rocks. At another three-way junction, turn right (ignore a mountain bike arrow pointing to the left). Wind your way downwards.

Blue and yellow markings

(11) Cross a wide track (Route du Rocher Cassepot on the map) and continue straight ahead onto a path. Climb upwards, winding your way up with two sharper bends, one to the right then one to the left (follow the markings carefully). Pass a remarkable beech tree on your left, marked with a Blue Circle, and continue straight on along the path.

From here, any attempt at a description is tricky, as the path zigzags between the trees and small rocks. Follow the markings closely; they are plentiful in this section. In total, cross three larger tracks before coming out onto the D138.

(12) Cross the D138 (a very busy road) and take the path opposite. The path winds its way along flat, more open terrain than before; follow the signposts carefully. In total, you’ll cross three larger tracks before reaching a T-junction near a railway line.

(13) Then turn left onto the Route du Cèpe and pass under the railway bridge. On the other side, turn diagonally right onto a path that starts at the foot of a beech tree marked no. 362 (still the Blue Trail no. 13). Winding through the forest, cross in turn a footpath, a dirt track and a stabilised track (double dashes on the 1:25,000 map). Continue along the footpath and keep to the right at a slight Fork in the road. At a T-junction, turn left and you will immediately come to a crossroads with three old sandstone boundary stones (including boundary stone no. 882).

No signposting

(14) Turn left here and pass by the foot of an oak tree bearing marker No. 362.

Blue markings

At marker No. 881, the path turns right. Pass marker No. 880, and you will immediately reach a three-way junction; continue straight on. At the following three-way junction, turn left.

Blue and yellow markings

At the next junction, turn sharply right, leaving the former Samois waterworks building on your left. After about 250 m (sooner than the blue route on the 1:25,000 map would suggest), turn left and climb a sandy path interspersed with a few wooden steps (take care to spot this turn-off). Pass at the foot of a rock that resembles a cup-and-ball game. First turn right then left to follow a path leading towards the clearly visible Samois Tower.

(15) Walk past the base of the tower, keeping it on your right, and head back down. After a few dozen metres, turn right (be careful to spot this turn-off). Walk alongside the fence of a pumping station on your right. Cross a track and continue straight ahead on the path. Pass by the base of a boulder bearing a plaque in honour of René Maus and look out for two or three isolated red and white markings (?). Turn left, then right. At the T-junction that appears immediately, turn left and walk alongside a fence on your right. At the junction at the corner of the fence, carry on straight ahead.

No markings

(16) At the next junction, turn right and leave the Blue path. At the end, by a tarmac road, take the^third path on the left, the Route de Chailly to Samois. Pass a bench and walk alongside a pond on your left. Continue along the path, which is temporarily obstructed, and carry on along a good track. At the next junction, turn right onto the Route du Champignon (signposted further on). Cross a tarmac road at the Carrefour de la Morille (take care) and take the path that leads diagonally to the left, the Route du Loir.

(17) Cross the D116 (a very busy road) and continue straight ahead (north-east) along the Route du Loir. Caution! The entrance to the track is overgrown with vegetation (as of July 2020). Go straight on along the track, which is poorly maintained and appears to be little-used, and cross a stabilised track. You’ll emerge onto the Route Marrier; follow it to the right between plots no. 332 (on the left) and no. 331 (on the right), passing a small pond on your left. Head north-east along this wide, well-maintained track. Cross a dirt track, then a stabilised track.

(18) At the Carrefour Victor, take the road of the same name (^third road on the right). Cross the D116 again (a very busy road) and continue north-east along Route Victor. Cross Route Casimir Perrier. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead along Route Victor.

Red and white markings

(19) At the next junction, turn left onto the^GR®®2(crossing a cycle path). The path is poorly maintained and sometimes obstructed, but it is always clearly marked. Carry on straight ahead and note further on that this is the Route du Semeur. After a left-hand bend, you’ll emerge at the side of the D116.

Then turn sharply right onto a small road that descends towards the Seine. At the corner by an EDF substation and just before a metal barrier, turn left and climb a flight of steps leading up to a bridge. Cross the bridge over the Seine. On the other side, cross the D39 and follow it to the left towards Chartrettes. You’ll soon come to Fontaine-le-Port station (E) on your right.

To get back home:
- Transilien – Line R, towards Melun and Paris (direct access) or Montereau (use the underpass).

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

For motorists:
The two stations are located on different sections of the R line. There are two options:
- With at least two cars: leave one car in the car park at each of the two stations.
- With just one car: make one leg of the journey by train, with a change at Melun.

Hiking boots are required.

No water sources have been identified along the route. Shops in Avon, off the route between (6) and (7).

A 1:25,000 map is essential (at the very least the one accompanying this description) or a route track on a smartphone to follow using the Visorando app.

Recommendations regarding the blue-marked trails:
- The Denecourt-Colinet trails, marked in blue, mostly follow paths that wind their way through the rocks. Despite the density of the markings and their maintenance (thanks to the trail markers!), it is advisable to pay close attention so as not to lose your way. If you have not seen a marker for some time, do not hesitate to retrace your steps until you find the markings again.
- Markings may be found on three types of surface, at three different heights: (i) on tree trunks at eye level; (ii) on rocks, at the same height or lower; and on rocks at ground level.
- The markers are in the shape of a dash (or bar); ignore any double curved arrows >< in blue or white on some tree trunks.
- A good sense of direction is generally required. On this walk, this is particularly the case between markers (10) and (15).

Hike completed by the author on 4 July 2020.

- Forest paths.
- A few views of the Seine, between (3) and (4) and just before (E).
- Denecourt Tower (1851, rebuilt in 1878) (9), offering a sweeping panoramic view of the Forest of Fontainebleau.
- Samois Tower (1880) (15), the top of which is, unfortunately, inaccessible.